Tory Taylor entrenched at Iowa for another year

IOWA CITY — Hey Iowa football fans, we’ll start with the good punting news.

Though 24 years and 4 months old, Hawkeye punter Tory Taylor will return for his junior season next year.

Given his age, you may have wondered if he was a sure thing to return. Taylor didn’t wonder at all.

“I’ll be coming back, definitely,” he said Tuesday. “(Leaving) hasn’t even crossed my mind at all.”

“I think he’s really enjoying the ride right now,” said Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz.

“He’s just been not only a really good player on the team, but such a positive addition to our football team because he appreciates each and every day.”

The bad news? Taylor wasn’t one of the three finalists named Tuesday for the Ray Guy Award, given to college football’s top punter.

Despite how consistently terrific Taylor has been this fall, it would have been a surprise if he had made the final cut. Great punters have never been in such large surplus, especially in the Big Ten, where six of the nation’s top 22 in yards per punt reside.

Two of those are Ray Guy finalists, Rutgers’ Adam Korsak and Penn State’s Jordan Stout. It would be a surprise if the winner isn’t Matt Araiza of San Diego State, with his average of 51.8 yards, and 34 of his 67 punts landing inside the 20-yard line.

Nonetheless, Taylor is siding with his Australian friend, Korsak. He averages 46.0 yards and has put 35 of his 66 punts inside the 20.

“I just feel like there’s no one punting the ball better than he is at the moment,” Taylor said. “He deserves to win the Ray Guy Award.”

Taylor wouldn’t have been an unworthy finalist himself, with 67 punts for an average of 45.8 yards and 32 inside the 20 to just 10 touchbacks.

He, however, said he feels the Hawkeye who was slighted Tuesday is kicker Caleb Shudak, who didn’t make it to the final three of the Lou Groza Award despite making 18 of 21 field goals, with one of the misses from 57 yards. Again, two of the three finalists were from the Big Ten.

Shudak, Taylor said, “has been performing all year and has been testing himself with longer kicks, whereas I think there’s a couple guys on that list that really haven’t.”

On Twitter, Taylor said “Absolute disgrace” in response to the Groza Award’s announcement of its finalists.

Shudak is a sixth-year senior looking at his regular-season finale Friday when Iowa visits Nebraska. Taylor is a second-year sophomore who says life beyond the Hawkeyes for him can wait.

“What do I have, probably 67, 68 punts,” Taylor said, “and there’s probably 10 to 15 I would really like back. So there’s a lot for me to work on and improve, but that’s what I think is the most exciting thing.”

Only 32 NFL jobs are available as punter, and punters have long shelf lives if they remain good at their craft. Taylor is old enough to be a sixth-year senior, but didn’t start college until he was 23.

“I’m only a year-and-a-half in now,” he said. “I’ve still got a while.

“If anything, it’d be such a great satisfaction for me and my family if I got my degree.”

Taylor said “the NFL, it’s not going to define me or anything like that,” but he wants to kick there eventually.

“But the NFL’s not going anywhere, I hope,” he said. “It’s obviously a dream and something I kind of want to do as a career. I’m not going to sit here and lie. Those guys make a lot of money doing what they’re doing, as they should because you’re not in there for long. So long-term, that’s the goal.

“I’m just focused on Nebraska, and having a good time and enjoying myself, getting my degree, building relationships and networks while I’m here. Because you can only go to college once.”

If you’ve been to Hawkeye games in Iowa City this season, you’ve probably seen people wearing “Punting is Winning” T-shirts with an outline of Australia on the front, and the name “Taylor” with his number 9 on the back.

“I’ll be coming back next year,” said Taylor, “and then I will reassess from there. But I love Iowa. I love the place, I love the people. It’s a really hard place to leave.”

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com