Iowa's Special Teams Position Battles Enter Week 1 With Something to Prove

The forgotten third of the game: special teams.

Never quite given enough attention, yet always finding a way to show up at the best or worst possible times, depending on who you are.

If you are the Iowa Hawkeyes, you have notoriously hoped a game comes down to special teams. With Week 1 nearing, new special teams coordinator Chris Polizzi is hoping that's the case once he decides the position battles that are still ongoing.

Iowa's Special Teams Battles

Iowa has ongoing position battles for punter and kicker. Both have been areas of strength for Iowa throughout the years, and they hope they can get another talent to rise to the top.

"It kind of goes back and forth. At times it looks really good, and at other times, you are like, 'oh boy.' But I would hate to say I am pleasantly surprised, but I'd say that about our punters. I thought that might be a real roller coaster.

They're both doing a good job in practice and Boston, this is his first exposure to football, and he's handling it well. And Tanner's done a good job. Maybe one guy goes the plus-50, and one does the other stuff," Ferentz said of Tanner Philpott and Boston Everitt in a position battle.

What do Kirk Ferentz's comments mean?

First things first, only Kirk Ferentz could provide such an in-depth and informative quote about his punter's fall camp practices and position battle. It's fascinating to see the special teams discourse get him going.

What does it mean, though? Kirk gave some hints as to what it means. I think it means we may see Iowa having not just two quarterbacks this year, but two punters as well.

Unlike quarterbacks, punters are a bit easier to go back-&-forth on. I don't think that's what Iowa wants to do, though. Rather, it sounds like Iowa could be developing each punter to have a specialty in the field-position aspect of games.

Based on the experience Tanner Philpott has - 90 punts as a member of Simpson College - I trust his accuracy and placement. He placed 31 of his 90 punts inside the 20-yard line over the last two years.

His average was 37.5 yards per punt in 2024 and soared to 43.9 yards per punt in 2025. He brings experience and stability to a position that could see him called upon to drop punts deep in enemy territory to set up the Iowa defense for success.

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