LeVar Woods Talks New Faces, Position Battles on Special Teams
Iowa has had some of the best special teams units in the country in recent seasons, thanks to some excellent individual talent (some of which figures to be playing on Sundays next fall) and the consistently strong coaching of special teams coordinator LeVar Woods. Iowa's special teams strength has consistently given the team an edge in football's "hidden yards" battles and been a difference-maker in close games.
Maintaining that strength in 2024 could be a challenge for Woods & Co. because the Hawkeyes are set to feature new faces at almost every key special teams position this fall. Woods acknowledged that in his opening comments during his media availability on Thursday.
"It's a different year, a new year, new room that we have in regards to the specialists. Have six players within the room replacing three players. Only two guys that have any playing experience at the college level, so that's interesting, as you can imagine as a coach," he said.
Cooper DeJean, a superstar punt returner (as well as an ace gunner on returns), is expected to be a first round pick in next week's NFL Draft. Ray Guy Award-winning punter (and four-year holder on field goals and extra points) Tory Taylor is also tipped to hear his name called in the draft. Long-snapper Luke Elkin has also graduated.
The only specialist returning from last season is placekicker Drew Stevens, but his hold on the starting job is far from secure. Stevens endured a nightmare finish to the season last fall, missing at least one field goal attempt in each of Iowa's final four regular season games and going 5-of-10 on field goals overall in that stretch. He also missed an extra point against Illinois. Stevens' struggles were so notable that Iowa turned to transfer Marshall Meeder to kick the game-winner against Nebraska -- his one and only kick last season.
From there, the positional battle ended on a hazy note, as Iowa was shut out in its last two games.
Stevens' attempt to bounce back in 2024 and regain his previous form was a key topic from Woods Thursday.
"I think with Drew, what we're seeing right now is a much more mature version of Drew. He got humbled very hard last year. You guys all saw it and you all watched it, but I think he's a different kid right now," Woods said. "When Drew first came here, he began when he should have been in high school. His first semester on campus would have been his last semester in high school."
Stevens did well as a freshman, converting 89% (16-of-18) of his field goal attempts. As fans saw, that early success proved unsustainable.
"I think that can fool a person very quickly," Woods said. "You see in pro sports all the time: a rookie comes in, sets the world on fire, and then all of a sudden the sophomore is not quite the same, or their second season — not the same. I think some of that happened with Drew."
Appropriately, Stevens' path back to more consistent results starts with... more consistent mechanics.
"I think the things we've been working on more so are getting better consistent ball contact," said Woods. "The strength is there. Looking at it like golf, he can smoke the ball. But you watch some of these guys that get in those long drive competitions, sometimes it's straight, sometimes it's left, sometimes it's right, but they're smoking the ball."
"Now we're trying to get a guy to play in the fairway more consistently all the time," Woods said. "I think it's in there with him. The leg strength is in there. Now it's the maturity of not having to hit a 65-yard field goal every time he lines up there."
While Rhys Dakin and Tory Taylor are both from Melbourne, Australia and from the ProKick Australia academy, Woods emphasized that Dakin isn't just a clone of Taylor -- especially the experienced, veteran version of Taylor that Iowa fans saw last season. Namely, Taylor started at Iowa as a 22-year old, while Dakin will be a more traditional 19 entering his freshman season.
"As you can imagine putting yourself back in those shoes at 22, you're much more mature at that age than you are at 18 or 19 when you enter college," Woods said. "Rhys is entering college at 19, so some of those immaturity things in comparison show up. But I think Rhys is going to be fine. He's incredibly talented. He has a very bright future."
Dakin is not only competing for the starting punter job, he's also vying with Ty Nissen to be the primary holder on field goals and extra points. While Tory Taylor served as Iowa's starter at punter and holder the last four seasons and punters have often served as holders for Iowa, Woods stressed that the two roles aren't automatically linked.
"As far as the holder goes, the best guy is going to get the job; it's not going to be because he is the starting punter that he is the starting holder," Woods said. "But it's going to come down to can they execute and is the kicker comfortable with him holding to make place kicks. Ty Nissen has done a really good job. I'd say currently right now, he he has the upper hand."
Iowa will also be replacing Cooper DeJean in the return game, though the Hawkeyes got a preview last season when Kaden Wetjen took over as primary returner after DeJean's season-ending injury. Wetjen averaged 9.0 yards per return on seven punt returns in Iowa's final four games, and also averaged 23.8 yards per kick return on 14 returns.
"I think the position is open, both kick return and punt return," Woods said. "If you look at kick return, the first return of the year last year went for, I think, 52, 54 yards. That was Kaleb Johnson. It was the longest one we had of the year."
"Then [Johnson] got nicked up, banged up, and Kaden Wetjen stepped in and did a really good job with that. But the competition is open. Those two guys, I think they're competing for that position."
Woods noted Terrell (TJ) Washington, Kamari Moulton, and Zach Lutmer as other players who have stood out as potential options at kick returner as well.
"If you're talking about punt returning, Kaden has been back there the most so far in spring," said Woods. "Kaden, also Alec Wick, and then the same cast of characters I mentioned before as punt returner."
Finally, Woods provided an update on the options for Iowa as the lead gunner on coverage units and the response was a checklist of Iowa's rising stars in the secondary.
"John Nestor has done a really, really good job this spring," Woods said. "It's been fun to watch him grow. He's still a freshman in college right now, right. But just watching him each practice, whether it's on defense or on special teams or working as a gunner, he's growing tremendously. He's a guy I could see out there,."
Zach Lutmer and Koen Entringer, two ascendant players at the safety and CASH positions, were also singled out for praise.
"Zach Lutmer is a guy that played in the bowl game, did a really good job at the gunner position, as well. Koen Entringer when he makes his return, I think we all saw his effort and his energy and his speed at the Big Ten Championship game. I really wish he tackled it on the other 6-yard line rather than our 6-yard line, but you can see the ability there."
The cast of characters in Iowa's special teams units will feature a lot of new names and faces this fall, but the expectations for their play hasn't diminished at all. The Hawkeyes' ability to continue to win the battles in the margins will again be a key factor in their blueprint for success next season, but the players involved in those battles will be much younger and less experienced than Iowa has had over the last few years.