One of the hardest-hit groups after last season was the special teams unit, but if the Northern Illinois game is any indication, we can stop worrying about the group.
After longtime special teams coordinator and recruiting ace LeVar Woods left to join Pat Fitzgerald's new staff at Michigan State, Iowa was left with a massive hole in its coaching staff. The program quickly promoted analyst Chris Polizzi from within and added multiple key pieces from the transfer portal. With the special teams completely rebuilt from last season, no one knew how they would perform. Enter Evan James.
Former Hawkeye Kaden Wetjen shared his approval after Evan James' PR touchdown
Iowa not only lost Woods to Michigan State, but also lost starting punter Rhys Dakin (transferred to Michigan State), starting kicker Drew Stevens (NFL), and starting returner Kaden Wetjen (NFL), raising concerns for the traditionally stout Iowa special teams unit. The coaching staff had to rebuild the unit with transfer punter Tanner Philpott, transfer kicker Eliz Ozick, and different players fielding kicks and punts, and even with all the uncertainty, the unit was solid against NIU.
Multiple players got a chance to field punts against NIU, including Zach Lutmer, Reece Vander Zee, and new transfer wide receiver Evan James, and in unsurprising fashion, one of them took a punt return to the house for a touchdown.
Approved 🔥🔥🔥
— Kaden Wetjen (@WetjenKaden) September 5, 2026
Cooper DeJean and Kaden Wetjen, Iowa's two past punt returners, were extremely dynamic and could take any kick back for a touchdown at any given moment. Wetjen is the only two-time Jet Award winner, setting the Iowa program record for career return touchdowns last season, and even he was stunned by what Evan James did late in the third quarter. James fielded a punt at the 23-yard line and took it all the way back for a 77-yard punt return touchdown, something that Wetjen knows all too well. While James doesn't have anywhere near Wetjen's speed, he showed great vision to take the punt all the way back, prompting Wetjen to post "Approved" on a video that Hawkeye Football posted on social media.
Iowa will likely continue tinkering with who fields punts and kicks as the season progresses. Still, James made a solid case to win the job on Saturday, finishing with 108 punt return yards and a touchdown, something Iowa fans didn't expect to see with Wetjen now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Regardless of who is returning punts and kicks, the Iowa special teams unit appears to be in good hands, and we can't wait to see how well the unit performs the rest of the season. With James' emergence as a legit option, the Hawkeyes might have found another diamond from the transfer portal, proving you don't always need to sccop up multiple high-ranked transfer to be successful.
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