After attending Iowa's camp on June 18, kicker Drew Stevens will be returning to campus for an unofficial visit with the Hawkeyes this weekend. For the 6-foot-1, 173-pound South Carolina native, the trip will be an opportunity to get a better look at the surroundings in Iowa City and spend more time with the coaching staff.
"All I got to do before was the camp," said Stevens "We literally left as soon as it was over to catch a flight home, so I didn't get to see much. Now we're coming back for a tour of the facilities and to meet all the coaches and spend time with them. My whole family is coming too."
At Iowa's camp, Stevens turned in an impressive performance that impressed the Hawkeye coaching staff.
"I won the field goal chart and tied for first in the field goal competition," Stevens said. "I got second in the kickoff competition, but I had the big ball of the day, which was 72 yards. I lost overall by 0.2 seconds hang time, but had the longest average distance."
As for the connection to the state of Iowa for a kicker from South Carolina, there are a couple including family ties as well as former Hawkeye Keith Duncan.
"My mom is from Okoboji, IA, and my mom and dad are Iowa State alums. My mom's mom and uncle still live in Iowa," said Stevens. "Also, my kicking coach, Dan Orner, trained Keith Duncan, and that is how the connection was made to Coach Woods at Iowa."
Right now, Iowa is talking about a potential preferred walk-on opportunity, which is also how Duncan began his career with the Hawkeyes. Stevens currently holds preferred walk-on opportunities from South Carolina and NC State and is expecting offers from Coastal Carolina and Old Dominion. He is also receiving interest from Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Maryland, among others.
Stevens hopes to make his college decision by early next week.