North Augusta football alum Drew Stevens headed to 2026 Senior Bowl

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From North Augusta to Iowa and now to Mobile, Alabama, Drew Stevens has been on quite a journey. And if all goes well, his next stop afterwards might just be the NFL.

The North Augusta alum and current senior kicker for Iowa’s football team has accepted an invite to the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl. The postseason college football all-star game is more than just a recognition of the top players who are out of college eligibility.

Hundreds of scouts and coaches from all 32 NFL teams will be in attendance during the full week of practices leading up to the game. It essentially is the closest thing to the NFL Combine players may have experienced up to that point. 

For Stevens and other participants, a good performance will increase their chances of hearing their names called during the 2026 NFL Draft. Out of the 257 players drafted in last year’s draft, 106 of them played in the Senior Bowl just a few months prior.

Through Stevens’ senior season so far, he’s made 20 of 26 field goal attempts this year. From 50+ yards away, he’s hit 4 of 6, including a season-long of 58 yards. He also showed that he has the clutch gene with a game-winning field goal from 44 yards to beat Michigan State on Senior Day.

Last year, two kickers were taken in the draft. Andre Borregales out of Miami to the Patriots and Tyler Loop out of Arizona to the Ravens, both in the sixth round. The last Iowa placekicker to be taken was Nate Kaeding who was drafted 65th overall to the Chargers back in 2004. He’d end up playing nine years, making two pro-bowls and an all-pro team in the process.

Kaeding also played in the Senior Bowl. There certainly is a blueprint for success laid out for Stevens, all he has to do is take it in stride and build upon it, creating his own legacy in the process.

The Senior Bowl will kick off Jan. 31, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. central time.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Iowa football kicker Drew Stevens bound for 2026 Senior Bowl

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