What impact will Iowa kicker Drew Stevens’ added weight have in 2023?

IOWA CITY — Some of Drew Stevens’ friends were in for a surprise when the Iowa kicker returned home to North Augusta, S.C.

“Pretty much every friend I have, whenever I go back home is like, ‘Wow, you’re way bigger now,’” Stevens said. “What happened? Do they feed you growth hormones in Iowa?”

Stevens, following a standout freshman season that got him a Lou Groza semifinalist nod, has been “emphasizing” gaining body weight in the offseason.

“I've been trying to gain more power so I can swing smoother and be more accurate,” Stevens said.

He has already seen results, bulking up from about 180-185 pounds last season to 197 so far in spring practices.

Going back to last spring, when he was an early enrollee, Stevens weighed “probably like 170-something.”

“His legs have filled out a ton,” said Dan Orner, his private kicking coach. “The next move over the summer is to kind of go after his upper body and just make them equal parts as strong.”

Orner, who has worked with Stevens, former Hawkeye Keith Duncan and several other Division I kickers, said Stevens’ weight gains have been “a really smart move.”

“The 50-yarders are going to feel like 40-yarders,” Orner said. “The 60-yarders are going to be in his range. … You’re going to see bigger kicks from him in the future without a doubt.”

Stevens hit a 55-yarder in practice Thursday.

“It was pretty easy, like not to brag,” Stevens said. “Easier than last spring.”

As Orner and Stevens work on having more touchbacks on kickoffs against the wind, the added weight “should help out a ton as well.”

Stevens already showed a deep range as a freshman, hitting 51 and 54-yard field goals in 2022. He was 4-of-6 from between 40 and 49 yards and a perfect 10-for-10 on shorter attempts.

Thirty-one of his 55 kickoffs were touchbacks, per Pro Football Focus, and he had four fair catches.

The kicks will be “a lot easier on his body” now that he’s bulked up, Orner said.

“I swing way smoother than usual,” Stevens said.

The added weight is far from a surprise. Many NFL kickers at or near Stevens’ height are between 187 and 200 pounds, Orner said.

“When I first got here, though, (strength) coach (Raimond) Braithwaite was like, ‘You’re going to look completely different by the time you leave here,’” Stevens said.

Looking ahead, Orner wants “to keep him below 200” pounds. He predicted Stevens will “probably end up hovering in the low 190s” after summer conditioning.

“Obviously it’s a balance,” Orner said. “You don’t want to feel sluggish and gain too much weight.”

The added weight is one of several factors benefiting the soon-to-be-sophomore.

“Last year, it’s like a learning experience,” said Stevens, who enrolled early as a freshman in 2022. “Compared to high school, it’s way different.”

Another spring means more time to work with Tory Taylor as his holder.

Stevens mostly worked with since-departed backup punter Nick Phelps as his holder leading up to the 2022 season. Then Taylor was his holder when he won the kicking job in September.

Now that Stevens is the clear No. 1 kicker this spring, that means getting to work consistently with Iowa’s No. 1 holder.

“It’s a game-changer,” Orner said. “Tory is elite at holding.”

All those factors leave Orner optimistic about Stevens’ trajectory.

“To have this much success as a freshman really puts him among the Keith Duncans and the Nate Kaedings — the elite kickers that Iowa has produced,” Orner said.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com