University of Iowa punter Tory Taylor is expected to hear his name called during the 2024 NFL Draft. That does not happen often. Specialists are rarely drafted. They typically sign as Undrafted Free Agents.
Taylor, the greatest single-season punter of all-time, is one of a few exceptions!
He is potentially more valuable as a late-round (or mid-round) pick than any other offensive or defensive players available at that point in the NFL Draft, if not even earlier. His ability to flip the field can literally win games, as displayed by the Hawkeyes’ Big Ten Championship appearance.
Iowa had one of the most incompetent offense in college football this season. It finished dead last in terms of total offense. And yet, despite the ineptitude, Taylor’s team still managed to win 10 games.
The 6-foot-4, 232-pound Australian punter is a big reason why. He (his leg) is phenomenal.
Tory Taylor is the greatest to ever do it!
Taylor etched his name into his school’s record books long before the game against Tennessee on Monday. His 288 career punts for 13,297 yards are both school records.
Now, after just one single punt during the bowl game, Tory Taylor also made history on the national level!
Former Michigan State punter Johnny Pingel set the single-season punting yards record at 4,138 way back in 1938. His 85-year-old record was shattered during the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
Taylor entered the game with 4,119 yards. His first punt of the afternoon went for 62 yards and moved him above Pingel to the top spot. The crowd went wild!
Tory Taylor officially holds the record for most punt yards in a single college football season! No punter has ever had a better year in the history of the sport.
Shoutout to Taylor for the incredible feat. Shoutout to Brian Ferentz and the incompetent Hawkeyes offense for helping him get there. He literally could not have done it without them!