IOWA CITY — Out of the three phases of the game, there was the least amount of concern surrounding the Iowa football special teams unit entering the 2025 season.
Offensively, the Hawkeyes lost one of the best running backs in program history, brought in a new starting quarterback and had a group of relatively unproven receivers. Defensively, historical dependability alleviated some worry, but several standouts needed to be replaced from 2024.
Meanwhile, Iowa’s special teams appeared loaded.
The Hawkeyes brought back veteran kicker Drew Stevens, explosive returner Kaden Wetjen and talented punter Rhys Dakin, who seemed ready to make a jump from freshman to sophomore year.
During Iowa’s 3-2 start, that has not fully panned out.
Iowa’s special teams have generated some electric moments:
But there have also been some head-scratching mistakes.
In the last three games alone, Iowa has:
It’s a credit to Iowa that its special teams can be considered the gold standard in college football. But through five games so far this season, the Hawkeyes have fallen short of that reputation due to uncharacteristic inconsistencies.
“We’ve had some really amazing things done, and then some plays that are, like, ‘Man, what the heck is going on?’” said Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods. “So, some inconsistency. Those are things that we’re striving to try to improve here throughout the bye week and keep pushing forward.”
Wetjen has been the brightest spot on special teams, delivering touchdowns in consecutive games. But his performance in the Iowa State loss, in which he had one punt return for -7 yards, did not do the Hawkeyes many favors.
After missing just three kicks all of last season, Stevens has already missed four in 2025. The most consequential came as Iowa tried to pull off an upset over Indiana. After making a 54-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter, Stevens tried a potential go-ahead 42-yard attempt with roughly two minutes remaining, but failed to convert.
That loomed large as the Hoosiers went down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown, giving the Hawkeyes a deflating loss riddled with missed opportunities.
But it’s important to identify the nuances of the kicking game. For instance, the holder is supposed to turn the laces of the ball away from the kicker, but in the miss against Indiana, they were turned to the side.
“It’s a unit, so it’s not just one person,” Woods said. “Drew is the kicker, so everyone looks at him. It’s sort of like the quarterback. Everyone looks at the quarterback. Did he make the pass? Did he not make the pass? But there’s 10 other guys out there. There’s 10 other things, 10 other layers that go into that in regards to any play in football, particularly in field goal.”
The biggest unknown on special teams entering the season was one of the most overlooked jobs in football: The long snapper.
The Hawkeyes were tasked with filling the void Luke Elkin, a stalwart on special teams over the previous four seasons, left behind. Iowa has used both Ike Speltz and Boston College transfer Bryant Worrell in that role this season.
Against Indiana, Iowa felt the effects of not having Elkin.
Dakin had a punt blocked for the second time this season. The Hawkeyes were fortunate that the ball still ended up bounding to the Indiana 42-yard line. Then Iowa’s defense came through by forcing a three-and-out, bailing the Hawkeyes out of what could’ve been a disaster.
“Going back to consistency in operation,” Woods said of the blocked punt vs. Indiana. “So snap location (by Worrell), getting the punter pulled off his line, not great. So that definitely doesn’t help. Again, those are some of the things, consistency, that we’re looking for and that we need to improve upon.”
Iowa’s special teams played a deciding factor in its win over Rutgers — with a kickoff return touchdown and a blocked field goal directly impacting the numbers on the scoreboard. But that unit has also deserves a share of the blame in both of Iowa’s losses.
“I think this also still is a group still gelling together and working together,” Woods said of the field goal unit. “Whether you are talking about whoever is snapping the ball over whatever, it’s three guys that haven’t been together nearly as long as Luke to (holder Ty Nissen) to Drew. So there’s some of that still working through as well. But I have all the confidence in the world in the guys we put on the football field. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Drew Stevens.”
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa football special teams falling short of gold standard in 2025
Reporting by Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
