Iowa State football hoping to find its next Andrew Mevis in fall placekicking battle

Editor’s note: Third in a nine-part series looking at each Iowa State football position ahead of the 2022 season.

AMES — Iowa State had a touchback problem.

From 2018-2020, Cyclone kickers failed to produce many of them. Enter one-year wonder Andrew Mevis, who catapulted ISU from 106th in the nation or worse in touchback percentage during that ignominious span all the way up to 22nd.

But he’s gone now, so the Cyclones are looking for the next Mevis. And looking and looking and looking ...

“That’s another really competitive area for us,” ISU head coach Matt Campbell said on media day.

It needs to be — and the winner must be Mevis-like in order to prevent some of the woes that preceded last season’s success. In 2020, the Cyclones were one of two teams in the country to allow two 90-plus yard kickoff returns for touchdown, and in order for that issue to remain in the past, this year’s kicker must boot the ball deep into the end zone more often than not.

So who’s in the mix? At least three guys, including a true freshman.

Jace Gilbert, tabbed as the No. 18 kicker nationally by Kohl’s Kicking, arrived on campus in June and is competing alongside program veteran Drake Nettles and redshirt freshman Keegan Shackford.

So who has a leg up? It’s too early to say.

“I think, again, we feel that room’s as healthy and competitive as ever and I think it’s going to be a great battle as we get into fall camp,” Campbell said. “We’re really excited about all three of those guys. We think all three of those guys have great potential and it’s going to be fun to see where that challenge and that race goes.”

Nettles, a redshirt junior from Council Bluffs Lewis Central, handled kickoffs during the 2020 season and has continued to develop. Shackford, a Virginia product, possesses a very powerful leg, but like Gilbert, has yet to kick in college.

“(Shackford) was incredibly impressive (behind the scenes) last season,” Campbell said. “Probably if there was an injury at all to Andrew from both a kickoff standpoint and a leg power standpoint, Keegan would have been probably the next guy in a year ago. So I think very beneficial for him to have Andrew Mevis and to be able to work with Andrew a year ago.

“Then you talk about Drake Nettles. Two years ago, (he) kind of solved the mystery for us a little bit in the kickoff situation and was able to do some unique things. It’s almost professional in terms of how he goes about his business.”

Two or three of the aforementioned options at kicker could be in business this season, depending on whether the kickoff and field-goal duties are consolidated or apportioned. So stay tuned on that.

The same level of patience will be required in terms of punting and kickoff and punt-return duties. Officially, those reps remain up in the air, as well, but at least a couple punters seem to be in the forefront in that battle.

Cameron Shook is a senior from Michigan who punted six times for an average of 36.7 yards last season. Ben Garbarini is a mid-year addition from Division III Christopher Newport College who averaged 42.2 yards per attempt in 2019. Tyler Perkins, a true freshman from Norwalk, Ohio, is in that mix, as well.

But the key battle looms at kicker — and mainly, who can produce touchbacks while also proving to be accurate on field goals as Mevis was.

“It's all about consistency,” Campbell said. “It's all about the ability to perform. It's all about the ability to replicate your process so you can perform with great consistency. And that's what we would be looking for from that position.”

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