Perkins looks to future after record ISU career

The bubble effect was real. For the better part of four years, Iowa State University punter Tyler Perkins was in his own social bubble with the Cyclones. Despite having one of the more popular head coaches when it came to rumors of bigger jobs, Matt Campbell, the 2022 St. Paul graduate, never had to worry about his coach leaving. The team also didn't have a ton of turnover on the coaching staff, and the transfer portal never caused a major ripple within the program. Then, in a matter of 48 hours, everything changed just before his career ended. Two days before expecting to confirm a bowl game destination, Campbell was hired away as the new head coach at Penn State University. The fallout was massive, as the Cyclones (8-4) then opted out of participating in a bowl game. Without knowing it at the time, Perkins and his senior classmates had played their final game for the Cyclones in a 20-13 win at Oklahoma State on Nov. 29. "That Thursday night (Dec. 4) beforehand, it was the first time we heard about Coach Campbell maybe leaving," Perkins said. "But our first thought was, this happens every year; he'll stay here like always. But then, as it went along, it started to feel more real this time." On Dec. 5, word started to trickle out that the move was close. Perkins and his teammates then received word of a team meeting with Campbell at 7 p.m. that night. The head coach, who played with 1998 St. Paul grad Dan Pugh at Mount Union, informed the team in a 15-minute meeting that he was headed to State College, Pa. By the time bowl selection day arrived on Dec. 7, the ramifications of Campbell leaving became clear. The majority of the assistant coaches were going with him to Penn State, but so, too, were several members of the strength and nutrition staff. Between the lack of coaches, injuries, and potential players opting out of the bowl game, the decision was made for Iowa State not to head to the Rate Bowl in Phoenix. "I played my last game and didn't know it," Perkins said. "It was definitely sad. We talked and met Sunday morning and voted to play, but the more the day went on, it just wasn't feasible. "We didn't have a strength staff along with everyone else who left. We would have had graduate assistants coaching the bowl game. I didn't see it ending that way, but we can't take away what we did over the last four years, and I'm happy for Coach Campbell and his family." While tough to swallow, the sudden end to his career, Perkins said, also motivated him to speed up his next timeline of his punting career. He graduated with a degree in accounting on Dec. 20. "It motivated me more to make it to the next level and start training even sooner with NFL footballs, which are very different from college footballs," Perkins said. Looking back Perkins finished his final season for the Cyclones the way he started it, with model consistency. He punted 42 times for a 42.4-yard average, with a season-best of 65 yards. Seven of those punts were downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line, and only four were returned. Opponents accumulated just 13 return yards against Perkins, which was the ninth-fewest nationally. Those numbers earned Perkins a selection as one of 10 semifinalists out of 92 nominated punters for the prestigious Ray Guy Award as well as Big 12 honorable mention. On Senior Day, the Cyclones defeated Kansas, 38-14, in a Big 12 game on Nov. 22 at Jack Trice Stadium in front of a crowd of 58,275. Along with parents Pete and Jennifer, Perkins welcomed his head coach at St. Paul, John Livengood, and longtime assistant coach, Tom Baker, on the field for pre-game senior recognition. He was introduced as the all-time punting average leader in program history (43.3 yards per kick). "I knew those two were coming to the game, and I could have four people on the field, so I thought it would be cool to have them down there," Perkins said of his high school coaches. I told myself I wasn't going to get emotional, but then with the way they announced it, it hit me that, 'wow, that really did happen.' "It kind of hit me in that moment. And right before that, Coach Campbell gave me a brief talk before I ran out there. One of the things he told me was, 'We talk about leaving your legacy. You sure did.'" As a freshman, Perkins punted 50 times with a 42.2-yard average. As a sophomore, he kicked 61 times for a 44.3-yard average, then 37 times for 44.4 yards as a junior in 2024. In four years, Perkins played in the Cy-Hawk rivalry game with Iowa; played at Texas against the Longhorns; at Oklahoma against the Sooners; faced Arizona State in a Big 12 conference title game; and was part of a thrilling 42-41 win over Miami in the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla. He and his teammates also faced Kansas State this past season in Dublin, Ireland, and Perkins got to punt three times in his home state: twice in Cincinnati and once against Ohio in Athens. ISU went 30-21 in his career at the school. "I was blessed for it all and showed up in Ames as a nervous kid from Norwalk and St. Paul to that level of competition," Perkins said. "I wouldn't trade it for anything. This past year, I took everything serious about it being my 'last' everything. "I was on a really strict diet and was able to flip 11 pounds of fat for 11 pounds of muscle. I'm proud of how I handled that, and I think the results showed on the field, too." Up next After graduation, Perkins returned to Norwalk to train for a few weeks. He will return to Ames before the end of the month to work with a personal trainer in Ames. Iowa State's pro day for prospective NFL draft candidates is set for March 24. Last year, Perkins got to do a test run when he punted for teammate Jaylin Noel, a third-round pick as a receiver by the Houston Texans, at his pro day. He was able to talk to a few NFL scouts and coaches that day and is now ready for his shot at trying to secure a pro contract. "Last year, it was actually one of the better punting days I've had during Jaylin's pro day," Perkins said. "But you can't focus on it solely. I'm more focused on getting stronger and eating right. I punt once or twice a week, but being here, it's hard to get outside. "But I will also use that to my advantage, because the majority of the punters in this year's draft are SEC guys who punt when it's 75 degrees and sunny every game. The weather in Iowa gets tough, and I'm happy how I handled that, too." Perkins also has an internship in the spring at an accounting firm in Ames, where he will help with tax returns. The former All-Ohio first-team punter is aware most specialists sign as undrafted free agents with NFL teams. Just one punter was drafted in 2025. "It would be incredible to say I put on an NFL helmet," he said. "I didn't honestly know it would be football for me until Matt Campbell called and offered me a full scholarship. That's when I knew this was real. But I've accomplished every goal I set out to do. "I just want to keep going. Hopefully it's the NFL in some form, but I can also be an accountant, and that's cool, too." Among his charitable efforts, Perkins also pledged and raised more than $10,000 this past season for the Food Bank of Iowa. He credited the Norwalk and St. Paul communities as big drivers of his success, but especially his parents. "They went to every single game, home or away," he said. "I didn't ask them to do that, and it's crazy to me. God bless them for that, because I started all 51 games of my career, and they were there for every one. "They don't get enough credit for what they do, and the same goes for the community support I've been given."