The Third Unit: Iowa's Top Kickers of 2024

This is our first edition of The Third Unit, where we recognize the top performers from the most underrated aspect of football, the special teams' unit. We start off by taking a look at the kicking game in Iowa, and Iowa boasted an impressive group of Kickers with long range and excellent accuracy across the season. Here are 7 Kickers whose leg got them onto this list as the top Kickers from Iowa in 2024!    The #3 Kicker in Iowa heading into this season, [player_tooltip player_id='1279803' first='Ryan' last='Harrington'] ended his senior campaign with Class 5A first-team all-state honors after finishing the year as Ankeny's most underrated weapon. Harrington went 11 of 15 on kicks and converted all 28 PATs. Harrington also averaged 37.3 yards per punt on 30 punts and hit 31 touchbacks on 45 kickoffs. Harrington is the total package as a kicking specialist, with high, booming kicks and long range, including a season-long 53 yard field goal. Harrington holds 2 D2 offers from Bemidji State and Pittsburg State, though with this kind of natural pro-class ability, Harrington should be getting some calls from bigger schools very soon.     Sam Hoffman blossomed in his sophomore season to become one of the best Kickers in Iowa. Hoffman finished a perfect 8 of 8 on field goals, and made 30 of 31 PAT attempts. Perhaps the most accurate Kicker in Iowa this season, Hoffman earned 1st team All-State honors in Class 4A. Hoffman's only failed PAT came on a block; a testament to how effective he was this year. The team's confidence in his ability certainly skyrocketed over the year, as Hoffman made 8 field goals this year after the team didn't even attempt a field goal in 2023. Hoffman could be on the fast track toward becoming the top Kicker in Iowa heading into the class of 2027.     As Dowling Catholic reached the Class 5A state semifinals this season, Marty Blount emerged in his senior season as a reliable Kicker in getting points for the team, accounting for a total 64 points of scoring last season. Blount went 9 of 10 kicking and 37 of 39 on PATs. Blount had a solid arc on his kicks and was accurate kicking off-center, but I was most impressed with his diverse range on kickoffs. From short, angled kicks, to fast squibs that could bounced down the field and be difficult for the returner to get a hold on, allowing for the Maroons' kickoff coverage unit to make several big plays to set the defense well. As well, Blount is a member of the Every Kick Counts program, which is partnered with Count the Kicks, a program that raises public awareness toward monitoring babies' movements during pregnancy to prevent stillbirth. Blount has made a significant impact both on and off the field.     [player_tooltip player_id='1279722' first='Ryan' last='Bendezu'] finished as a second-team all-state selection in Class 5A at Kicker, though with his performance. In any other group, he likely would have finished as a first-team selection. Bendezu finished 7 of 9 on field goals and made all 52 PATs. Bendezu was committed to improve after struggling with accuracy in his junior year, and his performance improved ten-fold, showing much more consistency and longer range, making him someone that the Jaguars could rely on to get them on the board. With the rapid development across his senior year, Bendezu should easily translate that when he gets into the collegiate level, and after receiving invites from several D1 camps last offseason, Bendezu should be getting some calls after this spectacular season.     The top Kicker in Iowa this season, [player_tooltip player_id='1286617' first='Adlai' last='Lounsbury'] didn't disappoint as he put up another huge year with Van Meter. Lounsbury finished 6 of 7 on field goals and 59 of 63 on PATs. Lounsbury also averaged with an impressive 40.2 yards per punt on 18 punts, and hit 54 touchbacks on 78 kickoffs. Lounsbury has the best long-distance range of any Kicker I have seen in this state, and that ability made him an automatic weapon that could succeed in each aspect of special teams. Lounsbury will now take his talents with him to South Dakota State, where he could develop into becoming one of the top Kickers in the FCS level very soon.     Bishop Heelan had their fair share of ups and downs in 2025 following a resurgent year in 2024. Dylan Karnes also had his moments of struggle, but he hit on his targets at a significantly higher rate. Karnes finished 5 of 7 on field goals and 29 of 32 on PATs. Karnes emerged almost out of nowhere in the Crusaders' special teams' unit with his booming leg, and the arc on his field goal kicks looked exceptionally great. Karnes is another underrated Kicker that should be hearing calls this offseason to play at the next level.     Jack Reiter took the Kicking job in his senior season and he did a great job being given one of the heavier workloads of Kickers in the state. Reiter finished the season 5 of 7 on kicks and 47 of 49 on PATs. Reiter also averaged 35.4 yards per punt on 12 punts. Reiter landed a strong impact on each of his kicks, and the arc on his kicks are sneakily long. This makes it dangerous for returners, who may not be able to anticipate the depth of his boots on punts, which allowed for his kick coverage unit to shine throughout the season. Reiter will continue his athletic career at Black Hawk College, where he committed in September to play baseball.

This is our first edition of The Third Unit, where we recognize the top performers from the most underrated aspect of football, the special teams' unit. We start off by taking a look at the kicking game in Iowa, and Iowa boasted an impressive group of Kickers with long range and excellent accuracy across the season. Here are 7 Kickers whose leg got them onto this list as the top Kickers from Iowa in 2024!