Iowa Post-Spring Position Analysis: ST

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Tory Taylor could have taken his NFL shot after either of the last two seasons. Heck, pro organizations would have tried out the Iowa punter after Year 1.

They'll have to wait another year for the fourth-year senior from Australia. He's still happy being a Hawkeye. That's wonderful news for a program playing the field position game.

Taylor (6-4, 230) returns after being named a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association and a second-team pick by the Associated Press. He averaged 45.4 yards per punt with 38 of them being downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

Put another way, Taylor is a weapon. He changes how coaches call games in all three phases. Return men can't do much with his offerings.

He, the rest of the special teams and a stingy defense have helped the Hawkeyes overcome historically bad offenses the last two seasons. Two different kickers played a big role.

Drew Stevens beat out Aaron Blom early last season. He replaced the previous year's starter, Caleb Shudak, and set the program record for field goals (16) by a freshman. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection after Shudak landed on the first-team in '21.

Stevens missed only two field goals. He connected on both attempts beyond 50 yards and was 10 for 10 inside the 39-yard line. He racked up 31 touchbacks on 55 kickoffs .

The good news on special teams extends to long-snapper Luke Elkin. His name is unfamiliar for a lot of fans. Like a referee or umpire, it's good going unnoticed at that position.

Player turnover happens on coverage and return teams annually. The Hawkeyes are in a good stretch of reloading.

They ranked 17th out of 131 FBS programs in kick-return defense and 24th in punt-return defense last season. Their 22.2 yards per kick return rated 31st.

True freshman Kaleb Johnson didn't return enough kicks to qualify in the national rankings but his 25.0-yard average on 13 returns would have been 17th. Sophomore cornerback Cooper DeJean returned 10 punts with a 16.5-yard average, which would have ranked second in the country if qualified.

It will be interesting to see if Iowa sticks with its best ball carrier and top defensive player on returns. On one hand, there are injury concerns. On the other, somebody needs to beat them out. Again, field position and ball security are keys here.

Riley Moss and Gavin Williams also returned kicks last season. Moss exhausted his eligibility. Williams transferred to Northern Illinois.

Arland Bruce IV returned punts until he sustained an injury. DeJean kept the job after he was healthy. Bruce transferred to Oklahoma State.

The Hawkeyes did not list returners on the pre-Spring depth chart. They've leaned toward running backs at kick return in recent seasons, while receivers or defensive backs are preferred at punt return.

Second-year guys Jaziun Patterson, a running back, and Xavier Nwankpa, a safety, could be intriguing on returns with their skill sets. A true freshman could open eyes during camp, although history tells us that's less likely.