New Aussie Punter Rhys Dakin Acclimating to Iowa
IOWA CITY -- Following the 2023 season, Iowa fans said goodbye to one of their most popular and prolific players of the 21st century, the player that embodied the phrase "Punting is Winning," and their favorite Australian, Tory Taylor.
With the departure of the NFL-bound specialist, the Hawkeyes looked down under once again to find Taylor's replacement.
Enter the new mullet-having, go-with-the-flow Aussie punter, Rhys Dakin. Nervous for his first media appearance, the Melbourne native discussed what his brief experience has been like as a Hawkeye to this point, as well as the culture shock that has come with moving to Iowa City from Australia.
"The weather is the first thing that I've got to say is the biggest difference," Dakin said. "It's definitely a lot colder and windier. I was wearing gloves every day. I didn't have a moped or car, so I had to walk to the facility the first couple weeks. My ears were like, begging for mercy."
Of course, he's experienced more than just the painful winter gusts and temperatures thus far, and he's happy with the decision he made.
"It's been really good. I've got no regrets," he said. "I just like being around this sort of environment. Iowa's got a really unique feeling to it in the sense that it's family-oriented. Coach (LeVar) Woods really emphasized that before I came here. That's helped me adjust. I'm happy with my teammates in my position room and outside of it. Every one is really good."
He's also never been the center of attention for being a punter.
"I've experienced fan culture, but the passion I've seen here is crazy," he said. "I was at the airport and people knew who I was. I've never experienced that, because I'm the punter, you know? I'm sure at other schools it's not really like that. The culture here is second-to-none. It's nothing like it is in Australia."
The first experience he had with a Hawkeye fan wasn't even in Iowa.
"It was at the Dallas airport, I wasn't even in Cedar Rapids," he said. "A fan -- I sat next to him waiting to get on the plane. I started talking to my dad, and I think he picked up on the accent. I had an Iowa hoodie on, and I guess he put two and two together. That was pretty cool."
Woods, Iowa's special teams coordinator, made the trip to Melbourne in December to solidify things with Dakin before he came to Iowa.
"I was told Coach Woods was coming down to see me kick and get to know me," he said. "[ProKick Australia] chooses the best fit for how you kick and what the coach wants. That's how it was for me."
Dakin didn't even step on campus before he made his decision.
"I just looked at YouTube [to see the campus]," he said. "I wasn't really worried about what it looked like or the facilities. I knew what I was walking into with Coach Woods and the specialists. I was already stoked to have an opportunity to come here."
Dakin is well aware of the tradition of high-level punting at Iowa, especially from his predecessor, who was the 2023 Ray Guy Award winner.
"I knew what I was walking into and that I had big shoes to fill," he said. "I've got to accept that people are going to look at me because of all the previous success.
For now, he'll do his best to shrug off the comparisons to the previous Aussie.
"I don't really think it's a good thing to compare myself to Tory," Dakin said. "Obviously, he's had a lot of success here. That's probably up to you guys to judge. I'm just going to be myself and not worry about anything that Tory is."