Iowa City Today

University of Iowa football players Rhys Dakin and Drew Stevens have been named to national award watch lists for the 2025 season. The announcements were made by the Augusta Sports Council and Palm Beach County Sports Commission.

Dakin, a sophomore punter, is on the Ray Guy Award Watch List. This award recognizes the nation’s top collegiate punter. Dakin was previously honored as a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and earned second-team all-conference recognition in 2024. Last season, he averaged 44.1 yards on 64 punts, ranking fourth in the Big Ten and 24th nationally. He had 33 fair catches, downed 29 punts inside the 20-yard line, and recorded 16 punts of over 50 yards with only five touchbacks.

The Ray Guy Award has been given annually since 2000 and is named after Hall of Fame inductee Ray Guy. Former Iowa punter Tory Taylor won this award in 2023 and was a semifinalist in both 2020 and 2021. Ryan Donahue was also a finalist for Iowa in 2010.

Senior place-kicker Drew Stevens is listed on the Lou Groza Award Watch List, which honors the best place kicker in college football. Stevens has been a semifinalist for this award in both 2022 and 2023, making him one of three Hawkeyes to achieve that distinction twice. Nate Kaeding won it in 2002 and was a finalist again in 2003; Mike Meyer reached semifinalist status in both 2011 and 2012. Other recent Iowa semifinalists include Keith Duncan (2019) and Caleb Shudak (2021).

Stevens ranks seventh all-time at Iowa with a career scoring total of 245 points, having converted on nearly every extra point attempt (83-of-84) as well as making four out of five field goals attempted (54-of-67). His eight field goals from beyond fifty yards are an Iowa record, including two successful attempts from fifty-four yards out against Northwestern (2022) and Maryland (2024). In his junior year he scored one hundred points with twenty field goals made out of twenty-three attempts.

Semifinalists for these awards will be announced November 18; finalists will be revealed November 25; winners will be announced December 12.

The Lou Groza Award is named after NFL Hall of Fame kicker Lou Groza who played twenty-one seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

Iowa opens its football season against UAlbany on August 30 at Kinnick Stadium.

Other Hawkeyes appearing on preseason watch lists include Gennings Dunker (Outland Trophy/Wuerffel Award), Aaron Graves (Nagurski Trophy), Mark Gronowski (Maxwell Award), Logan Jones (Outland Trophy), alongside Dakin for Ray Guy Award and Stevens for Lou Groza Award.