SPEAKER_05 0:01

Welcome to the official highest troopy podcast. Here's your host, Chris Houston.

SPEAKER_03 0:36

Welcome back to another episode of the official Heisman Trophy Podcast. We are now in November, and the Heisman race is wide open. Lots of great quarterbacks out there vying for the award, maybe a receiver or two. Is there a running back starting to emerge? What about a punter? You know, if you go back and look at all those old promotional photos of Heisman winners, a lot of those guys were great punters and kickers as well. In that era of single platoon football, it was very important to be able to do everything to run, pass, punt, kick. But now we have an era of specialists, and that's why we call them special teams. And we've really tried our best on this show to focus on as many different positions as possible because the Heisman technically can be won by any position. And that's why this week's episode is focused on special teams. Later on in the show, we're going to tell the story of Steve Spurrier's game-winning field goal in 1966 to beat Auburn. That was probably the last field goal ever kicked by a Heisman trophy winner. In our B block, we're going to talk to one of the best punt returners in the country, a freshman, USC receiver, Zachariah Branch. It takes a special kind of player to go back there on a punt return and take on all comers as they're racing towards you. He's going to tell you what it's like. And we're going to lead off the show from the punter's perspective. Tori Taylor, All-American punter from the University of Iowa. He's going to teach us a thing or two about punting and share his story of coming from Australia and ending up in the Big Ten. But before we get to those great stories and guests, let's kick things off by checking in on the Heisman Race.

SPEAKER_05 2:08

It's the Heisman Real Dom, week nine.

SPEAKER_03 2:16

And down the stretch they come. Wait, wrong sport, but not entirely the wrong analogy, as a handful of Heisman hopefuls are jockeying for voters' attention as we enter November. A few prominent Heisman contenders were off this weekend, including LSU quarterback Jaden Daniels and Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy. But let's dig in with those who showed out on Saturday. Out west, Washington quarterback Michael Pettdock Jr. continues to grab an increasingly large share of Heisman attention. The senior, who leads the country in passing yards per game by almost 40 yards, battled through a nasty cold Saturday, to throw for 369 yards and four touchdowns to help Washington hold off Stanford 42 to 33. Pettings Jr. has led the Huskies to their first 8th-no start since they made their only college football playoff appearance in 2016, and Washington coach Calen DeBore was impressed by how he competed on Saturday.

SPEAKER_06 3:07

It's definitely not feeling good, but you know, there's not an eight or not either gets out there in three ball, you know.

SPEAKER_03 3:21

Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Oregon quarterback Bo Knicks played a huge role in the Ducks 35-6 dismantling of Utah as they ended the Ute's 18-game home win streak. Nicks, who leads the Nation in completing percentage and boasts a 21-1 touchdown to interception ratio, threw for 248 yards to two scores, a 24-31 passing, and also opened the game scoring with a one-yard touchdown run. He connected on this 18-yard first-quarter touchdown pass to Jordan James that gave Oregon a double-digit lead.

SPEAKER_05 3:52

Over the middle.

SPEAKER_03 4:17

He threw for 369 yards at two scores and also ran in two touchdowns. Williams is tied for the lead nationally in both passing touchdowns with 25 and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 9, while his combined passing and rushing total of 34 touchdowns leads the country. His six-yard run early in the third quarter was the first of his two scores on the ground. On the other side of the country, Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis kept the pettle down for the Seminoles as they moved to 8-0 with the 41-16 victory over Wake Forest. Travitz passed for a season-high 359 yards and three touchdowns and also ran one in. He has now accounted for multiple touchdowns in 15 straight games, the longest touchstreak in the nation, which included this 13-yard first-quarter touchdown run that got the Seminoles going. Ohio State Jr. Marvin Harrison Jr. continues to make the case for another receiver to win the heisman. He had six receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and the Buckeyes' 24-10 victory over Wisconsin for its fourth straight game with over 100 yards receiving and his sixth on the season in eight games. His two touchdown catches tied a season high, including this incredible 19-yard touchdown grab that broke a third quarter 10-10 tie. And before we close this out, we have to mention Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon, who rushed for 271 yards Saturday against Cincinnati after going for 282 the previous week at West Virginia. The only other cowboy to post back-to-back games of over 250 yards? A certain Heisman Trophy winner named Barry Sanders. That's the kind of company you want to keep. And just for you stat nerds out there like us, Sanders finished his 1988 Heisman regular season by rushing for 312, 293, and 332 yards in his final three games. Incredible.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

This is Archie Griffin, 1974 and 1975's Heisman Trophy winner, and you're listening to the official Heisman Podcast.

SPEAKER_03 7:02

Our first guest just might be the best punter in the country. He leads the nation with 54 punts for 2,619 yards, an average of 48.5 yards per punt, and he punts about seven times per game, which is a lot. Of his 54 punts so far this year, 18 of them have been fair caught, 23 of them went for 50 plus yards, and 18 landed inside the 20-yard line. We're talking about a real weapon here who can flip the field and give his defense great position. And I'm especially excited to have him on because I think punting is a part of the game that doesn't get a lot of attention and is often misunderstood. And to make things even more intriguing, our guest is from Melbourne, Australia. So let's find out some more about punning from one of the best to do it. Alright, Tori Taylor, All-American punter out of the University of Iowa. Thanks for coming on the official Heisman Trophy podcast.

SPEAKER_08 7:52

Appreciate you guys having me on. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 7:56

Tori, you're originally from uh what Americans call Melbourne, but which Aussies call Melbourne, Australia. And you've been playing college football for uh for four seasons now. So tell me, when did you first hear about the Heisman Trophy and what have you learned about it since then?

SPEAKER_08 8:12

Oh, well, that's a pretty good question. Um so I kind of started following college football around 2017, and you know, everyone hears hears about the Heisman wherever we are in the world. Most people know about it. Obviously, one of the more prestigious awards that you can win in college football, probably football in general, really. To be the best player of um, I don't know, thousands and thousands of athletes is pretty special. So I probably heard about it maybe six, seven years ago when I first started getting into college football. You know, I would watch a few games on a Sunday morning Australia time, and that's when I kind of started to think, you know what, maybe I want to give this punting thing a go. But yeah, so probably five or six years ago I first heard about it.

SPEAKER_03 8:53

Cool. Uh you started out down under playing uh footy, which is uh Australian rules football here in America. Did you have dreams of playing in the AFL?

SPEAKER_08 9:03

I mean I did as a as a younger kid, probably when, you know, every twelve, thirteen year old kid wants to go on to play professional football, especially at that time when no no one really enjoys school. You're always thinking about, oh, what what can I do that doesn't involve school or doesn't involve working. So yeah, it was always it was always a dream as a younger kid, but not many people probably know this, but I stopped playing Australian football from or would have been maybe age fourteen till I was I think nineteen. Just because I didn't really enjoy it anymore. I was kind of like, this is a little boring. Um and then yeah, I started playing again when I was nineteen just for with a few of my mates at my local club. They kind of invited me down and I thought, well yeah, yeah, you know, this would be fun. What if I what have I got to lose? And yeah, played for a few years before I made the transition across to here.

SPEAKER_03 9:53

Cool. Which of the nine uh Melbourne AFL teams is your fave?

SPEAKER_08 9:57

Uh I'm actually a diehard Richmond Tiger supporter, so yeah, I was fortunate enough to see two premierships or which is a Super Bowl basically. The championship game, I've seen two live, so that was yeah, pretty incredible experience to be able to see that. And uh I'm the only Richmond supporter in my family of six, so yeah, I kinda I certainly let them all know about it for quite a few years.

SPEAKER_03 10:20

Who's the main rival of Richmond?

SPEAKER_08 10:23

Uh probably Collingwood.

SPEAKER_03 10:25

Oh, Collingwood just won it recently, right?

SPEAKER_08 10:28

They did, yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:30

But then Richmond h went back to back a few years back. So you can't.

SPEAKER_08 10:33

Yeah, we won seventeen, nineteen, and twenty. Nice.

SPEAKER_03 10:37

Um so how did you end up deciding to play college football?

SPEAKER_08 10:43

So I'd always been a relatively big big kick at uh Australian football. And then I kind of looked into it a little bit and then a couple of my mates said like, dude, you got a massive leg. Have you ever thought about punting? And I said, Not really. And then yeah, like I said, I looked into it a bit more, got in contact with the guys at ProKick, and they said, Come down for a session. So I uh took along my boots or cleats as such and yeah, kicked a few balls and Chappie as we call him, Nathan Chapman of ProKick Australia, he said, Look, you kind of got what it takes, it's really just whether you want to do it or not. And then I thought about it for quite some time. And when I say quite some time, it was probably 18 months or so. And then I really just yeah, I just wasn't really enjoying what I was doing, and I thought, you know what, I don't want to wake up in twenty years' time and go, man, I wish I'd done this. And my dad kinda Yeah, hit me with something that I've that sticks well has really stuck with me to this day, and he just said, Don't be one of those guys that wakes up in twenty twenty or thirty years' time and always sitting at the bars or pubs with one of your mates, going, Yeah, I could have done this or I should have done that or I would have done that. And that's really stuck with me. I learned it in a lot of aspects of life. So it that's what it really came down to is as silly as it sounds, at first, I was like, Well, I don't want to regret this in twenty, thirty years' time. So that's what it yeah, it was really a decision based upon that at the start, and then I kind of learned a little bit more about it and what an opportunity it was gonna be um for me to just grow as a person, get a free education and um punt a footy in front of hundreds of thousands every week, which is yeah, pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 12:19

Alright, good shout out to Pops for giving you that great advice. What's the difference? What's the difference between how a typical American punter kicks the ball and how a footy player kicks it?

SPEAKER_08 12:29

Well, so a lot of uh Australian rules for football players, it's you you kick an end-over-end punt, and I think that's why a lot of guys have come over here and had so much success, especially with the rollout uh punt, because you've we've been doing it for literally since we were two or three years old. You know, here you guys might go throw the football with your dad or throw the baseball or play catch out the front, whereas in Australia you're literally just playing kick to kick with your dad, or you you know, I do the same with my brothers or mates. That's all you do at school after school. So it was really one of those things that uh that transition wasn't too hard when I got over here, but it the American style punting, like the big open field spiral punt that stays in the air and goes a lot further because it can pierce through the air a lot uh easier. Uh that was probably the hardest transition to make because the the ball here, the American football is so much smaller than a showing rules football. So obviously the sweet spot's smaller, so there's really less room for error. So that was probably been the hardest part.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 13:27

It's just being able to make sweet contact with the ball every time. But and I'm still learning to this day, and for as long as I'm punning the football, you you you talk to any punters, they'll tell you the same thing. You know, consistency is everything, it's really just narrowing the gap between the the good and the bad. Um so yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:44

What was the recruiting process like uh that ended up with you landing at the University of Iowa?

SPEAKER_08 13:49

Yeah, it's I get that question quite a bit, and uh my coaches had kind of said that, hey, you know what, I was interested in I kind of said, Iowa, I don't want to go there, like where even is that? And then I started I started learning a little bit more about it because I was kind of like, no, I want to go down south where the weather's nice, or put me somewhere in California or Florida or something like that, something a little similar to Australia. Uh but then I learned a lot about Iowa and I really wanted to go to the Big Ten because I feel like if you can punt in this sort of weather, it it really goes a long way in terms of making the transition to the next level. And yeah, Coach Woods came out and uh we hung out for a c he came on a Tuesday and then left on a Friday, so he was there for really three days or two full days.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 14:32

And then yeah, he just told me a lot about what Iowa was and uh what I'll be doing there and all the guys in the room, and you know, Keith Duncan was here at the time, uh, who was obviously pretty well renowned kicker for Iowa, all American. So I don't want to give him too many shout-outs as he doesn't deserve it. But uh yeah, so it was really just an exciting opportunity, and it was one of those things it's like, well, yeah, it's hard to say no. So yeah, uh sign the dotted line. I think it was February 2020, right before COVID.

SPEAKER_03 15:01

Great timing.

SPEAKER_08 15:02

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 15:03

What was it like acclimating to college football and all its sometimes strange traditions, not to mention all the rules, all the you know, just so many arcane rules uh to football.

SPEAKER_08 15:15

Yeah, it's funny, you know. He said something like, Oh, um, just do a good job at simplifying things because it's a complicated game in itself, but really kicking the football isn't that cop complicated. So, and it was really just something that I've been doing for you know, since I was like I said before, it was probably one of those things I've been doing since I was three or four years old. So that's I tried to just simplify it, and when I first got here, it was alright, I'm just gonna catch this and kick it as far and high as I can. No, I'm not gonna worry about technique or anything like that. And that's there's still um I mean I wouldn't say I rely on on that thought process a lot right now because I'm a lot more technically sound than what I was three or four years ago.

SPEAKER_00 16:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 16:00

But there's still, you know, the best punters are are catching it and kicking it as far and high as I can. Um so I really just try and simplify things as much as I can. But you know, I've learned a lot of rules along the way. I think it was my freshman year, the last game of the season against Wisconsin. I was pretty windy and snowy and slick, and not to make any excuses, I I'd fumble the ball, like I dropped the ball and then I saw it on the ground and then yeah, obviously kicked it off the ground as as as you can see if you if you search it up, but it was funny because I had absolutely no idea that that was a rule and then nobody did. And I'm standing over in the far corner of our specialists hang out during the game and Coach Ferrens was walking towards me and I'm like, Oh god, I'm about to cut my first ever spray from a coach. And he just said, He kind of just said, you know what, Tori, like good work. I said, Oh, what do you mean? He said, I didn't know you couldn't do that. He's like, Good punt, nice work, keep going. And that was kind of yeah, I thought that was pretty funny at the time because I'm kind of just sitting there so nervous.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 16:58

Because I hadn't really made too many mistakes that year, and yeah, the head coach is walking towards me thinking he's gonna give me an absolute mouthful, but it was the complete opposite. So it's quite a funny experience.

SPEAKER_03 17:08

Shows you have uh good instincts, uh at least to to cover yourself in that situation.

SPEAKER_08 17:12

Yeah, exactly. And Jack Campbell ended up getting the pick, so he kind of owes me that one, I think. Out of curiosity, what's the longest you can kick a ball in the air, like if you really just you know Oh I mean, I it really depend people ask that a bit, and it's a bit of a hard question to answer because it's easy to just go out there and line drive like a 60-yard 3-5, but that's not really what you want because it's been returned 20 or 30 yards. So I I don't really know how to answer that, um, honestly, because I I don't really know. It's really more so trying to match hang time for distance, you know.

SPEAKER_03 17:45

Some are calling you the best Iowa punter ever, which is really high praise considering Reggie Roby attended Iowa. Have you ever studied up much on the great punters in the past in college football and football in general?

SPEAKER_08 17:56

Yeah, absolutely. You know, there's certain guys that I look up to, especially guys in the NFL right now. Um, in terms of historical college football punters, I don't really know too much. And you know, it obviously I really appreciate the comparison that people make between uh Reggie and I, but at the end of the day, that's just people's opinions. You know, someone could say I'm the worst Iowa punter of all time, and it it is it is what it is. But I don't really worry about too many people's opinions because if you kind of start going down that road, it's a little bit of a trap. Uh but I I really appreciate everyone's support, and yeah, there's a lot of guys that I really look up to, but at the end of the day, I'm just trying to be the best version of myself as a as a punter, a player, and a person, and and that's all you can really do.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

Sure. You know, punning can often be an underappreciated aspect of the game. I don't think a lot of people pay close attention to it unless something goes wrong, you know? And and punters, like even on the team, they're sort of like, like you said, the specialists are sort of off on their own doing their thing off in the corner often. What are some of the elements of punting that you wish more people understood?

SPEAKER_08 19:00

Uh probably just a translation that can happen between pinning a team deep and and getting points, like especially here, you know, if we can pin a team deep. Well, we saw it on the weekend. If the um if the punt unit can go out there and execute um a good play and and pin them deep, and our defense is really, really good, one of the better ones in the country. So you know that a lot of the time we're gonna get a stop and they're gonna be punting out of the end zone. And then if the punter still hits a 40-50 yard ball, it you kind of get the ball at midfield, and then it's really it can really translate to points, whether it be a field goal or a touchdown. So it's probably one of those things people don't really realise. But for me, I don't worry about that stuff too much. It's just I kind of go out there and have fun and and do my thing and everything else is kind of out of my control. But a lot of the time the defense yeah, it does a really good job of stopping them and then yeah, it usually leads to points a few plays later.

SPEAKER_03 19:51

Yeah, it seems like so much of kicking is mental, and I just I just can't imagine what it'd be like to be standing in the back of your own end zone waiting for the snap and thousands of opposing fans screaming at you. What's that like just from a from an anxiety standpoint, sitting in the back of the end zone waiting for that snap?

SPEAKER_08 20:08

Um, you know, it's interesting. I'll talk to Jason Baker quite a bit, who's a former punter here, and he says, you know, a lot of people think mental toughness is really one of those things that's um well, I should say mental toughness is one of those things, how can you choose your thoughts for a specific period of time? You know, a lot of people just like, oh, you know, how much weight can I put on the blood on the bar, blah blah blah. Uh so I really just go out there and it's like, you know what, all I need to do is focus for two or three seconds. And then the rest will just take care of itself. So I kind of love standing in the back of the end zone because it's like, well, you know, how far and high can I kick this? I don't really need to worry about being cute or anything like that. And you really find out uh who's who the good not not to say who the good and bad punters are, but it really challenges you as a player. So I really love those moments and I love the big moments in general because you really find out who's special and who's not.

SPEAKER_03 21:01

You talked about playing in the Big Ten and and the the weather challenges. What's the most challenging weather condition you've had to face so far?

SPEAKER_08 21:09

It's interesting you asked that probably last week against Minnesota, just because there wasn't really any parts on the field where it was downwind, because you know it can be kind of going one way, but then it bounces back off the end zones or different corners of the game. So that it was really challenging last week. Last year we played Purdue. That was really just one win down the field, and but it was blowing, you know, 30, 40 miles an hour. So that was really challenging. I remember I was standing in the end zone, kicking them end zone to end zone. I'm like, oh, this is great. You know, then we we turned it around and you could barely kick them twenty, thirty yards. So that was certainly challenging in itself, but yeah, probably like I've said before, you really find out who who's legit and who's not. So I really love playing in those games.

SPEAKER_03 21:52

Yeah. How important is it to have a good relationship with your line snapper and and other key members of the punting unit?

unknown 21:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 22:00

Glad you brought that up because obviously people kind of see that um the punter gets all the recognition and things like that, but I would be absolutely nothing uh without Luke, and he's just as important of a player to the team in general, and whenever he's out there um or whenever I'm out there with him, we just try to go out there and and do our thing. And I you know, I say to him quite regularly, the the success of this game is really going to come down to the guys um on the field on the punt unit and in the specialist room, you know, because people might not think that special teams is a really, really major component of playing football, especially when it comes to field position. And it's especially here at Ile, you know, it's a no-burner. We don't have the greatest offense going around whatsoever. So to be able to just go out there and and be special as a punt unit and as a uh specialist uh room, but yeah, Luke is just such an exceptional snapper, great, great player, really good football player in general, hell hell of an athlete, but an even better person. He's kind of like the mediator in the room. He kind of keeps everyone together and keeps everyone settled. So it certainly makes life a lot easier on the field and just from a mental um part two.

SPEAKER_03 23:08

And for you listeners who don't know, we're talking about Luke Elkin, uh, the long snapper uh for Iowa football. What what kind of feeling do you get when you flip the field and pin the opposing team deep near their own goal? It seems like it would just be a tremendous rush. Is that the best feeling?

SPEAKER_08 23:25

Yeah, it is. You know, when you kind of hit that nice open field spiral, which I was fortunate enough to uh do a couple of times at Wisconsin, that's when I was like, oh, that felt nice. Because yeah, I probably said it before. When when I kind of go out there and pin a team deep, yeah, that's great. But to be able to go out there and kick a big open field spiral with high hang time and lots of distance, people probably don't really grasp how difficult that is to kind of hit the sweet spot to be able to make that to happen. So yeah, that stuff is really, really satisfying, and it's always it's always nice catching that little Luke after when he's like, Yeah, that was a nice ball. And I'm kind of like, Yeah, as soon as I hit that, I knew I knew it was nice.

SPEAKER_03 24:03

Yeah. What does your dream punt look like?

SPEAKER_08 24:07

Oh, that's a good question. So a lot of people probably think that you want that high, like tight spiral, but those ones come down really quickly. So I like those ones where you kind of get the right trajectory, but it it's kind of breaking down a little bit. There's a little bit of flutter, so it stays in the air for a little bit longer. And I kind of know when I've hit those because it'll go up tight, but then once it reaches its peaks, it it kind of breaks down and um flutters on the way down, and you usually get um a few tenths of a second more.

SPEAKER_03 24:35

Uh you're bigger and stronger than most punters out there. I I know you have a tackle this year, but do you ever do you ever get the urge to get out there and uh stick your nose into the into the physical play on those plays?

SPEAKER_08 24:47

No, definitely not. I'll I'll leave that to the guys that are a little bit more conditioned. Yeah. And I and I'm not the I'm certainly not the strongest or anything like that uh what whatsoever. But I just you know, I really just like going out there and and having fun, and I really appreciate the appreciate the guys on the punt unit because they do a hell of a job getting down the field. And you know, obviously um it's a stats game, and yeah, we've got a really good coverage unit this this year, so I'm really appreciative of them.

SPEAKER_03 25:13

What do friends and family back home think of your uh football exploits in America? Are are they able to watch the games?

SPEAKER_08 25:19

Yeah, so my family and uh a couple of my close mates, they get up every Sunday morning and watch the game. They usually if it's a 2.30 game here, it's uh 6 30 a.m. there, so they're always getting up early, especially on a Sunday morning. So I really appreciate their support. And uh mum and my little brother, and uh one of my good mates, he came out for a few weeks of September. And yeah, my my dad will be here in a few weeks. So I'm really excited for that. It's always a little bit more special when they're here in person watching the games. But to answer your original question, yeah, they all get up home and uh yeah, and watch the games, which I'm really appreciative of.

SPEAKER_03 25:51

What advice would you give to young athletes back in Australia who aspire to follow in your footsteps and become successful punters in America?

SPEAKER_08 26:00

Uh, probably just understanding that you're never really going to grow as a person unless unless you put yourself uh out of your comfort zone. And I must say, good things happen to those that kind of go out there and and take risks. So if I was to offer any advice, and that's just not even like a football thing, it's really just a life thing.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 26:16

You know, that was really one of the main reasons I came over here was just to try and get out of that bubble and do something a little different and get out of my comfort zone. It was a new challenge. So, and I really, really, I've really, really enjoyed it since I got here. But yeah, that's one thing that um I really tell young kids that you know that it's okay to do something a little different and get out of your comfort zone.

SPEAKER_03 26:36

Yeah. Uh looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations in your football career and how do you plan to work towards them?

SPEAKER_08 26:43

Well, first and foremost, I really want to win a Big Ten championship. Um never never done that since I got here. And you know, it's obviously gonna be difficult. We've got a lot of you're playing you're playing in the Big Ten. There's no easy games whatsoever. And we got four games, and really the fate's in our own hands. So if we can win four games, it's gonna go a long way. Uh to us going to Indian, yeah, you there's nothing better than than having um control of your own destiny. So that's first and foremost. And you know, like every college football player, you want to move on and uh play in the NFL, and that's certainly a goal of mine. So whether that happens or not, hopefully it does, and I'm gonna do everything I can um to get better to give myself the best chance.

SPEAKER_03 27:23

Well, you've got a nice bye week here uh to relax a bit, and then Northwestern Rutgers, Illinois, Nebraska, definitely uh, you know, a good chance to finish out strong on the season. Uh to wind things up, you know, the Heisman goes to the most outstanding player in college football, but no kicker or punter has really come close to winning. Although in the past you've had players who kicked in addition to other duties that they've you know had and they've won the trophy. But what do you think, just you know, uh in an alternate universe or alternate world, what do you think a punter would have to do in a statistical sense uh to get Heisman attention?

SPEAKER_08 28:00

Oh God, from well, they'd certainly probably have to kick a ball very, very far. And I would say they'd at least have to average over they'd probably have to do something that's never happened before. And I'm really trying to think of someone or something, or I guess whether that ever happens, I'm I'm really not too sure. But especially this year, there's a lot of guys um performing at a high level, a lot of specialists doing their thing. But yeah, as much as it would be great for a punter or a kicker to win the Heisman, I can't really ever see it happen. But uh yeah, it's usually I wouldn't say it's a quarterback or a skill award, but that's usually what it comes down to. But yeah, I mean those guys are they're out on the football field a lot, and yeah, especially with the QBs. I mean, you look at JJ McCarthy in Michigan. Um, I really don't know too much about the Heisman um or who sorry or who's gonna win it this year. Right. But yeah, um if I was to to pick anyone, it would probably be him.

SPEAKER_03 28:54

Yeah, I was just thinking, you know, if you if if someone averaged I guess you know it's hard to average more than 50 yards a punt because you just can't control the the situations where you're punting from, right? And then Yeah, exactly. And then and then I guess, you know, in theory, I guess it could be uh, you know, if certain if you get such great hang time, you never get a punt returned. I guess, you know, something to think about. But um anyway, Tori, uh, thanks for coming on the official Heisman Trophy podcast. We appreciate taking the time.

SPEAKER_08 29:21

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 29:22

Yeah, we wish you and uh your team uh the best of luck and good health in the future.

SPEAKER_08 29:27

Likewise, thanks very much.

SPEAKER_03 29:29

Thanks a bunch. The guest of honor for the gala is the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, as well as the 50th anniversary winner John Capoletti, the 25th anniversary winner Ricky Williams, and the 10th anniversary winner Jameis Winston. Plus, we'll also be honoring the 2023 Heisman Humanitarian Award winner. Just go to Heisman.com to purchase tickets and witness Heisman history. Our next guest is just oozing with physical ability. He is a true freshman wide receiver, the first freshman to appear on the official Heisman Trophy podcast. If you've seen him play, you'll know why. Simply put, he's as dynamic a punt and kick returner as you'll find in the country. He's averaging 22.07 yards on 14 punt returns with a touchdown. He also has a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown to his credit, also has scored running and receiving the ball. As a recruit, he was considered the number one wide receiver in the country coming out of high school, and he is blessed with elite speed, 10.33 100 meters, and the stuff he can do with the ball in his hands is already drawing comparisons to some former greats. Probably not a Heisman candidate this year, but keep an eye out for him in the years to come. Let's talk to him. Zachariah Branch, USC wide receiver and return man extraordinaire. Thanks for joining the official Heisman Trophy Podcast.

SPEAKER_07 31:11

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_03 31:14

You know, for this episode, we've been focusing on special teams. Uh, we have a punter on as well, the punter from uh Iowa, uh Tori Taylor. And of course, you are one of the best return men in the country. How did you come to realize that returning punts and kicks was something that you were good at and that you wanted to do?

SPEAKER_07 31:31

Yes, at a young age, I kind of knew that that punt return was going to be something that I could be comfortable with and get familiar with and you know be able to make electric plays out there since probably my freshman year. Because I remember my first game, um, I played Orham High School from Bishop Gorman, and then uh I remember they kicked it to me. I took it to the left and then there was nothing there, and I reverse field, took it to the right, and took it like 70 yards. So I was like, I think I could do something special with Pump Return. Then like I told people before in kick return, I didn't do kick return until um until um until just now, until eighth grade. Like I didn't do kick return for like three, four years. So it was real, real new for me coming back into college. Um just got real comfortable with it, trying to still get comfortable with it now, um, you know, learning certain things with it, but definitely it's a blessing from God with everything that I'm able to do.

SPEAKER_03 32:21

Right, right. What's it like being out there on a part return all by yourself with all eyes in the stadium just on you?

SPEAKER_07 32:29

You know, I try to tune the crowd out the whole time while I'm out there. Um just stay focused in the moment, stay focused on my assignment. Um reading the blocks from my teammates. You know, my teammates give all the credit to them because all the ones that I've returned so far and and the big returns, you know, that's not happening without blocks that are set up. So I feel like I'm really focusing on setting up those blocks, getting those blocks set up and just reading it and hitting it. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_03 32:52

I've always thought it takes a certain type of guy to go back there and return punts. You got all these defenders flying at you at 100 miles per hour, trying to nail you. What do you think are the keys in a mental sense to being a good punt returner?

SPEAKER_07 33:04

So, first thing is catching the ball. Um, you know, seeing it off the toe of the punter. Like Coach Hewer, my inside receiver coach, has done a great job preparing me. Um, you know, just learning every aspect behind special teams. It's it's really bigger than just going out there, catching the ball, and just trying to make something happen. You know, you kind of got to study the film, um, seeing how everything is is kicked, how their habits are, how far their average is, just kind of tying everything into that. And then, like I said before, you know, reading those blocks and and everything is is gonna take care of itself.

SPEAKER_03 33:33

Does your mentality as a returner reflect how you are and other situations on and off the field? Like, are you more fearless in general as as a result?

SPEAKER_07 33:43

Yes, sir. I kind of I kind of do take that approach to everything that I do. Um, you know, I go into everything fearless just because I'm a man of God, so I believe in God. Um, you know, God limits through everything. So I feel like he's never gonna put me through something that I can't handle. So I I take the same mindset onto the field and off the field as well.

SPEAKER_03 34:00

What's the preparation like during game week to get ready for returning uh punts and kicks? Do you do you get to know the punters and how the ball comes off their foot and all that?

SPEAKER_07 34:09

Yes, sir. We have a um a meeting with the all the special teams unit, and uh, you know, we go over the the average distance that they kick each year, um, you know, which side they want to kick it to. Maybe it's the left side, the right side, if they have a certain formation with like two, like first, for instance, a couple games, it was like two guys on one side. If they were on that side, then you'll know they'll probably roll to that side and kick it to that side. So, you know, just kind of really studying every aspect to prepare yourself before you get out there and in the moment.

SPEAKER_03 34:37

Yeah. The great Tim Brown told us a few weeks ago that his goal as a punt returner was to never let anyone touch him. Do you have any strategies or rituals that kind of guide you when you're back there? Like little little things that kind of internal motivations that that kind of help you through.

SPEAKER_07 34:52

You know, you always just gotta keep a strong mindset. Um, like you said before, you're kind of the lone, the lone guy out there at first. I mean, the spotlight's pretty much on you when the ball's in your hands, but I kind of just say just stay stay focused on your assignment, trust your teammates, um, you know, everything that we're doing in practice, the preparation that we're doing. Um, you know, you just gotta trust them when it comes to the game. Don't don't lose focus of that execution, execution level and practice that you that you have. You gotta translate that to the game at all times. So I feel like that's just a main focus for me, you know, making sure I'm tuning out the outside noise, tuning out the crowd, and just focusing on my job for sure.

SPEAKER_03 35:25

Right. You were an elite sprinter in high school and you've got rare change of direction and vision to go at that speed. Knowing you've got that ability to take it to the house at any given moment, does that make you want to gamble more in the return game? Like, for instance, taking more punts inside the 10? Or do you generally have free reign back there to do your thing?

SPEAKER_07 35:43

Um definitely, definitely not to taking punts inside the 10. We're gonna we're gonna we're gonna X that one out. But um in the kick return game and in the punt return game as well, I kind of do kind of do gamble a little bit, you know, sometimes like the like the Utah game, for example. Um, you know, it was coming down to the clock was winding down, so I was like, I'm gonna return it regardless. So no matter where the guys were at, you know, you still gotta be smart with it if the situation's not right for it. But definitely do take a little bit of a of a gamble sometimes, you know, just to help the team out get better field position.

SPEAKER_03 36:14

You ripped off two big 60-yard part returns and back-to-back weeks against both Notre Dame and Utah. How much did it bug you that you got caught on those plays?

SPEAKER_07 36:23

Definitely, definitely did bug me a lot, man. Especially that uh the Notre Dame one I was coming back um, you know, from from something that took me out for a couple weeks, and my dad was was giving me a hard time after the game. He was like, Man, you can't get caught by the last guy. So he was like, What's up with your speed? So definitely been on a um a lot of extra speed workouts and conditioning workouts after practice um every day just to try to enhance that part of my game. But uh, you know, always good to make a good play, but I'm trying to finish it. So you know, then one stuck on me right there.

SPEAKER_03 36:56

You had a spectacular 96-yard kickoff return for a TD in the first game. You kind of tailed off a bit on kickoffs. Is it just a matter of more things having to go right on kickoffs for you to find a crease or a lane to exploit?

SPEAKER_07 37:08

Yes, sir. Like I said before, um, I feel like I just can I can grow a little bit more on kickoff return, get more familiar with it. Um, because you know, kick return is definitely different from punt return. Punt return, you know, it can hit pretty much anywhere based off wherever the blocks are at. But kick return, it's a certain spot that everything should be hidden. Um, you know, it's a certain area that we're aiming for. Um so you know, I feel like I just got to get more comfortable with that, um, be more patient and just try to grow overall and kick return for sure.

SPEAKER_03 37:36

I noticed you often hesitate a bit as a return guy before making your move. How does that little hesitation help you?

SPEAKER_07 37:42

No, for sure. Definitely have to um set the blocks up for kick return, punt return. Everything's kind of just lanes, lanes right away as soon as you catch the ball. But kick return, you have to let everything develop. Like you can see the first game versus NASA State, I kind of paused for a second and then everything opened up in the middle as soon as I saw the hole. You know, you just gotta hit it. But I feel like that's the biggest thing with kick return is you gotta trust yourself, trust the technique that your teammates are using, and trust the plan that the coach is giving out for you, and and everything should go.

SPEAKER_03 38:13

What aspects of your overall return game are you currently working on the most to improve?

SPEAKER_07 38:19

Definitely just trusting the scheme behind everything. Um, you know, certain things may not look like it's there at first, but you know, it's gonna develop over time. So I feel like just being more patient, um, you know, developing that scheme and really just trusting that scheme to make things happen easier. Um, I feel like sometimes I try to do a little too much or or not trust myself as much as I can. Um, I feel like I definitely can grow in that aspect for sure.

SPEAKER_03 38:45

The return game might be the most exciting aspect of football when it's going well. There have been a lot of great Heisman Trophy winners who've had great punt and kick returns. Who are some return men you've watched over the years and learned from?

SPEAKER_07 38:57

Some return men, definitely I I go first. Um Devin Hester is somebody that I always watched um, you know, growing up. Kick return. He's the best to do it. Um Dante Hall was pretty good as well, you know, doing those. So I feel like those two guys are dudes who stood out for me. Um Deshaun Jackson as well. Um he was crazy at it as well. So I feel like those three guys are pretty much dudes that I kind of try to mold my game into, um, take pieces from them and try to implement that into my game as well. So those three guys are great.

SPEAKER_03 39:28

What are some things about returning punts and kicks that you wish more people understood?

SPEAKER_07 39:34

I would kind of say the the the things that you have to know before you actually go out there. Most people probably think you just go back there, catch the ball, and just make something happen. Um, I feel like the film aspect of things is something that needs to be talked about more if you didn't know. Um you know, just studying the punter, studying how things come off of their foot, which direction, like I said, which direction they like to kick to, if it's certain formations, um, what are their tendencies to that formation? So I feel like just the mental aspect behind things um rather than than trusting the lanes, but pre-snap, figuring out everything that you need to know.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

Do you miss uh running track and field?

SPEAKER_07 40:12

I sure do, man. I sure do. I was supposed to run um in January when I came, but you know, things didn't work out the way I thought it was. So um definitely am going to be running next year. So next indoor season I should be running, and then going into the outdoor season, I should be running as well. So I'm excited for that. It's been like three, four years, man. I miss it.

SPEAKER_03 40:32

All right, cool. So you're about three quarters of the way through your freshman season. You've already scored a touchdown four different ways receiving, running by punt and by kick. You're the first Pac-12 player to do so in a season since Christian McCaffrey. Next year, the Trojans moved to the Big Ten and there's some new challenges. What are your personal goals as a receiver and as a return man in the coming seasons?

SPEAKER_07 40:53

You know, I'm kind of going into next season. Um, the same way I came in this season. I don't really have any certain goals that I'm that I'm going for or any, you know, any things that I'm aiming for. You know, there's always personal goals that you that you kind of do have, but you know, I haven't really set any of those yet. I just want to, you know, help my team do as much as I can to help them win, especially going to the new conference as well. It's gonna be an adjustment for all of us together. So like just being able to help the team in general be able to win, win as many games as we can and execute.

SPEAKER_03 41:23

Zachariah Branch, USC Trojans wide receiver and return man. Thanks for coming on the official Heisman Trophy Podcast. We wish you and your team the best of luck this weekend against Washington and the best of health for you in the future.

SPEAKER_07 41:35

Appreciate it. Thank you. Bye bye.

SPEAKER_03 41:54

Take an even deeper dive into Heisman lore by going to Heisman.com, home to all things Heisman, including news, bios, and the latest on all the winners, plus updates on the Heisman Trophy Trust and its charitable mission. It's the A-Z for Everything Heisman, from Alan Amici to Danny Worfel. We really need a Heisman winner whose name begins with Z. Our focus on special teams continues in our latest Heisman spotlight, and we're gonna take it back to 1966, the year Steve Spurrier won Florida's first Heisman Trophy, on the strength of his arm, his guile, and his foot. Yep. Before he became the national title-winning old ball coach or the number three pick in the NFL draft, or a Heisman Trophy winner, or a three-year starting quarterback at Florida, Steve Spurrier was a do-it-all kid in high school who could shoot hoops, play baseball, and had a strong enough leg to be the kicker and punter for his high school football team. He soon developed as a quarterback too, winning the starting job as a junior at Johnson City, Tennessee's Science Hill High. But he always maintained that strong leg, and he took it with him to college. And so it came to pass on October 29th, 1966, about 57 years ago to the day, Spurrier, in his third year starting for the Gators, broke a 27-27 tie against Auburn. Not with the touchdown from his right arm, but a 40-yard kick with his right foot that many think clinched the 1966 Heisman Trophy, including Spurrier.

SPEAKER_02 43:13

Yeah, I was fortunate enough to kick that 40-yarder, and we won the game uh 30 to 27. And uh it probably won the Heisman for me, I'll have to admit that.

SPEAKER_03 43:23

If you look up the 2023 Florida Football Media Guide and search Spurrier's name, you'll find no less than 123 mentions in the 242-page publication. He's in many places you would expect coaching records, all American sections, a Heisman retrospective, offensive stat categories, and so on. On page 186, you'll find out that Spurrier is still 10th all time on Florida's career punting chart with 130 career boots, which makes sense since he was a three year starter at Punter who averaged 40.3 yards per kick. But if you scroll two pages earlier to page 184, there's a chart that lists all 10 of the program's game winning field goals, occurring Within the game's final two and a half minutes. And there it is, Spurrier's 40 yarder against Auburn with 212 left on the clock. Now, kicking wasn't something that Spurrier just tolerated. He genuinely enjoyed going out there and working on his craft.

SPEAKER_02 44:13

Oh, I practice uh during the week. Oh, I love to come out, practice early, and you know, either put it on a little T or have a holder and practice some uh before practice started. Uh and I was actually uh the long uh distance field goal kicker. Not many people remembered I kicked uh two the first game of the season against Northwestern, uh, but since we beat Northwestern 43-7, uh there wasn't much written about that.

SPEAKER_03 44:39

Spurrier had quarterbacked the Gators to back-to-back seven-win seasons his first two years as a starter in 1964 and 1965, and played well enough as a sophomore to finish ninth in the Heisman Balloting. Things were clicking for Spurrier as a 1966 senior. The win at Northwestern, spurred by Spurrier's pair of field goals, started a streak of six straight wins to open the season. That included a 22-19 triumph over rival Florida State and a 28-7 win at LSU the week before Auburn.

SPEAKER_02 45:07

Certainly we thought we had a pretty good team, and uh we opened up 7-0, which uh was the best in school history. Uh, Florida team had never won their first seven. So we got a lot of publicity, I guess, this, that, and the other. And uh the seventh game was against Auburn, and we dominated the game statistically, but they ran a kickoff back for a touchdown, and uh one of their guys got a fumble in mid-air. Back in those days, you couldn't pick up a fumble and score, you couldn't advance it. Right. Uh but if you got it in the air and uh you could run with it, and for some reason they used to call it mid-air.

SPEAKER_03 45:44

It was that long fumble return as well as an 89-yard kick return that kept Auburn in the game on a day that they were vastly outgained. As for Spurrier, he found Richard Trapp with an early TD pass to open the game scoring and would finish with 259 yards on 27 of 40 passing. He also had a one-yard fourth quarter scoring plunge that capped a 71-yard drive that nodded the game at 27. Spurrier's leg was lively that day. He had punted five times, averaging 47.4 yards a kick, and it was that lively leg that would secure the win. Florida got the ball back after tying the score, and Spurrier methodically led them down into Tiger Territory with a first down at the 20. Things got a bit hairy from there as Spurrier got nicked for an intentional grounding call that left a third and 19 from the 39-yard line. But he managed a 15-yard completion that pushed the ball to the 24 and into field goal range. But who's? Turns out it was Spurrier's. Wayne Barfield was Florida's normal extra point kicker, but didn't have the leg for longer kicks. Florida called timeout and Spurrier asked head coach Ray Graves if he could take the kick.

SPEAKER_02 46:48

Somebody had to attempt a 40-yard field goal, so I looked at Coach Graves, our head coach. I said, Coach, let me have a shot at it. He said, Okay, go for it.

SPEAKER_03 46:55

You've heard the phrase laces out. That's how kickers prefer the ball to be, to get a truer kick on the ball and a more stable flight pattern. Well, that wasn't the case on this kick.

SPEAKER_02 47:05

Yeah, the faces were dead at me. Uh Larry Rance, our holder, uh, he just put it down there. Uh fortunately, they were not off to either side. They were right at me. So uh I just hit it, I hit it right on the lace somehow, and uh it uh it got there. You don't you don't worry about that. You just you're thing back to your form, all right. Head right there, step step, swing through the ball, and uh Yeah, you don't think about laces or anything like that. You can't sit there and say, Oh, turn the lace a little bit that way or that way. No, you just gotta take your steps and let it let it let it go.

SPEAKER_03 47:39

And let it go he did. Spurrier made perfect contact and sent the football straight through the uprights on a kick that looked like it would have been good from 45 yards out or more. After the game, Coach Graves made the case for Spurrier winning the Heisman, saying, I can't award Steve the Heisman Trophy, but if I could, I'd give him two of them. He's absolutely the greatest clutch athlete I've ever seen. Heisman voting was a couple weeks later, and the play was clearly fresh in voters' minds, and they awarded Spurrier Florida's first Heisman Trophy. As for the football that got him there, it now resides in Spurrier's restaurant in the heart of Gator Country, along with his Heisman, for those that want to make a pilgrimage for Heisman History. The official Heisman Trophy podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted, co-produced, edited, and engineered by Chris Houston. Paul Goldberg is the executive producer and editor. Special shout out to Isaac Lohencron, and big thanks to the Heisman Trophy Trust and its executive director, Rob Whalen, and Associate Director Tim Henning. The official Heisman Trophy podcast can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcast. You can also find clips of our show on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Just go to Heisman Trophy.