If you had asked Tory Taylor what his future plans were last December, he probably would’ve told you not to expect him back in the black in gold in 2023.
A short month later, the input he received from NFL teams and his decision-making process led him right back to Iowa City.
“Yeah, I did and that was obviously a personal decision I had to make. Kind of like I said back in January after the bowl game, had you guys asked me in December, I was pretty much more than likely gone.
“Just it felt like the right thing to do, but kind of just spoke to the right people and received the necessary information to put all the pieces together and I just thought, well, I really just wanted to come back and make sure that I was making the best decision and haven’t regretted it at all. There’s so many things that I’ve worked on over the offseason and will continue to do so for as long as I’m playing,” Taylor said of his decision to return.
It’s great news for Iowa. It means that the Hawkeyes have a first-team All-American from 2022 and a preseason first-team All-American for 2023 back in the fold.
Taylor’s journey has been an interesting one. As he met with reporters to discuss his hopes for the upcoming college football season, he reflected on his time as a Hawkeye and how he’s fallen in love with Iowa City.
“At the start, it was certainly a little strange. I kind of came here in the middle of COVID. I quarantined back in Australia for two and a half weeks and then came here and had to go through that process again. But, to answer your question, it’s just been unbelievable. I mean, I’ve been here… it’ll be three years in August, which is (hard to believe). It just goes like that.
“The first couple years was pretty hard. I couldn’t get my family over here, but last year was pretty special just having everybody here. It’s just been an unbelievable experience and it hit me pretty hard when I saw guys like (Jack) Campbell and (Sam) LaPorta leave last year, guys that I was close with. Because you think that it’s never going to end, but, yeah, it does and it will in six month’s time, not even. So, just trying to make the most of it while I can,” Taylor said.
The 6-foot-4 native of Melbourne, Australia, has been fantastic during his Hawkeye career. For a program that’s been frustratingly short on offense, his contributions in the special teams department have played a vital role in Iowa compiling an 18-9 combined overall record across the last two seasons.
Taylor has averaged 45.4 yards per punt during his Iowa career and the Hawkeyes have downed 95 of his punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. He’s hoping to be better in 2023, though.
Aye, mate @torytaylor09 great punt! 🤩 @HawkeyeFootball special teams is special! pic.twitter.com/y9NFeog1hg
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2022
The Aussie says that he’s dropped 10 pounds and is now starting to fully adjust to his new physique.
“You don’t have as much weight behind the ball, but certainly leg speed has been a really big focus this year so I’m slowly starting to see the differences. But, it’s kind of hard to notice straight away,” Taylor said.
Make all the Iowa jokes you want, but, when Taylor gets into a punt, he can be a legitimate game-changer in the game’s third phase. Just last season, Taylor registered a 70-yard punt and 27 punts of 50-plus yards.
How then can he be better?
“Just minor things. Just trying to get a little bit more hangtime on punts and more so location, because it’s all well and good to kind of just go out there and hammer a spiral. But, if it’s down the middle, it’s usually coming straight back. Yeah, location has been a big focus this offseason as well,” Taylor said.
The other puzzle piece Taylor is focused on is delivering the same results across the entirety of the 2023 season.
“It’s probably just more so consistency across the whole season. And I’ve probably said it before, obviously weather plays a big part, but just being able to be consistent across the whole season.
“As you guys have seen, I go out there a fair bit. I think it was 85 times last year. And I know that I’m not going to hit a perfect punt every time I go out there, but it’s just narrowing the gap between the good, the bad and the ugly really,” Taylor said.
In order to achieve that type of consistency, Taylor is zeroed in on really dialing into trusting his mechanics.
“It’s more so just been a mental battle. If anything, just trusting myself and trusting my line and I guess swinging through the gate is what I like to call it,” Taylor said.
With all due respect to Taylor’s eventual professional punting talents, Hawkeye fans know that they can trust Taylor to consistently flip the field. They’re most hopeful that this final comment proves itself to be true.
“I think this year will probably be a little bit different. Hopefully punt a little less, so that’ll be nice,” Taylor said.
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