Backup kicker has been a question mark for the Iowa roster entering the 2023 season after Aaron Blom, last year's primary backup kicker, was charged with tampering with records as part of the state of Iowa's ongoing investigation into sports wagering at Iowa and Iowa State. The kicker depth chart got a bit clearer on Monday with the news that placekicker Marshall Meeder was joining the Hawkeyes via the transfer portal, confirmed via Meeder's Instagram bio.
Meeder, a native of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, entered the transfer portal last spring after spending his first three seasons at Central Michigan. He joins Iowa as a walk-on. Meeder handled placekicking duties for the Chippewas from 2020 to 2022, with somewhat mixed results.
2020: 8/8 FG (100%), 16/17 XP (94%)
2021: 17/26 FG (65%), 49/51 XP (96%)
2022: 5/11 FG (46%), 23/25 XP (92%)
Meeder's best season at CMU was his first, when he converted all eight field goal attempts and made 16 of 17 extra point attempts for the Chippewas during the COVID-shortened season. Meeder also handled kickoff duties for the Chips, averaging 56.7 yards per kickoff, with 3 of his 26 kickoffs going for touchbacks.
In 2021 and 2022, Meeder was strictly a placekicker. His field goal conversion rate dipped to 65% in 2021, before falling to 46% in 2022. He also missed a pair of extra points in each season.
The decline in field goal conversion rate from 2020 to 2022 is a bit alarming, though the hope would be that being in the Iowa special teams room may help Meeder recover more of the form that he showed in 2020. Meeder also won't be the primary placekicking option for Iowa in 2023 -- that will remain Drew Stevens, who made 16 of 18 field goal tries as a true freshman in 2022, along with all 24 of his extra point attempts. The plan for 2023 will be for Meeder to help provide depth and another kicking option behind Stevens.
Meeder is the second walk-on kicker that Iowa has added to the roster this month -- punter Ty Nissen joined the Hawkeyes from Iowa Western Community College earlier this month.