Hawks land P transfer Tanner Philpott

Franisdaman

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IowaLaw

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from humble beginnings to AA
View attachment 1150704
Our recruiters really know how to phone it in.

While the rest of the Big 10 is signing recruits from Notre Dame, USC, Texas, etc., Kirk is driving 30 mins down the street and hitting up Simpson College to recruit one of the more important positions on the roster.

There wasn't a single D1 kid who would accept a scholarship to punt at the only school in the nation that makes t-shirts about their punters?
 
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AndreTheHawk

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Our recruiters really know how to phone it in. We're now hitting up Simpson College to recruit one of the more important positions on the roster? There wasn't a single D1 kid who would accept a scholarship to punt at the only school in the nation that makes t-shirts about their punters?
43.9 yard average, not terrible. Handle the snap, kick ball. Seems like he can do that.

Looks like Iowa didn't have any reliable punters coming back ( Senior holder Ty Nissen was the backup?). Caden Buhr is still around, punter/kicker from Bettendorf. 41.4 avg. in his shortened Senior year there.

Philpott's 43.9 yard average would tie him for 9th in the Big Ten, just ahead of someone named Ryhs Dakin at 43.6. 🤔

Looks like we could have done worse.
 

_Mjolnir_

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I have hope with all these transfer portal additions. However Iowa is at the bottom of the B1G in regards to portal additions for a reason. With so many questions on the O and D it's hard to see the portal as a success. I like the talent in the underclassmen ranks but next year is really looking questionable.
 

85Bears

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I have hope with all these transfer portal additions. However Iowa is at the bottom of the B1G in regards to portal additions for a reason. With so many questions on the O and D it's hard to see the portal as a success. I like the talent in the underclassmen ranks but next year is really looking questionable.
I’m assuming you are using portal rankings, which correlate with P4 stars. Well FCS signings don’t really correlate. Too early to say this was a mixed bag, failure or success. Productive FCS players like Phillips or Diaz may not get the stars but they are very good players.
 

_Mjolnir_

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I’m assuming you are using portal rankings, which correlate with P4 stars. Well FCS signings don’t really correlate. Too early to say this was a mixed bag, failure or success. Productive FCS players like Phillips or Diaz may not get the stars but they are very good players.
I just go off history. It's a big jump for a lot of these kids to power 2 football. Very rare to see these types perform at a high level and able to compete with the best power 2 teams.

Iowa lost a lot this year with the graduating class. Add that to what Iowa lost in proven performers in the transfer portal and Iowa has a lot of holes to fill.
 
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85Bears

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I just go off history. It's a big jump for a lot of these kids to power 2 football. Very rare to see these types perform at a high level and able to compete with the best power 2 teams.

Iowa lost a lot this year with the graduating class. Add that to what Iowa lost in proven performers in the transfer portal and Iowa has a lot of holes to fill.
That isn’t true at all, there are former FCs players all over college football, doing very well.
 

_Mjolnir_

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That isn’t true at all, there are former FCs players all over college football, doing very well.
I didn't say none. Just the odds aren't good. So I guess you would say they all do great? Or at least half of them would start on top power 2 teams? Or even the top 20% of them would start on top power 2 teams? Or even the top 10% of them? The proven fact is most of even the top don't pan out. I mean even at Iowa it's been 50/50 if these type of guys even contribute at all.
 

85Bears

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I didn't say none. Just the odds aren't good. So I guess you would say they all do great? Or at least half of them would start on top power 2 teams? Or even the top 20% of them would start on top power 2 teams? Or even the top 10% of them? The proven fact is most of even the top don't pan out. I mean even at Iowa it's been 50/50 if these type of guys even contribute at all.
P4 backups dont contribute at a higher rate. Diaz and Phillips are both top portal gets, so is one or two of the DBs. Nobody bats a 1000
 

_Mjolnir_

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P4 backups dont contribute at a higher rate. Diaz and Phillips are both top portal gets, so is one or two of the DBs. Nobody bats a 1000
Top portal gets according to who? I like the potential. Lets not kid ourselves though these guys aren't top portal guys. They're guys that did some nice work at their schools and are looking for a shot at bigger ball right now. Iowa ranks at the bottom of the B1G right now in the transfer portal rankings for a reason. A lot of hope. A lot of rolling the dice. If these guys went to Nebraska my guess is you wouldn't even take a second look at them. That's if you even noticed them at first look.
 
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85Bears

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Top portal gets according to who? I like the potential. Lets not kid ourselves though these guys aren't top portal guys. They're guys that did some nice work at their schools and are looking for a shot at bigger ball right now. Iowa ranks at the bottom of the B1G right now in the transfer portal rankings for a reason. A lot of hope. A lot of rolling the dice. If these guys went to Nebraska my guess is you wouldn't even take a second look at them. That's if you even noticed them at first look.
Diaz had an offer from Bama and a bunch of other major conference schools. Phillips had big time offers as well. you Aren’t making any sense
 

RuggieC

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  • 40 punts for 1,757 yards, averaging 43.9 yards per punt — the third-best in NCAA Division III.
  • 16 punts inside the 20-yard line (top-20 nationally, fourth-most in program history).
  • 11 punts of 50+ yards (tied for 6th nationally).
  • Career-long punt of 78 yards, matched against Nebraska Wesleyan on November 15, 2025.
  • Ranked 5th in Division III in punting average for the season.

So 27.5% of his punts were over 50 yards. 16 punts inside the 20 so I would assume a fair amount of them involved placement vs distance. I would say this is not a bad plug-in at this point. Maybe a good back stop depending on if we get the Aussie or not and not have to throw a true freshman out there.
 

DukeSlater

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Our recruiters really know how to phone it in. We're now hitting up Simpson College to recruit one of the more important positions on the roster? There wasn't a single D1 kid who would accept a scholarship to punt at the only school in the nation that makes t-shirts about their punters?
Uh, he's an All-American from Waukee and Simpson. You do realize it's not necessary to go to Australia to find somebody who can kick a football 40 yards a few times a game, right? Tory Taylor was a great punter. The Dakin kid was adequate at best. Punting is no longer winning at Iowa, if it ever was. The Hawkeyes have decided to play offense and score points instead.

BTW: Do you remember that LB Josey Jewell was headed to Luther College in Decorah until Iowa swooped in at the last second and signed him? Stupid Iowa, taking kids away from Luther . . . LOL
 

DukeSlater

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I have hope with all these transfer portal additions. However Iowa is at the bottom of the B1G in regards to portal additions for a reason. With so many questions on the O and D it's hard to see the portal as a success. I like the talent in the underclassmen ranks but next year is really looking questionable.
Haven't you learned anything from Indiana? I hear they're playing for an undefeated national title tonight despite having only EIGHT four- and five-star players. Most other CFP teams had between 40 and 55 such players. Just a few facts to ponder . . .
 
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AndreTheHawk

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Being from Australia doesn't mean any more than being from Waukee and Simpson. See Dakin, Rhys.
Not true. Any kid that can survive all the critters that can kill you in Australia has some built-in toughness you're just not going to get from a kid in Waukee. 😂

Think Crocodile Dundee with a big leg. 🙂
 

Anychawk

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That isn’t true at all, there are former FCs players all over college football, doing very well.

and far more than aren't. For every one that does well there is a cade Borud or Barros. Let's not pretend there is a high hit rate on moving up or use random example to paint broad brush strokes. Its fine to wonder about a division 3 kid.
 
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85Bears

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and far more than aren't. For every one that does well there is a cade Borud or Barros. Let's not pretend there is a high hit rate on moving up or use random example to paint broad brush strokes. It’s fine to wonder about a division 3 kid.
Which recruit is division three ?
 

Burghawk87

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and far more than aren't. For every one that does well there is a cade Borud or Barros. Let's not pretend there is a high hit rate on moving up or use random example to paint broad brush strokes. Its fine to wonder about a division 3 kid.
Fair, but by and large the reason a P4 kid is in the portal is also due to performance (disguised as lack of playing time). Something like 3400 FBS portal entries and a vast majority of them are depth players at best.
 

chipackhawk

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Our recruiters really know how to phone it in. We're now hitting up Simpson College to recruit one of the more important positions on the roster? There wasn't a single D1 kid who would accept a scholarship to punt at the only school in the nation that makes t-shirts about their punters?
44 yards per punt is the same at Alabama as it is at Simpson. Again - most D1 punters that entered the portal likely weren't very good. Maybe the coaches liked what they think they can develop this kid into?
 

IowaLaw

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44 yards per punt is the same at Alabama as it is at Simpson. Again - most D1 punters that entered the portal likely weren't very good. Maybe the coaches liked what they think they can develop this kid into?
Actually it's not even close.

44 yards at Alabama (like 44 yards in the NFL) means you kick it that far while also having to put major hang time on the ball to make sure the 5 star SEC punt returner catching the ball doesn't torch you.

44 yards at Simpson (like high school) means you can kick a low line drive then go tackle the 5'7, 150lb kid from Luther College who runs a 4.9 40. Are you really trying to argue that a guy playing at Simpson is no different than a guy at Alabama?
 
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chipackhawk

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Actually it's not even close. 44 yards at Alabama means you are having to put major hang time on the ball to make sure the 5 star SEC punt returner catching the ball doesn't torch you. 44 yards at Simpson means you can kick a low line drive and go tackle the 5'7, 150lb kid from Luther College who runs a 4.9 40.
Punting distance versus field position distance are two different stats. I thought you would know that. Additionally, to counter your returner's difference in skills, so are those who are coming down to make the tackle. A low line drive would get taken back just as likely at the D3 level as it would at the D1 level. In fact, I would say kick returns are probably more prominent at the lower levels than at the higher levels due to who the tacklers will be.
 

AndreTheHawk

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Actually it's not even close. 44 yards at Alabama means you are having to put major hang time on the ball to make sure the 5 star SEC punt returner catching the ball doesn't torch you. 44 yards at Simpson means you can kick a low line drive and go tackle the 5'7, 150lb kid from Luther College who runs a 4.9 40.
Tanner Philpott is 6'2" 200 lbs, and it appears his academics are in good shape.

My guess is he'll be Coached up and figure out what he has to do to play in the Big Ten.
 

Hawk_4shur

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Iowa appears to be financially prudent. Filling holes with inexpensive guys, instead of joining the $ race for top players. They hopefully that leaves them with enough money to keep their current roster for a while longer. Iowa is not going to win against the big boys with talent - but they can with experience, maturity and coaching.

And, don't forget. Hawks still need some NIL for basketball too.
 

toddhawk

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I think Gary Kostrubala (was also a shot-putter) was our last lefty punter but that was 40 years ago & I may have forgotten 1 or 3