By John Bohnenkamp

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Punting is all about perspective, Boston Everitt said.

It’s a message that the Iowa punter has received from a couple of important voices, and it’s one that has gotten him through the first five games of his first season of playing American football.

Everitt, from Hope Island, Australia, talks with former Iowa punter Tory Taylor and Mackenzie Morgan, his punting coach, before every game, and the message about kicking at the college level has always been simple.

“Just that it’s not as big as it is, and they sort of just bring it back into perspective,” Everitt said this week. “At the end of the day you have to catch it and kick it.”

It sounds easy enough, and then Everitt has made it look easy enough. He has punted 23 times for a 43.2 yards-per-kick average heading into Friday’s game at Washington. Four of his punts have been for 50 yards or more, 14 have landed inside the 20, and 10 have been fair-caught. Iowa ranks 17th nationally in punt return defense.

Plus he’s performing in front of crowds of 70,000 or more, a stage Everitt has never seen.

“I feel like I’m getting a lot better now,” he said. “Like, I’ve never been overwhelmed. It was never too overwhelming, but I’m definitely understanding, like, the flow of the game more, and sort of I get a gist of when it’s more likely I’m going to be in, or when I’m reading sort of how the play’s unfolding.”

Dealing with playing in Kinnick Stadium and the other stadiums in the Big Ten was something he spoke to Taylor about as well.

“I think honestly, after the first game, I realized that I had to talk to Tory as well, and we just spoke about how inside the white lines, nothing changes, and that once I got out there for the first punt, I realized like that’s so true,” Everitt said. “There’s no fans within the confines of the field, so it’s all exactly the same as what we do in practice. There’s just more people looking around, and I think honestly, with that many people in the stands as well, it’s almost better because it just blurs into sort of a color that you can just block out.”

Boston is understanding the science of what makes a good punt.

“I think it’s a lot about the trajectory of it, in terms of where it’s going to bounce,” he said. “Like, if it’s more driven, it’s obviously got more chance of it rolling forward versus  if it’s higher. Also the spin as well. But a lot of the time, I just try to place it down there. And we have such good gunners and such good coverage here. I’m very lucky that you know there’s always guys around it as well, even if it is rolling towards a touchback.”

Everitt is used to playing Australian rules football, where he’s punting to teammates or toward the goal. Now, he’s aiming for a spot in the field.

“If you’re not kicking for a goal, then yeah, you’re trying to pass it by foot,” Everitt said of the Australian game. “In terms of Australian football, the person’s already there, so you have the target there. It’s just the same as passing a basketball or kicking a soccer ball. You see where you’re kicking it, you’re kicking it here. Whereas, I guess over here now, it’s like I’m putting it down there, and you know they have to get there. Obviously (the kicking team has) got to work around and get there. So it’s more about giving them time to be able to do what they’re doing and then placing it there for them.”

Everitt’s parents, Peter and Sheree, have been with him through the start of the season. Everitt said his father has gone back to Australia, and his mother will be leaving in a week.

“Yeah, she’s been awesome,” he said. “She’s probably the most important person in my life right now. Having her here has been really good. Even just if I have a rough day, being able to go home and she’s always making me laugh somehow.”

Everitt laughed.

“Yeah, even though she’s so annoying sometimes, she’s the best. So yeah, it’s been awesome having her here, and it’ll be hard when she leaves.”

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No. 20/18 Iowa (4-1, 1-1) vs. Washington (3-2, 0-2)

When: Friday, 8:05 p.m.

Where: Seattle, Washington, Husky Stadium (70,138)

TV: Fox or FS1

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network

Series history:  Friday’s game will be the eighth meeting in the all-time series between Iowa and Washington. It is the
Hawkeyes’ first trip to Seattle since 1963 — a 17-7 Iowa victory.

Iowa leads the series, 4-3, with the Hawkeyes bringing a two-game winning streak into Husky Stadium. Iowa is 1-1 all-time in Seattle.

The Hawkeyes won the first meeting between the two schools as Big Ten foes, downing Washington, 40-16, in 2024 in Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa has met Washington three times in bowl games, falling twice in the Rose Bowl in 1981 and 1990 before winning the 1995 Sun Bowl, 38-18.