A big opportunity presented itself for Simpson College sophomore and All-American punter Tanner Philpott, as he announced his transfer to the University of Iowa. The Waukee native grew up as a Hawkeyes fan and is now living his dream of playing football for his favorite team.
In his freshman year at Simpson, Philpott appeared in all 10 games and totaled 50 punts for 1,874 yards with an average of 37.5 yards per punt.
Philpott wanted more from his career and knew he could improve his game by setting a list of goals to check off throughout his time as an athlete.
“Everyone has that big goal in mind that they want to reach someday. But in my eyes to reach that goal you must set smaller goals to reach that,” Philpott said.
Philpott’s goals for the 2025 season were to average at least 42 yards a punt, land three or more punts inside of the 20-yard line and average 150 yards per game.
He also mentioned how he took his game to the next level compared to his previous season. He explained how he extensively worked with his kicking coach from Kohl’s Kicking Camp, which Philpott regularly attended.
It is important to Philpott to be a leader on the team and stepping into such a role changed his perspective on being both a good football player and a good person.
“Being a leader for the team in my eyes just meant pushing my teammates to do the best and their hardest to build each other up, because a leader is only as strong as their team,” Philpott said.
Not only did Philpott work hard on the field, but he also worked with a non-profit organization called Every Kick Counts, which helps prevent stillbirth deaths. Philpott explained how his campaign this year was his best yet.
“I raised 2,250 dollars and had 77 points this season off punting. This is an incredible opportunity that I was blessed to be a part of for the past few years,” Philpott said.
His hard work paid off as he put up an amazing performance in the 2025 season. Philpott totaled 40 punts for 1,757 yards while averaging 43.9 yards a punt. He cleared his goals while also totaling 16 punts inside the 20-yard line. He finished the season ranked first in punting average and punts inside the 20-yard line out of the entire American Rivers Conference.
Simpson’s head football coach, Reed Hoskins, spoke on Philpott’s new opportunity.
“I think that Tanner’s work ethic, certainly his given ability, the type of person he is and how outgoing he is fit well in this community. We will certainly miss him, but I’m excited for Tanner and for him to challenge himself moving forward” Hoskins said
Philpott is grateful for his time at Simpson, and he appreciates his coaches, teammates, friends and family for believing in him and helping him reach his goals of becoming a Division I punter.
“Having my standards set high and my coaches and teammates holding me accountable was the biggest thing through everything. I want to thank Simpson for the opportunity, and I will be forever grateful for this experience,” Philpott said.
