Iowa Football Position Preview: ST

Tory Taylor came back because he felt his game wasn’t complete.

The Iowa punter could have entered the NFL draft after last season, but right after the Hawkeyes’ 21-0 win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl, he announced that he would return for one more season.

The future, he said at Iowa’s media day, can wait.

“From a career point of view, hopefully football works out, but I am really just worrying about right now and just trying to get better at punting right now,” he said. “Whatever happens down the track, I know I will have put myself in the best position. Sometimes a lot of things are out of your hands, but I am really not too worried about that right now.”

Taylor is coming off a season in which he was named a first-team All-American by three media outlets, and a second-team All-American by the Associated Press. He averaged 45.2 yards on 82 punts last season, landing 38 inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

But he talked in the offseason about improving the little things to his game, making minor tweaks that he thought he needed.

“I went back home for a month and worked with my coach, and then I went out and worked with a coach in San Diego as well,” said Taylor, who is from Australia. “I am just trying to critique a couple of things.”

“What you could expect from Tory is the guy comes to work or practice every day and works incredibly hard on his craft, and it's starting to show,” special teams coordinator LeVar Woods said. “It's starting to turn the tide. You've seen a lot of talented plays, a lot of things that he's done so far. I think the sky's the limit for Tory Taylor here and beyond.”

Taylor continues to impress Woods with his maturity.

“He’s just a phenomenal human being, a phenomenal young man,” Woods said. “The charity work that he's done, the leadership, the step forward that he's taken this year, it's just been fun to watch.”

Drew Stevens is back at kicker after a season in which he set a program record for freshmen with 16 field goals.

Stevens was almost perfect last season. He was 16-of-18 in field goals and 24-of-24 on extra points.

“Honestly this year is not different than last year,” Stevens said. “I am always just trying to focus on being the best player I can be, and whatever happens after that mindset is what will happen.”

“I'm not sure anyone on this football team has matured and grown and improved more than Drew Stevens in the short time he’s been here,” Woods said. “He's grown physically. He's put on weight that allows him to help move the ball down the field quicker and he’s had some kicks in practice. He’s pretty impressive.

“You know, we haven't quite gotten beyond the 60 range yet. But you know, I think as time goes, Drew's a smooth operator on the football field, and it's fun to watch. He's incredibly competitive. Works his butt off, almost to a fault. You’ve got to hold him back from kicking too many balls. He’s a perfectionist, and he's just trying to be great. That's a fun combination to have.”

The Hawkeyes added a second kicker in their August camp, bringing in Marshall Meeder from Central Michigan. Meeder made 30-of-45 field goals in 29 games at Central Michigan.

Stevens, though, is comfortable in his role.

“If I didn’t feel comfortable in what I was doing, I would not be on the field,” he said. “That is how your mindset has to be to be able to perform at a level like this.”

Luke Elkin will handle the long snapper duties. But what the Hawkeyes do at kick returner and punt returner remains to be seen — neither position was listed on the depth chart for Saturday’s season opener against Utah State.