Iowa long snapper Luke Elkin quietly makes Tory Taylor, Drew Stevens’ jobs ‘so much easier’

IOWA CITY — Tory Taylor’s punting excellence has understandably gotten attention, whether it be in media coverage, award watch lists or Raygun’s famous “Punting is Winning” shirts.

Drew Stevens’ kicking excellence, likewise, has warranted media attention and a semifinalist nod last year for the Lou Groza Award.

But Iowa football’s other first-team specialist, long snapper Luke Elkin? “I don’t think people probably really understand his role and how important it is on the team,” Taylor said.

The typical college football box score does not have any long snapping statistics. There is no major award watch list for the top long snappers in the country. But Elkin’s teammates, especially Taylor, have attributed much of their success to what Elkin does as a snapper.

“Drew and I can’t really do anything without him,” Taylor said. “He just makes our job so much easier — just to be able to go out there and not have to worry about anything, just knowing that I’m going to get a good snap every time.”

Elkin arrived at Iowa in 2021, and it did not take long for him to earn the starting spot.

Austin Spiewak started the first two games of the 2021 season before Elkin had his opportunity in the Cy-Hawk game and did not relinquish it in the two years since.

The key, Elkin said, was “just being prepared and ready for your moment to jump in.”

“Throughout that whole fall camp and going through practice, you’re just doing everything you can to get that spot out on the field,” Elkin said.

Elkin has reached the point where Stevens and the field goal unit “don’t have to worry” about the snap at all.

“It just like boom, boom, boom, boom,” Stevens said. “It’s robotic.”

Elkin’s contributions aside from just snapping has been a differentiating factor.

“He can cover, too,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “I don’t think we’ll put a snapper around passing, but we might throw to him. You never know.”

Elkin’s athleticism was on full display in the third quarter of last year’s 7-3 win against South Dakota State.

Taylor boomed a 50-yard punt down the center of the field. Even with an experienced and proven gunner like Terry Roberts on the field, at least a short return seemed likely.

“This one is returnable,” FS1 play-by-play commentator Noah Eagle started to say. “Or is it? No, it’s not!”

Luke Elkin happened.

After snapping the ball, Elkin sprinted 50 yards in approximately seven seconds to deck South Dakota State’s Tyler Feldkamp as soon as he caught Taylor’s punt.

“That was obviously pretty special,” Taylor said retrospectively at this month’s Iowa football media day.

But that’s not Elkin’s only highlight-reel-level play that comes to mind. Taylor still remembers a punt from last year when Elkin trucked someone on the punt coverage.

"Coach Woods shows it in the special teams meetings quite a bit,“ Taylor said. ”It was a pretty cool moment for us.“

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Those plays are less of a surprise considering Elkin’s versatility in high school. He played quarterback, long snapper, wide receiver, safety and linebacker during his time at Neenah (Wis.) High School.

“If we wanted him, he could punt the ball, but he can’t snap the ball to himself,” his high school coach Steve Jung once told Green Bay-based WFRV-TV in 2021.

Off the field, special teams coordinator LeVar Woods has praised Elkin as someone “wise beyond his years.”

“Luke is the stabilizing force,” Woods said. “He’s a quiet leader within the room.”

Taylor similarly called him the “mediator in the room.”

“Everyone kind of bounces off him,” Taylor said.

This year will be a little different for Elkin.

Elkin, a walk-on for his first two seasons, was put on scholarship ahead of the fall semester.

“He’s been spectacular since he’s been here,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said after telling reporters Wednesday he was on scholarship. “Just consistent, dependable, great team guy.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com