At Iowa, the Hawkeyes win in the margins. That means Iowa dials in on special teams in order to win football games.
Every piece of the special teams operation is a key component to the Hawkeyes’ success.
Under the direction of special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, Iowa boasts one of the best special teams units year in and year out.
Last season, Iowa’s Tory Taylor captured the Ray Guy Award, becoming the first Hawkeye to capture the award in the process. Iowa kicker Drew Stevens has been a Lou Groza Award semifinalist each of the past two seasons.
Both of those accomplishments have transpired with senior Luke Elkin as Iowa’s long snapper. The 6-foot-1, 228 pound senior from Neenah, Wis., has appeared in 40 games over the last three seasons.
As a recognition of his contribution to the Hawkeyes’ success, Elkin has been named to the Mannelly Award Watch List.
Created in 2019, the award is bestowed upon the nation’s top long snapper. The Mannelly Award website explains the genesis of the award and shares what it looks to recognize.
We live in the age of the superstar. The big gun. The first pick. The franchise player. But the more we come to understand the game of football, the more we learn to revere the guy who sets every field goal, extra point and punt in motion – including nail-biting field goals that make or break games, seasons and sometimes even careers. It’s time to show some love for the Long Snapper.
Long Snappers don’t make the cover of the program. They’re rarely asked to sign autographs. You don’t typically see them being interviewed before the game. But Long Snappers aren’t driven by these things. Quiet, selfless, focused and courageous, the Long Snapper is content to trade conventional superstardom for the opportunity to do one job very well.
The spirit of the Long Snapper lives, not…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/iowa-football-luke-elkin-named-030030335.html
Author : Hawkeyes Wire
Publish date : 2024-08-03 03:00:30
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