Iowa punter interview
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00:00 I know the words aren't everything to you but it's gotta be a pretty nice honour.
00:05 Oh absolutely, it was a pretty special moment kind of finding out.
00:08 It was just a cool moment just being able to celebrate with my teammates and Coach Ferrens
00:13 obviously announced it in the video that they put out.
00:16 But yeah it was just a really cool moment, kind of just maybe think back to a few years
00:20 ago when I first got here.
00:21 That's obviously a goal, you kind of want to win those big time awards.
00:25 But usually that sort of stuff is just a by-product of working hard and there's a lot that goes
00:31 into it.
00:32 A lot of my teammates probably deserve that just as much, they're the ones running down
00:35 there and making plays.
00:36 But yeah it's a pretty special honour and I'm really grateful to have received that
00:40 award and yeah it was obviously a pretty special moment being able to celebrate with all my
00:46 teammates and family and things like that.
00:49 You're also a unanimous first team All-American which means you get your portrait up and you
00:54 get the potential to end up on even the press box.
00:58 I mean does that mean kind of the same type of thing?
01:01 Yeah it's pretty cool, it's funny I was talking to Campbell the other day on the phone and
01:06 he said just congratulations and everything so hopefully they put my face next to his
01:10 which would be pretty cool.
01:13 Yeah it's obviously a pretty special honour, it's been a weird couple of weeks, all these
01:19 things kind of come out and it really just makes you think back to all the hard work
01:23 and sacrifice that goes into it.
01:25 I'm really just grateful to be a part of it and yeah it'll be pretty cool just wherever
01:29 they put the picture or wherever my name's up it's something that I'll be able to hopefully
01:33 bring my kids and wife back one day further down the track whenever that happens and just
01:38 be able to show them and tell them how good I was and things like that.
01:42 But nah I'm only playing, I'm only playing but yeah it'll be pretty cool.
01:48 What does this ball game mean to you as you're playing?
01:51 I mean you know some people ask are you going to play in the ball game?
01:54 I mean of course I'm, any chance I get to punt the ball for the Hawkeyes I'm going to
01:58 do it and I'm really just excited to go down to Florida.
02:01 Fortunate enough that I'll be playing one of my good friends Jackson Ross who I went
02:04 to high school with, he's a punter at Tennessee so that's also a little bit of added excitement,
02:08 got a few friends coming to the game as well so yeah we'll have a good time but first and
02:12 foremost I'm just really excited to play the game and put on the Iowa jersey one last time
02:16 for my teammates and coaches and the rest of the staff in the building and Hawkeye
02:20 fans as well.
02:21 What do you know about the new punter coming in that's verbally committed?
02:25 I know he's very good otherwise he wouldn't be coming here but I'm really excited for
02:29 a reason, it's going to be cool when he gets here and he's getting here in a few weeks
02:33 I think so.
02:34 I'm excited for him and I'm just looking forward to being able to help him in the best way
02:38 possible you know, I'm just excited for him because I know it's been one hell of a ride
02:43 for me and I know he's going to experience the same.
02:46 How much did you help with that?
02:48 I mean I really can only do so much, I obviously knew of Reece and I knew he was pretty good
02:54 but there's really only so much I can do that's kind of also coach Wood's role and I really
02:58 just wanted to focus on what can I do for my own performance but yeah the Hawkeyes will
03:04 be in good hands with Reece that's for sure.
03:06 So when you were in Reece's position about five years ago down there in Australia, when
03:11 you're visualizing how your college career is going to go, did even your wildest dreams
03:16 look anything like this in terms of success?
03:18 No not at all and you know it's not many people would know this but when I first came here
03:23 I was kind of like well you know like I'll play this season and if I enjoy it I'll hang
03:25 around and stick around and then I kind of was like well you know like this is pretty
03:29 fun like I'm not half bad at this and I'll keep it going and but it was weird my first
03:34 year you know I probably joked about it a few times but literally my first year I would
03:38 just run out there catch it and kick it as far and high as I can and I'm like you guys
03:41 are going to have to do the rest but then after that I was kind of like well you know
03:45 I spoke to Baker and he's been a big help since the start of my career and he kind of
03:50 said you know this is like this could really progress into something important for you
03:53 and I thought well you know I'll keep going and then but to go back to your original question
03:58 absolutely not you know it's been a hell of a ride and I'm really just grateful for all
04:03 the people who put the time and effort into my career and it's sad that it's going to
04:07 come to an end in a couple of weeks, is it two weeks today in the game?
04:10 Yeah.
04:11 I mean that's crazy so yeah it's exciting times as well.
04:15 Have you kind of given any thought to agent, where you're going to train in January, February
04:21 that type of thing?
04:22 Yeah absolutely all that stuff is kind of sorted already but yeah I'm not worrying about
04:27 that too much right now just trying to beat Tennessee and get better as a punter and performer.
04:33 What have these last two weeks been like for you guys?
04:35 Are you focused more on yourselves and this team?
04:38 When does Tennessee get introduced to this thing?
04:40 Probably I think towards the end of this week but it's kind of just been good to relax
04:45 a little more you know the season is a bit of a grind, this kind of starts back in well
04:49 first and foremost January and then you get a few weeks off in May and then pretty much
04:52 since early June it's kind of been full steam ahead so it's always nice to kind of just
04:57 recharge and have a couple of weeks to kind of rest the body but yeah starting to get
05:02 going again.
05:03 When you hear everybody skipping ball games, what is it about this program that guys that
05:07 might even entertain that thought don't have attention?
05:09 I just think that and I don't want to offend anyone that decides to skip a ball game that's
05:15 their own personal choice but I just think if you really love people and you really love
05:19 your teammates and your coaches you should probably really do anything you can to go
05:23 out and really it's an honour and like I said before any time I get the chance to put on
05:27 the Iowa jersey I'm going to do it so but like I said people have their own personal
05:31 choices I think it's fair to say that there's probably a few people that would come to mine
05:36 and that have skipped a ball game and I don't really know if it really worked out for them
05:41 but then you look at guys like Campbell and LaPorta last year who had great ball games
05:45 and I'm sure the draft stock just went through the roof especially you look at LaPorta I
05:49 mean it was as if he was playing high school football out there against Kentucky no disrespect
05:54 to them but it was just one hell of a performance but I don't disagree with people that want
05:59 to skip ball games but again that's their own personal choice.
06:01 What's Christmas like for you and this team?
06:03 Is there something that you miss about normal Christmases or is it just okay?
06:08 It's about 85, 90 degrees back home in Australia so I certainly miss that but the weather's
06:13 kind of been alright I mean today it's a little cold but yeah to answer your question I think
06:19 we'll have practice here on the, is Christmas next Monday?
06:22 Yeah we'll have practice on the Monday and then I'm sure they'll put on a feast or
06:26 something like that but that won't be happening any presents or anything like that.
06:30 Last week you were mentioned by the former president.
06:36 How did all that happen?
06:38 I mean I don't have any political agenda or anything like that whatsoever you know when
06:43 I got here was it three years ago he was the president and I just thought well you know
06:47 he's coming to town my time at Iowa's nearly up I'll go down and see what it's about
06:52 it'd really be no different if I was in the UK and I wanted to go see King Charles or
06:56 whatever his name is but yeah I mean you know Donald Trump came to town he's a former president
07:01 I just thought I'd go see what it's all about.
07:03 What did you think I mean when the former president is touting you and basically the
07:08 world can hear it?
07:10 Yeah I mean it's obviously pretty cool but yeah kind of like I said I don't really have
07:14 any political agenda like I can't vote or anything like that so I don't really worry
07:18 about that stuff too much it was just one of those things I wanted to experience before
07:23 I was done I'd never been to like a rally as they say but yeah so I just thought I'd
07:29 go down there and the last couple of weeks in Iowa and I knew he was coming to town so
07:32 I thought why not.
07:33 What did you think of all of it?
07:34 Man this guy's not going to stop until he gets to heaven is he?
07:41 I'm not trying to trap you into anything I promise.
07:43 It feels like it.
07:44 It's just so unusual.
07:45 Yeah I mean like I said it was no matter who it is or you know he's probably one of the
07:51 most famous men on the planet but it's really one of those things it's a matter of opinion
07:56 as to what people think of him but I really enjoyed the experience I enjoyed the talk
08:01 like I said it's nothing that I've heard before you don't really get that stuff back home
08:04 in Australia so I did enjoy listening to important people and powerful and smart people in general
08:11 you know.
08:12 Did you expect to be mentioned or did that surprise you?
08:13 No I had no idea.
08:14 Absolutely no idea.