By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Like every college football team, Iowa’s roster is filled with players from all different sorts of backgrounds, and that is certainly true in the case of Tory Taylor and Zach VanValkenburg.

Every player on the Iowa roster has a story to tell about how he reached this point, but Taylor and VanValkenburg have two of the most interesting and unlikely stories to tell.

It’s incredible that either one is on the Iowa roster.

Their stories have nothing in common besides a path that led them to Iowa City.

Taylor is a 23-year old true freshman punter from Melbourne, Australia, who has experience playing Australian football, but he did not punt in high school, while VanValkenburg is a 22-year old fifth-year senior defensive end from Zeeland, Mich., who transferred to Iowa in 2019 after having played two seasons for Division II Hillsdale College in Michigan.

Taylor twice had to quarantine due to COVID-19 concerns before he could join the Iowa team.

But judging from his impressive 46.1 average on 10 punts, Taylor seems to be adjusting well to his new surroundings, and to what is a much different life than his life in Australia.

“I’d probably be working, and honestly, every time I walk out the doors to practice I remind myself where I’m pretty lucky,” Taylor said Tuesday on a zoom conference when asked what he’d be doing if still lived in Australia. “And then especially walking out at Purdue, I kind of took a moment and I was like, ‘oh, wow, this is it. I guess I’ve kind of made it.”’

Taylor is the latest in a growing number of college punters who are from Australia.

He replaced fellow Australian Michael Sleep-Dalton, who punted for Iowa last season as a graduate transfer.

Asked why so many punters are starting to come from Australia, Taylor had a simple explanation

“I think it’ just the different tools that we have and the different tricks,” Taylor said. “Here you guys go out throwing the baseball, throwing the football, whereas back home we go out kicking a football. I’ve been kicking a football since I came out of the womb pretty much

“But I’ve only been kicking an American football for probably eighteen months now, so that was an adjustment in itself.”

Taylor’s path to Iowa started after he became involved with the Pro Kick Australia program because that helped to put him on the radar for college recruiters such as Iowa special teams coach LeVar Woods.

“A couple of my friends said look there’s Aussie guys over in America punting and why don’t you have a look into it,” Taylor said. “And then I kind of just looked into it and I thought, well, what have I got to lose? It’s a great opportunity, and then I joined Pro Kick Australia in the middle of last year and I owe my credit to them because without them I certainly wouldn’t be here.”

Woods also played a major role in convincing Taylor, and Taylor parents, that punting for Iowa would be a great opportunity despite the distance from home.

Woods traveled to Australia to meet with Taylor, and with his parents, and it’s fair to say that Wood made a strong impression.

“He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met, and he pushes us every day,” Taylor said of Woods. “In terms of when he came out to Australia, he was great. He met me and my family and my family loved him as well.

“So I think that made it easier, especially for my parents having that sort of person. It was obviously hard for mom sending me all the way out here, and that certainly made it easier.”

Taylor speaks with a heavy Australian accent, he’s much older than a typical freshman and he puts ketchup on steak, which he says is not that unusual in Australia.

However, in the United States it is unusual to put ketchup on steak as Iowa kicker Keith Duncan apparently has told Taylor.

“I just love the taste,” Taylor said. “I’ve always done it back home, and I thought it was a bit of a normality, but obviously, not here.”

Taylor said another difference between life in Iowa City compared to Australia is the amount food that he sees people eating in Iowa City.

“People certainly eat a lot more here,” Taylor said. “And it’s certainly different. But honestly, there’s really not too much that is different.”

VanValkenburg, meanwhile, was lightly recruited coming out of high school, so he chose to attend Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich.

He was redshirted as a true freshman, but by his sophomore season in 2018, VanValkenburg was named the Defensive Lineman of the Year in the Great Midwest Athletic. He finished with 14.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and also forced three fumbles that season.

His success caused VanValkenburg to think that maybe he could play at the highest level in college.

And as it turns out, he was right.

VanValkenburg came to Iowa as a graduate transfer and saw action in 11 games last season before becoming a starter at defensive end this season.

“I really had a good time at Hillsdale,” Van Valkenburg said. “It was really the place for me coming out of high school. I guess I wasn’t quite there getting recruited out of high school.

“I got my degree and decided that getting a master’s was the path for me, and I thought, why not try to do it at the highest level.”

VanValkenburg’s academic pursuits is a story in itself.

His major is interdisciplinary studies, which VanValkenburg said is basically the same as political science. He also has an emphasis in Russian studies, and is learning to speak Russian.

Unlike Taylor, who still hasn’t seen a college football stadium filled with fans, VanValkenburg experienced that thrill as a Hawkeye last season.

The fact that stadiums are now mostly empty due to COVID-19 health concerns sort of reminds VanValkenburg of when he played on the road at the Division II level.

“It’s definitely a big difference from last year,” VanValkenburg said. “Last year was something to get used to for me. But these last two games have been like playing on the road in Division two. I’m definitely used to that environment.”

Iowa is off to an 0-2 after losses to Purdue and Northwestern by a combined five points, and VanValkenburg was asked Tuesday if he is worried that this season could slip off the rails.

Iowa will face 1-1 Michigan State on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

“Absolutely not,” Van Valkenburg said. “We really try and focus on preparing for the next week, and playing the next week. We have to close losses, but we saw a lot of improvement last week. And that’s whast we’re focused on, just plugging away and improving.”

VanValkenburg did not see action in Iowa’s 10-3 loss at Michigan last season.

So Saturday’s game, which starts at 11 a.m. and will be televised by ESPN, will be his first against a school from his home state.

“It’s definitely exciting,” VanValkenburg said. “Just like playing Michigan last year. It’s a situation I didn’t anticipate myself being in coming out of high school. So I’m really excited for the opportunity, and I know there will be a lot of people home watching.

“So that nice.”