Hawkeyes position breakdown: Special teams

After working through the entire Iowa roster, the only positions left to dive into are the special teamers.

This season’s group is another one that hit the reset button during the offseason, as starting roles for kicker, punter, and return specialist all opened up.

2025 kicker Drew Stevens signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent in May and is battling for the starting job in training camp.

Punter Rhys Dakin entered the portal and signed with Michigan State. Return man Kaden Wetjen was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round.

Another big loss was longtime special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, who Dakin followed to Michigan state. Chris Polizzi was promoted in Woods’ place.

Altogether, those departures paved the way for a host of new players to try to lock down a starting role.

Kicker

From the moment he stepped on campus in 2022 until he graduated in 2025, Drew Stevens was Iowa’s starting kicker and never let go of the role. When he left, he held school records for longest field goal, most field goals scored, and second most points. Safe to say, it’s a hard act to follow up for the two Iowa kickers competing for the job.

Hailing from the same hometown as Iowa basketball star Bennett Stirtz, Eli Ozick’s journey to the Hawkeyes also involved the transfer portal. He spent the first three seasons of his career at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, displaying a strong and accurate leg. His resume includes an FCS national championship, a career long of 54 yards, and an active streak of 11 consecutive made field goals to close out 2025.

In order to win the job, he’ll need to beat out second year kicker Caden Buhr. Buhr has yet to attempt a field goal in a game, having kicked off just once in Iowa’s 47-7 blowout against UMass. One of the things working in Buhr’s favor is his high school career long of 57 yards, which beats Ozick in the power department.

I just trust that [head coach Kirk Ferentz] is going to make the right decision for this program and for me as a kicker,” Ozick said in April.

Punter

There’s perhaps no other college in football that appreciates their punters like Iowa does. While the position comes with unmatched adoration, it also comes with the pressure to live up to it. With Rhys Dakin out the door, both punters on the roster are brand new to the program.

Tanner Philpott is a third year transfer from Division III Simpson college, with nearly identical average punt distance as Dakin had in 2025. That’s not a bad thing, as Dakin was an honorable mention All-Big Ten. Philpott’s 43.9 yards on average was a big improvement from 37.5 as a first-year player, so there’s room to continue growing.

His competitor also shares something in common with Dakin, and that’s country of origin. Second-year punter Boston Everitt continues the line of Aussie special teamers making Iowa City their home. Because he spent a year at the University of Melbourne, he has four seasons of eligibility with Iowa.

“[Philpott and Everitt] both work well with one another,” Polizzi said. “They trade notes with one another. They review film with one another. They catch jugs off one another.”

Return specialist

Most position battles on the roster usually concern two to three names looking to win the job. Return specialist is a completely open battle.

In April, Polizzi highlighted a couple of names that were in consideration to field kicks and punts on gameday. They included defensive backs Zach Lutmer and Jaylen Watson, receivers KJ Parker and Reece Vander Zee, and running back Brevin Doll.

If Lutmer were to win the job it would immediately harken back to when Cooper DeJean held the role in addition to being Iowa’s best defensive player. Parker and Doll aren’t expected to play as big of roles as the other names, which might make them more suited for that responsibility. Either way, Iowa has numerous options that can step up.

Outlook

One of the points Kirk Ferentz touched on at the Big Ten media day in Chicago was how special teams will be a battle that plays out over time, bringing up a story about Drew Stevens to highlight the way growth happens at these positions.

“He was awful that first spring. Just awful, like intentionally. I thought he was intentionally trying to be bad, and had a great fall,” Ferentz said.

He wasn’t saying that history is repeating itself, just that growth is far from linear and it takes time to smooth things out.

“There's going to be some ups and downs the first time out there but I think we just have to be patient, no different than the quarterback competition,” Ferentz said.

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