It was an all-time redemption moment for Drew Stevens on Senior Night.
Playing for his North Augusta High School football team in South Carolina, Stevens could’ve tied the game late with a made field goal on Senior Night. But he missed the kick, the Yellow Jackets lost, and he put the blame on himself.
Four years later with his Senior Night game on the line, he was called upon once again. Two seconds left, score tied 17-17 against Michigan State on Saturday. Stevens sent the kick 44 yards through the uprights, the crowd roared, and his teammates swarmed him.
It was in that postgame celebration when the dreaded high school moment replayed in his mind.
“I’m just very grateful that I got to do it and make it,” Stevens said.
DREW STEVENS WINS IT FOR IOWA ON SENIOR DAY ‼️@HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/xl3IO3Wl9g
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2025
His high school Senior Night loss will be a memory that he never lets go of, and not by choice. However, since joining the Iowa football program he’s compiled four game-winning field goals, one in each year.
A 21-yard field goal with 28 seconds left against Minnesota in 2022; a 53-yard field goal with 14 seconds left to beat Northwestern at Wrigley Field in 2023; another 53-yard field goal against Nebraska as time expired on Senior Night in 2024; and, again, a Senior Night game-winner with triple zeros on the clock against Michigan State, this one being his Senior Night.
“I had 100% belief,” said Iowa safety and senior Xavier Nwampka. “I’ve seen him do it too many times in the clutch, he’s making it every time. He’s been a great kicker for four years for us, and I’m just happy when it’s in the clutch, he can capitalize every time.”
It took a monumental comeback to set up Stevens for the grand opportunity. Down 17-7 halfway through the third quarter, the Hawkeye defense shut up the Spartans through the rest of the game, while the offense’s last two drives of the game ended with a Jacob Gill 13-yard touchdown reception and Stevens’ field goal.
It was Stevens, along with fellow seniors Nwampka, Gill, Mark Gronowski, and Karson Sharar who led the comeback victory.
“This team has been so enjoyable to work with,” said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. “The seniors have done a great job going back to January, and we’re getting leadership from a lot of people. But they’ve done a great job of staying the course, and I think that was clearly evident tonight to the guys.”
It’s moments like Stevens’ crucial miss on his high school Senior Night where resiliency is built, and he had to learn the hard way to pick his head up and move forward. That mindset also stems from his parents, Michelle and Tim Stevens, never letting him quit on anything.
Drew Stevens and his parents after the game winning field goal vs. Michigan State. pic.twitter.com/i1mBzCzJbL
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) November 23, 2025
They always told him that if he messed up, he had to “go make it right.” And on Saturday, Stevens made it right — for his senior teammates, the fans, the coaches, and for himself.
His last ever kick at Kinnick Stadium.
“It’s kind of a storybook ending, a little bit. Everybody who has put in so much work,” Stevens said. “It’s a hard race to run to go from a freshman all the way to your senior year, a lot of guys don’t make it that far. So, I mean, it’s special.”