We are officially at the halfway point of the 2026 regular season, and Iowa is sitting pretty.
Aside from a dud against Ohio State at home, the Hawkeyes have played well, exceeding many preseason expectations. The offense continues to improve under Tim Lester, and the defense has been solid. One of the biggest surprises this season has been the special teams unit's performance, but we honestly shouldn't be that surprised, given Iowa's history. After the early success of the special teams unit, it is way past time to put some respect on Chris Polizzi's name.
Chris Polizzi and the Iowa special teams deserve some respect
After Iowa lost multiple key members of the special teams unit from last season, including coordinator LeVar Woods (left for Michigan State), kicker Drew Stevens (NFL), return specialist Kaden Wetjen (NFL), and punter Rhys Dakin (transfer to Michigan State), no one was certain about what the unit would look like. The program quickly promoted Chris Polizzi internally and began rebuilding the unit. Iowa added punters Tanner Philpott ( transfer from Simpson College) and Boston Everitt (Australia), along with Eli Ozick (transfer from North Dakota State), and carefully chose a mix of talented returners.
Over seven weeks this season (including a bye week), Iowa hasn't lost a step, with the bulk of the credit going to Polizzi.
Pretty impressive what Chris Polizzi has done … already a game-winning FG, a punt-return TD, a kick-return TD, terrific punting … and the most impressive part might be kickoff coverage. Those guys are maniacs. https://t.co/WI8poC9BiH
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) October 15, 2026
Despite Iowa's major overhaul of its special teams unit, it is still living up to the lofty expectations we have come to expect. Hawkeye fans enjoyed many stellar years with LeVar Woods in charge, and Polizzi has done extremely well in his first season. The Hawkeyes special teams already have a punt-return touchdown, a kick-return touchdown, a game-winning field goal, and have gotten stellar play from starting kicker Caden Buhr and punter Boston Everitt. Buhr is 9/11 on field-goal attempts this season, with a long of 51 yards. Everitt has also been a weapon in the punting game, averaging 41.6 yards per punt and consistently pinning teams in their own end.
Iowa has traditionally relied on special teams to flip the field or to keep it in games when the offense struggles, and they have done that and more this season. Polizzi has also pushed all the right buttons in the return game, inserting Evan James and Braeden Jackson into the unit. Jackson scored Iowa's only first-half points against Michigan in week four, keeping the game close, and James has played a crucial role returning punts. Most programs don't get as excited about special teams as Iowa does, but Kirk Ferentz has prioritized it
"Punting is winning" is more than just a cute slogan in Iowa City, and Polizzi and the unit have embraced it. Everyone knows how important special teams can be, and although they often don't get recognized until something goes wrong, they are vital to success. The standard was already set, and Polizzi and his group have definitely lived up to it. If Iowa can accomplish all of that with a completely rebuilt unit, imagine what it can do with more experience. Exciting times lie ahead for the Iowa special teams, and Chris Polizzi deserves to take a bow.
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