While he is still not sure when he will be able to fly to the Unites States, Australian punter Tory Taylor is looking forward to beginning his college career with the Iowa Hawkeyes this year. We caught up with the 6-foot-4, 233-pound Taylor to discuss his training during the pandemic, what he did to impress the Iowa coaching staff during the recruiting process, his upcoming freshman year with the Hawkeyes, and much more.

Q: What have you been up to the last couple months since the pandemic started?

TAYLOR: Well, I’m off on the shore where there was probably a period of two months where you were only allowed to leave the house for exercise like physical activity or going to shop for essential needs. So I’ve been kicking a lot at my local oval, but other than that I’ve kind of been restricted as I only have a couple dumbbells, a kettlebell, and a couple bands at home, so I’ve been doing what I can with that. But otherwise, I’ve just been kicking a lot and spending a lot of time with family because obviously I’m not going to see them much once I go to Iowa. I’m just doing what I can to keep busy. It’s been okay, but it’s been different for sure.

Q: With Iowa, who are you talking to there and what is their message to you?

TAYLOR: I’ve spoken to Coach Broderick Binns and Coach LeVar Woods a fair bit, but there hasn’t been any real concrete news and that’s fair enough because no one really knows. I think everyone is just kind of playing the waiting game at the moment, which is all we can do really.

Q: Previously were you planning to move out there here shortly I imagine?

TAYLOR: Yeah, I think I was going to fly out in early to mid-June, but that’s all changed now. I think it’s more like the end of July hopefully. But no promises because there are restrictions here as to who is allowed to leave Australia and whatnot, so I’m really not sure.

Q: What has been their message to you as far as what to do day to day, just keep kicking and stay in shape?

TAYLOR: Yeah, I think that’s probably the message they’re sending everyone is just to stay in shape. I’ve been running a fair bit because I don’t really have the access to gyms right now. I’m just trying to stay healthy and stay fit, which is all we can really do at the moment.

Q: If we can go back a bit, can you tell us how Iowa became involved in your recruiting and how that all came together in January and February?

TAYLOR: Yeah. I’m obviously part of a program called Prokick Australia, which has sent well over 100 guys to Division I schools. They basically send film to college coaches and then it’s kind of just up to the coaches if they want to take us. Coach Woods actually came out in January and must have liked what he saw, I don’t know, but it kind of just went from there up to signing day on February 5. That’s when I signed the papers and made it all official and it was exciting.

Q: What was your journey into being interested in punting and American Football in general?

TAYLOR: When I was younger, I wouldn’t say I was a passionate NFL fan, but I liked watching the games. One of the guys I went to school with was Xavier Subotsch, who went to Appalachian State. I was the same year as him in school, so I saw he was doing it and kind of started to look into a bit. Then eventually I just pulled the trigger and thought why not? It sounded like a great opportunity.

Q: When did you decide to pursue that?

TAYLOR: It would have been June of last year.

Q: Before that, you were always playing Australian Rules Football?

TAYLOR: Yeah, Aussie Rules. Nothing special, just local grade around my area. I was about an hour from Melbourne, so I was just playing Footy around there and just having fun with my mates. I loved playing, but didn’t take it serious enough to really take it even further. I just enjoyed playing with my mates.

Q: And then for the last year you have been focused on punting?

TAYLOR: Yeah. With Prokick, it’s really an all or nothing thing, so it wasn’t like Footy where I was just doing it to have fun on the weekends. With Prokick, you have to be 100% in or not do it at all, so it was a step up but I loved every minute of it.

Q: Have you ever been over to the United States before?

TAYLOR: No, I haven’t. I was supposed to visit in April, but obviously the virus shut those plans down. My first visit to the States will be when I arrive there pretty much.

Q: What are you looking forward to once you are able to make the move?

TAYLOR: I think just meeting all the players and the other coaches. I haven’t really spoken to any of the other coaches yet apart from Coach Woods and Coach Binns, but they’ve been fantastic with answering all of my questions. But I think it’s just meeting the players and getting into classes and meeting all of the other students. I’m really looking forward to it, as well as beginning practices as well. We try to simulate games the best we can over here, but it’s obviously pretty different from a live game. I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s all about.

Q: Will that be your biggest adjustment your first year is getting used to a live game and the speed of it all?

TAYLOR: Yeah. We simulate it the best we can, but none of us have actually played the game. We just train for punting. That’s what we do.

Q: If you had to guess, what do you think you showed Coach Woods that led to the offer?

TAYLOR: I think it was just the different type of kicks that I was able to execute. Whether that’s the spiral or the drop punt or the rollout, I like to say that I’ve got a few tricks in the bag so hopefully I’ll get to use them the next few years.

Q: Have they said coming in if you will redshirt or compete for a starting job right away or not much discussion on that yet?

TAYLOR: I know Iowa in general has a real competitive atmosphere, so I’m just going to get there and compete right away. I know it’s going to be hard, but I’m looking forward to it. I don’t really like losing. I know Ryan’s a great punter, so it’s going to be tough, but I’m just looking forward to competing and having fun.

Q: Does coming in a little older at 22-23 years old help you think with making that big of move?

TAYLOR: Yeah, I’m 22 and I turn 23 in October. I think it helps whether that’s physical maturity or just life experience and maturity, I’m sure it has its benefits. Obviously it’s not going to be easy moving however many thousands of miles across the sea, but I’m ready to go. You have to have some sort of sense of maturity to take a big step like that, but I’m looking forward to it.