By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – If you’re going to travel nearly all the way around the world to recruit a punter, it had better pay dividends.

So far, Iowa Special Teams Coordinator LeVar Woods is 2-for-2 in this case.

Because we’ve seen enough of Iowa freshman punter Rhys Dakin to know that he, too has a chance to be special.

Nobody is ready to compare him to his legendary predecessor and fellow Melbourne, Australia native Tory Taylor.

But Dakin is certainly on the right path as he showed in last Saturday’s 40-14 victory over Northwestern at Kinnick Stadium.

He punted eight times for a 44.8 average and four of his punts in the second quarter where downed at the 6, 6, 6 and 5 yard line.

It was as if Taylor, the 2023 Ray Guy Award winner, still was punting for the Hawkeyes because that’s what he often did.

Taylor, who now punts for the Chicago Bears, was a master at pinning opponents deep in their own territory and at flipping field position.

He rescued Iowa from defeat multiple times as the offense struggled during much of Taylor’s time as a Hawkeye.

Taylor’s success led to the popular phrase “Punting is Winning” and now Dakin is carrying on the tradition by upholding the high standard.

“Rhys, I was thinking about that in the shower this morning… I don’t know why, I think of weird things in the shower all the time. But I was thinking about what he was doing and some other options we might have had as a punter, and you never know,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “Now you’re talking about Australia, which has been good to us. but that doesn’t mean every guy that grew up in Australia is going to pay off.

“I think the thing I’ve been most impressed with with him is just his maturity and his ability to really practice well, which for young guys is not usually that easy, but he’s really serious out there on the field. He works at it. He’s not happy when he hits a bad one. He’ll occasionally do that. He hit a couple this morning.

“But it upsets him a little bit, but he gets on to the next one. He doesn’t dwell on it and act like a baby.”

Dakin was in the zone against Northwestern, the way in which he repeatedly placed the ball inside the 10 was masterful.

“I was just trying to stay focused and not kick a touchback,” Dakin said. “I feel like that’s something I’ve been trying to work on, giving the gunners enough time to get down and cover the gall. So, I felt that was a lot better, and also my direction was a lot better going toward the pylon and the sideline.

“I was happy with how the pooch punting went, spirals were okay, the roll outs still need work. But I was pretty happy with how the first half went.”

Dakin could play another key role when Iowa (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) faces Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2) on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

The game will start at 6:30 p.m. and there is a chance for rain.

“Coach Woods always talks about taking it as a challenge rather than a threat,” Dakin said of punting in rain. “I’m not really worried. I’m just going to take it as an opportunity get used to playing in the rain.”

Dakin knew very little about how football is played in the United States before he started being recruited by Iowa.

It was the same for Taylor when he joined the Iowa team in 2020.

They both grew up playing Australian Rules Football, which is different in a lot ways from how football is played at the collegiate level and in the NFL.

Dakin wants to become more familiar with the NFL, and for a good reason.

“I do watch Tory when I can,” Dakin said. “I’ve never really watched the NFL. I probably should. The boys talk about it in the room. I just have no idea what they’re talking about.

“But I’m probably going to have to start, considering I want to try and pursue a career in the NFL. But I don’t really have a team. I do like the Dolphins because their colors are pretty cool. I haven’t been to Miami but their weather would be great for a punter.”

Kirk Ferentz still was marveling over Dakin’s pin-point punting against Northwestern three days later in his weekly press conference this past Tuesday.

“I think his focus and his ability to prepare for a young guy, it’s been impressive,” Kirk Ferentz said of Dakin. “I don’t think I’ve ever been around where a guy put four 6-yard liners, and I’m not sure some of those got spotted correctly. A couple of them might have been five or four. Nonetheless, you get the idea. That’s four really good punts. That’s just a huge swing in the game in terms of field position.

“It’s exciting to think that he can get better, and I think he will.”

Dakin has strong support from his family and he always knows that Taylor is there for guidance and support, as is former Iowa punter Jason Baker, and of course, LeVar Woods.

“(Tory) and I chat every now and then over text and the phone,” Dakin said. “He’s in the NFL, so I try not to bug him too much. But I’m pretty independent I feel like.

“Coach Woods is really good with helping me out, and also Jason Baker as well. Tory’s there if I need him and and I’ll utilize him if I ever need him.”

Dakin has relatives that live in the United States and he has had family members attend all but one of Iowa’s games so far this season.

He also expects to have multiple family members in attendance when Iowa faces UCLA on Nov. 8 in Los Angeles since some of them live nearby in Arizona.

“I won’t have family at this game upcoming (against Wisconsin), but I will have like 15-plus family members for the UCLA game,” Dakin said. “California is pretty easy for them to get to from Arizona. And then my dad is coming up from Australia.”

Though he’s only eight games into his Hawkeye career, Dakin appears to have handled the transition quite smoothly from a mental standpoint.

“I feel a lot more comfortable out there in the pocket, and I also feel a lot more loose out there,” Dakin said. “I don’t really worry about getting blocked. One thing I have been sort of focusing on is just focusing on hitting a good ball rather than kicking it 50 yards or 45 yards. So, mentally I’m happy with how I’m going out there. And I’m pretty happy with how I’m progressing. Still lots to work on, but I’m happy with where I’m at in the season and still striving to be better.”

Dakin is averaging 44.8 yards on 42 punts this season, with 20 punts downed inside the 20 and 11 that traveled at  lest 50 yards.

But he has yet to make a tackle for the punt team.

“When the opportunity arises, I’m going to let him know about it, legally, try and get him down, Dakin said.

 

Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2) vs. Iowa (5-3, 3-2)

When: Saturday,  6:34 p.m.

Where: Kinnick Stadium (69,250)

TV: NBC

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network

All-time series: Wisconsin leads 49-46-2

Last meeting: Iowa won 15-6 on Oct. 14, 2023 in Madison.