‘You’re going to hit bumps in the road’: Drew Stevens eats slice of humble pie
Hawkeyes’ kicker Drew Stevens got an old-fashioned slice of humble pie. He was an impact player as a freshman making all but two of his kicks and finishing as a finalist for the Lou Groza award.
His sophomore year was much different. He missed five of his last 10 field goal attempts, and was embarrassingly benched for Marshall Meeder in Iowa’s regular season finale.
“He got humbled very hard last year,” special teams coordinator LeVar Woods said. “He comes in and kicks very well as a freshman, so he had wild success right away. I think that can fool a person very quickly.”
“You’re going to hit bumps in the road.” Stevens said.
Iowa never attempted a kick in the Big Ten championship or the Citrus bowl, so Stevens never got any opportunity to redeem himself.
“If you know anything about Drew there’s a competitor in there, a tiger inside Drew Stevens,” Woods said. “Missing a kick and not having another opportunity for a game let alone months it’s hard to deal with. I think Drew has had a very mature approach to it.”
Now Stevens, in his junior year faces a crossroads. He has a chance to prove the blunders of 2023 were simply an aberration.
“I feel like there’s a lot on the table,” Stevens said. “I feel like there’s always a lot on the table for anybody who’s trying to get better. I like where I’m headed.”
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