The 'best punter in the nation'? Tyler Perkins is making his case at Iowa State this season

AMES — Iowa State’s offense took the field and started its opening drive of last Saturday’s game against Ohio on the opponents' 48-yard line after Dimitri Stanley opted for a fair catch on the first punt of the contest.

The Cyclones, who lost the game 7-10, only managed to move the ball six yards, though, and went three-and-out.

Tyler Perkins took to the field, along with the rest of Iowa State’s punting unit. He sent the ball 39 yards downfield, where it went out of bounds at the three-yard line.

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He punted four more times against the Bobcats, including a long of 51 yards, and Perkins had four punts land within the 20-yard line. The 39-yarder ended up as his second-shortest punt of the day.

It was another solid performance by the Norwalk, Ohio native who played in his home state for the first time since moving to Ames.

The moment was special, too, for the Perkins fan club that had traveled nearly three hours south to Athens to see Iowa State’s punter.

“I had my whole high school team come out,” Perkins said. “A lot of friends, a lot of family. They were all proud, and it was awesome.”

Perkins earned Matt Campbell’s trust early on in his recruitment

Perkins is a player in Iowa State’s program who has become synonymous with a strong work ethic.

And Cyclones coach Matt Campbell recalls that his first impression of the punter revolved around Perkins’ commitment to perfecting his game.

“I’ll never forget the first highlight tape I’ve seen of him,” Campbell said.

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In that film, Campbell saw a player who had shoveled off his high school’s football field in January, brought out a machine that snapped the ball to him and was punting over and over.

“And it’s just like, this guy loves football,” Campbell said.

“Tyler is one of those guys that’s just got an elite work ethic. You see his confidence just continue to grow and I think he’s got a chance to be really special. But he’s been huge for our football team for sure in the early part of the season.”

Campbell isn’t the only member of the Iowa State program who is impressed by Perkins. Ben Nikkel — who splits time on defense and special teams for the Cyclones — had nothing but good things to say about the sophomore punter.

Nikkel shared that he has “a lot of confidence” in Perkins and that his abilities make it easier for the other players on the punting unit to do their jobs. Nikkel knows that Perkins’ leg provides him the time needed to get downfield and make a play.

“He makes my job a lot easier,” Nikkel said. “He’s the best punter in the nation. I have a lot of trust in him.”

A quiet rise to the top of the punting world

Nikkel isn’t being biased when he calls Perkins the best punter in the nation.

The sophomore punter was recognized as the Ray Guy Award National Punter of the Week after his performance against Ohio. He’s improved his punting average from 42.2 yards as a freshman to 50.5 yards this season, which is the second-best in the nation.

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“It’s a really great honor,” Perkins said. “I think I’ve gotten a lot more consistent and I’ve gained a lot of confidence.”

But as for the statistics and the accolades, Perkins doesn’t focus on that aspect of his game. He knows what he needs to work on, and he also understands how important his skill is to flipping the field when Iowa State’s offense struggles.

“I want to eliminate some of the touchbacks I’m hitting,” Perkins said. “In my mind, I’m just thinking, ‘Can I consistently flip the field and help our defense and offense at the same time?’”

Perkins has made his case — at least so far this season and in his young career at Iowa State — to be considered one of, if not the best punter in Iowa.

Or, at the very least, he is one of the Cyclones’ most consistent contributors.

But Perkins won’t be the one to admit it.

“His actions speak way louder than his words,” Campbell said. “That’s what makes him really special. It’s so great for the rest of the world to see how hard this kid has worked.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tyler Perkins leads ISU's special teams charge as top punter nationwide