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The former Hawks forward, who spent three years on Hawthorn’s list before being cut in late 2020, was only just starting to familiarise himself with the world of college football .
“It was cool to watch and cool for mum to watch as well. I think that was her first sort of realisation of what could happen for me as well.” Now Taylor, fresh off setting the NCAA 85-year-old single-season yardage record , is expected to be the first punter taken off the board in this week’s NFL draft and could even make history as one of the highest-selected players at the position in recent memory.
To Hawkeyes fans, proudly wearing ‘Punting is Winning’ shirts and waving Australian flags, Taylor is one of their own. And to Taylor Iowa became his second home, a long way from his actual one. “It was certainly an interesting experience unlike any other recruiting trip I’ve ever been on,” Woods said at the time.
“It talked about a strain of virus that Australians were concerned with,” Woods said, although he didn’t think much of it at the time.Taylor and his family were scheduled to visit the University of Iowa in April but that was later cancelled and when it came time for him to get on a plane to travel to America, he had to first quarantine for two weeks in Sydney without any guarantee he would get his visa.“That’s really hard on someone,” Woods said.
The team had arrived in West Lafayette ahead of the game at Ross-Ade Stadium and were having a position meeting while sharing a meal, as was typically the case on Friday nights. “We just sent him out there and he punted the ball and it ended up being a great punt,” Woods, speaking now ahead of the draft to“He went out in his first game and punted incredibly well. No one even really knew who he was because he had only been on the team for 10 days.”HOW TAYLOR BECAME THE ‘PINNACLE’ OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The Australian also became the only Big Ten punter to be named the Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year twice in their career, further cementing his place in Hawkeyes folklore.That moment came after Taylor had one of the best games of his career in a 15-6 win at Wisconsin last year. A few days later, NBC Sports analyst and former Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry posted a video on his Twitter account declaring Taylor should be in the Heisman conversation for the most valuable player in college football.
Going back to that impressive debut game against Purdue, Taylor continued to deliver in a stellar freshman season that was capped off by being named Big Ten Punter of the Year. By the end of his final season at Iowa, Taylor was a Ray Guy Award winner, unanimous consensus All-American, fan favourite and one of the best punters in program history.“Special teams isn’t always the most glamorous job… kicking, punting, covering down those punts,” Woods said.
“Going into the season every Hawkeye fan knew for the last few years the style of football they’ve been playing has been one step above rugby. That offence has been miserable to watch… and then this Aussie came in named Tory Taylor and he became electrifying on fourth downs.Although, as much as Taylor’s growing popularity in Iowa was largely a product of what he produced on the field, only adding to it was the impact he was having off it too.
“Very recently we got a phone call or an email from a mum who lives in our state and whose doctor had told her about Count the Kicks and the app,” Price told“They told her to pay attention to her movements and download her app. She thought at the time, ‘Oh I don’t need that, I’m fine, I don’t need to download it’.
“... The fact that he’s unafraid to talk about it makes it even more powerful because it’s so maybe uncharacteristic of athletes to talk about maternal health of all things. I think that’s part of what makes it so powerful.Such is Taylor’s reputation in Iowa. In fact, the Australian has now raised over $50,000 for the organisation, having pledged back to donate his NIL funds from a partnership with T-shirt company Raygun to Count the Kicks, who he partnered with in 2021.
“I think it is something that will stick with him for the rest of his life because his power and his influence has been so great and I hope that he realises the true measure of his influence,” Price said. “But as far as ability and potential and looking at the future, I think Rhys is right on track, right on target.”
“I wouldn’t have even known about college football three years ago and three years later, I’m out amongst it and I’m glad a lot of the Australian boys get to experience opportunities like this.” Taylor was a fan of the then-called Melbourne Heart while Ross was a Victory fan. It was a similar story in the AFL, where Taylor supported Collingwood and Ross barracked for Richmond.Ross’ AFL dream didn’t work out but now he is making new memories over in the States.
A team like New Orleans would make sense given it would provide training camp competition for Australian Lou Hedley, who did well to limit return yards while punting for the Saints last year. For Chapman, who has helped Prokick send 270 Australians to U.S. universities on full football scholarships, Taylor’s precision punting in particular sets him apart from the competition.
Taylor is the eighth Prokick graduate to win the Ray Guy Award and looks set to become its latest graduate to make it to the NFL. From the support of his mother Tanya and father Stuart when he first made the decision to move to the other side of the world to the people that helped get him there in the first place, including Chapman.
“Every time I see Tory now,” Woods said, “I give him a hug and I say, ‘I don’t know when I’m going to be able to hug you again, so I want to get this in now’.
Return Yards Head Coach Punter Factory Mel Kiper Two-Yard Line Thick Australian Accent History Books Taylor's San Diego J.J. Mccarthy Impressive Debut Game Stephanie Athlete Football Player Stellar Freshman Season Home Stadium Final Season Andrew Jackson Haileybury College Testing Conditions Victoria Kentucky College Kids Maternal Health Reggie Roby California Precision Punting Drew Stevens Florida Close Friend Desperate Gamble Pat Mcafee Levar Woods Australian Flags J. Michael Reaves Sydney Drive Ends State Of Play Ten Network Recruiting Trip Goal Line SAVE LIVES Joshua Perry Dallas Clark James Franklin New Orleans Saints Valuable Player New Orleans Sean Clifford College Football Collegiate Career Positive Test Wisconsin Fan Favourite Warm-Ups Kicking Balls The University Of Iowa Punting Yards Special Teams NBC Sports College Football Writer RJ Young Nebraska Punter Orlando Battling Winds Louisiana Australia Tanya Big Ten Conference Cult Hero Infant Death Melbourne Heart Training Camp Competition Raygun North America Melbourne Special Teams Coordinator Australian Punter Australian Prospects Football Scholarships Matt Miller Australian Accent Training Camp Grand Final Evidence-Based Stillbirth Prevention Career-Best Single-Game Yard Team Media Guide Looks Set College Game Australian Punting Ing Weapon Adventure Ride Northern America Iowa Australian Football League Debut Game College Football History Freshman Punter Australian Accent Helps Flight Home Jayden Daniels AUSTRALIAN PUNTERS If Tory Taylor New South Wales United States Of America Tennessee Program History Record Books Stillbirth Prevention Program College Football Icon Oceania Nebraska Australian Boys Waving Australian Flags Road Trip David Purdy Season-Opening Win Award Winner America Social Media Locker Room Getty Images Inc. Draft Position Rankings Australia And New Zealand National Football League Real Strength Ray Guy South Dakota Kirk Ferentz Media Guide National College Football Field Position Experience Playing Expectant Parents Ohio Unknown Australian Full-Circle Moment Draft Analysts
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