20 Hawkeyes For 2020: Keith Duncan
One in a series of stories on the 20 Hawkeyes to watch for the 2020 football season.
Keith Duncan was Iowa's kicker in 2016, and then lost the job to Miguel Recinos for two seasons.
He got the job back last season, and all he did was set a Big Ten and Iowa single-season record with 29 field goals on his way to being named a consensus All-American andthe conference's kicker of the year.
Last week, he was honored on the Big Ten Network's All-Decade team as a first-team kicker.
"It's definitely a crazy story," said Duncan, who is from Weddington, N.C. "Coming from North Carolina, I had no idea where Iowa was. But the coaches said I would have a chance to start, so I was hooked.
"Going into my sophomore year, I got beat out by Miguel, who is a great kicker. And for me, that was kind of a wake-up call. I had to become more mature. It was either take the right path, or take the wrong path."
It's a path that will continue this season.
Duncan was a big key to Iowa's 10-win season in 2019. He had four field goals in wins at Iowa State — the fourth one proved to be the game-winner — and at home against Illinois.
His best moment came in the regular season finale against Nebraska, when he kicked the game-winning 48-yard field goal with one second to go in the 27-24 victory, blowing kisses toward the Huskers' bench as he celebrated.
He's been one of the Hawkeyes that has taken advantage of the lifting of the Twitter ban on players, providing humorous comments that are a look into his personality.
Last season was a reminder for what Duncan can do as a kicker. He'll go into this season building on being one of the nation's best.
