IOWA CITY, Iowa — Rhys Dakin knows Iowa fans have embraced their Australian punters.
But he hadn’t heard about how fans chanted “M-V-P” at Tory Taylor when he came out to punt in home games last season.
“They really did that?” Dakin said, smiling when he was told the story. “That’s crazy.”
Taylor, a consensus All-American last season after setting the NCAA’s single-season record with 4,479 yards on 93 punts, was a fan favorite in his four seasons at Iowa for his booming kicks. A team with the nation’s worst offense the last two seasons even adopted the phrase, “Punting is winning.”
Defense once again will be the Hawkeyes’ strength while a new offense settles in. No. 25 Iowa brings back most of the unit that allowed 14.8 points per game, fourth in the nation, including linebacker Jay Higgins, an All-America candidate who tied the school record and led the Big Ten with 171 tackles last season.
When the offense bogs down, it will be Dakin, who is from Melbourne, Australia, in the spotlight. He takes over for Taylor, who became the NFL’s highest-drafted punter in five years when the Chicago Bears took him in the fourth round. Dakin is the third consecutive Australian punter for the Hawkeyes, following Taylor and Michael Sleep-Dalton (2019).
“I want to be myself, try not to live up to any expectations,” said Dakin, a freshman. “I just want to be myself and take it in each game.”
Dakin comes from ProKick Australia, the same program that produced Taylor. And while he has yet to kick in a college game, Dakin understands what he needs to do, although he is still learning the terminology.
“If I can put it down on the 1, that puts my team in the best position to get … I think it’s called a safety? Is that what it’s called?” Dakin said. “Force a safety, score some points for the team.”
Dakin is familiar with the United States — his mother is from Arizona and he’s made several visits there. He also visited Texas last year as he was looking for colleges to attend.
“I’ve never been to Iowa, anywhere in the Midwest,” he said. “I’ve been told it gets cold late in the season. I’ve kicked in the cold at ProKick — it can get pretty cold in the mornings, very dewy. But yeah, under pressure, I’m not really going to be thinking about that.”
Dakin said he is looking forward to that first moment in front of the fans.
“I can’t wait to get out there,” he said. “I’ve never been in front of more than a thousand people, so it will be a whole new experience for me. It brings a smile to my face. I haven’t experienced it yet, but I’d kind of like to get out there.”
The new offense
Even with the offensive struggles, Iowa won 10 games last season along with the Big Ten West Division title.
New offensive coordinator Tim Lester is bringing an offense advertised as having more motion and creativity. Coach Kirk Ferentz said for the offense to get better, it has to start with the offensive line, which has most of its key players back but struggled at times last season. Ferentz thinks with experience comes improvement.
“I just think we’re finally at a place, maybe, where we can play at the pace we would like to play,” he said. “That’s a good thing. At least it gives you a good start.”
Battle at QB
Quarterback Cade McNamara started camp at No. 1 on the depth chart, but struggled during the open practice at Kinnick Stadium on August 10. Brendan Sullivan, who transferred from Northwestern in the spring, has made a push for the starting job.
“I think probably the best way I can term it right now — it’s like all positions, we’ll make decisions here as we go along,” Ferentz said. “But the room overall is a lot more competitive than it was certainly at the end of last year, last December, and that was the goal, try to get a room where you’ve got good competition.
Lachey’s return
Tight end Luke Lachey had 10 catches in the first three games last season before an ankle injury took him out for the rest of the year. He was still considered to be one of the top tight end prospects for the NFL draft, but he decided to play another season at Iowa.
“I just felt like there was more to prove, just going out there and playing, being there with my teammates again,” he said. “I just didn’t want that to be my last play in Kinnick Stadium, thinking about that injury the whole time. I felt like there was more I could do.”
The schedule
The Hawkeyes have one of the easiest schedules in the Big Ten. Their toughest game is Oct. 5 at No. 2 Ohio State. Games against the former Pac-12 members are at home: Washington on Oct. 12 and at UCLA on Nov. 8. They get rival Nebraska at home on Nov. 29. They open Aug. 31 at home against Illinois State of the Football Championship Subdivision.
