What a difference a summer (and a scholarship) has made for Koehn

IOWA CITY - Too often when we're on the topic of college football players, we hear the word 'walk-on” and just kind of take it for granted.

Of course, the difference between scholarship players and walk-ons is free school and money. What does that mean? How does something like that manifest itself?

For senior Marshall Koehn, it's meant more time doing football, which is a good thing for the Hawkeyes.

Koehn, who made 12 of 16 field goals last fall in his first season as Iowa's kicker, was awarded a scholarship for this summer (he'll also be on scholarship this fall). For his first four years as a Hawkeye, he worked a construction job and fit in the football.

'We did the Pappajohn biomedical research building (on the UI campus),” Koehn said Thursday. 'That was a pretty cool building. That's where I was mainly the first couple of years. Taking classes and getting rewarded for it (four years as a walk-on) is a pretty good feeling.”

This summer, Koehn has concentrated on his football. Three or four times a week, Koehn has worked with long snapper Tyler Kluver and holder/punter Dillon Kidd on rhythm for kicks. And remember from spring, when special teams coordinator Chris White said Koehn was in the mix for punter? That's still a thing.

'I'm trying to compete with Dillon for it,” Koehn said. 'Competition brings the best out of all of us, so I'm going to try to push him as best as I can.”

Koehn could go from walk-on to scholarship player who holds two specialist spots. You could say that still would make him a bargain, but he doesn't see it that way.

'I don't want to say that,” he said, laughing at the notion. 'I just want to do everything I can.”

No, during Kirk Ferentz's 16 seasons, Iowa really hasn't done the kicker/punter combo. Nate Kaeding was an all-American, Lou Groza Award-winning kicker for the Hawkeyes. In 2001, he was tried at punter. The experiment was short lived, with Kaeding punting just six times before David Bradley solidified the spot.

It's mid-July and we won't know how viable Koehn's candidacy for punter is until August camp, but for now, Koehn is totally into it. He's made punt drill work part of his routine this summer.

'I feel like I've come a long way,” said Koehn, who showed how powerful his leg is last season with 43 touchbacks (second in the Big Ten). 'It's a little different swing than a field goal swing. I'm trying to swing more straight up through the ball. A kicker's swing is more soccer style, coming across it, so I'm trying to work on that.”

Could a serious shot at punter affect Koehn's field goal kicking? (This is something you don't want to mess around with. Koehn hit on 10 of his last 11 field goals, including a 52-yarder at Pittsburgh that was the longest field goal for the Hawkeyes since Nate Kaeding's 55-yarder against Minnesota in November 2003 and just the third 50-yard field goal since Kyle Schlicher made one his junior season in 2005.)

'Early during this, I thought it might have some kind of affect (punts affecting kicks),” Koehn said. 'This summer I've been doing them both and I've felt pretty good with how my kicking is going. I'm still working on punting, but I don't think it affects how I kick field goals and I'm pretty happy about that.”

Koehn went on his terrific streak last season after a bumpy start. He missed three of his first four field goal attempts, including a pair against Ball State that almost came back to haunt the Hawkeyes in a 17-13 victory. Then, there was a crazy field goal attempt against Iowa State. Iowa was shifting around kickers after Koehn's poor start, so two kickers ran onto the field for a 44-yard attempt. Finally, Koehn sprinted out and made the kick.

That success seemingly turned around his season. It also didn't hurt that he had Kaeding, who lives in Iowa City and who also happens to be a two-time Pro Bowler, as a resource.

'Nate shared his game routine with me and I put that with my routine,” Koehn said. 'Just having a routine for a game helped me.”

Part of Koehn's routine includes a highlight video he watches in the hotel the night before games. OK, he watches twice at night and once in the morning.

Superstition or preparation?

'I guess that's a superstition,” Koehn said. 'I don't know, I feel like now that's just what I need to do.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com