North Carolina high school kicker Tripp Woody commits to Iowa football
Woody is friends with former Iowa kicker Keith Duncan
By Alex Pruismann
IOWA CITY, Iowa The last time the Iowa football team landed a kicker from the state of North Carolina, it paid huge dividends as Keith Duncan would go on to become a consensus All-American after having joined the program as a preferred walk-on.
Tripp Woody now hopes to travel a similar path.
The Waxhaw, North Carolina native announced his commitment to Iowa via X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.
Woody is familiar with both Duncan and current Iowa kicker Drew Stevens, who is from North Augusta, South Carolina.
“My hometown is right next to Keith Duncan’s hometown,” Woody said. “Drew, Keith and I all have the same kicking coach and I really appreciated their advice during the recruiting process.”
Woody said he also considered Rutgers and Syracuse, and that he liked the coaches at both schools.
But the chance to be a Hawkeye, and to learn from Iowa Special Teams Coordinator LeVar Woods was just too good to pass up.
Woody, who attends Charlotte Christian High School. felt even stronger about his connection to Iowa after having recently visited Iowa City with his father.
“I heard some great things about Iowa from my kicking coach and coaches in high school,” Woody said. “I met Coach Woods at my school and then made a visit with my dad.
“Once I made the visit and saw the family atmosphere, I knew this was somewhere I wanted to be.”
Woody attracted interest from Iowa by having a strong senior season. He made 10 field goals, including one from 50 yards.
He also made first-team all-state and all-conference.
“I had a good senior season,” Woody said.
Woody is active in the “Every Kick Counts” charity and he is eager to continue that relationship, asnd to participate in the Wave, when he becomes a Hawkeye.
“I got involved in Every Kick Counts after meeting Keith Duncan and look forward to doing more with them as I move to Iowa,” Woody said. “The wave was an incredible experience and hope I can do something with the hospital as I join the team.”
Woody will face plenty of competition as a Hawkeye, including from Stevens, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
“Of course I want to play as soon as possible,” Woody said. “But I have a lot to learn and a lot of work to do. I’m going to work as hard as I can and be the best teammate I can.”
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GERARDY FLIPS FROM ND STATE TO IOWA: North Scott senior Kyler Gerardy made a name for himself as a high school quarterback, compiling more than 2,000 total yards as a senior.
Be he also played safety in high school and that’s the position he will likely play as a preferred walk-on for the Iowa football team.
Gerardy had previously been committed to North Dakota State, but he switched to Iowa after given the opportunity to join the team as a preferred walk-on.
“I also had a couple D2 offers. Once Iowa offered me the PWO it was a dream come true.,” Gerardy said. “I’ve grown up an Iowa fan, and it’s been my dream to play for them ever since I was little.”
The 6-foot-3, 183-pound Gerardy finished his senior season with 15.5 tackles and one interception for the Lancers, who finished the year with an 8-3 record.
“I’ll play safety at Iowa,” Gerardy said. “This wasn’t my main position in high school, but I look forward to learning from the players and coaching staff at Iowa.”
Iowa has a long-standing tradition of turning walk-on safeties into starters. Some examples include Derek Pagel, Sean Considine and Brett Greenwood, along with current Hawkeye Quinn Schulte, who starts at free safety.
“I’m super excited to be a Hawkeye,” Gerardy said.
Gerardy joins Iowa City High senior Drew Larson as a 2024 preferred walk-on that is expected to play safety for the Hawkeyes. Larson was also a standout quarterback in high school.