‘He totally revamped the position.’ Get to know Bears rookie Tory Taylor.
Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus found himself drawn into the show his rookie was performing at a June minicamp practice at Halas Hall.
Fourth-round pick Tory Taylor, the punter who became a fan favorite at Iowa, turned the special teams period into a must-watch event with his ball placement.
“He’s like a trick-shot guy,” Eberflus said. “It’s like, ‘Wow.’ … He had a couple on the 1(-yard line) of course, but the spin he could put on it, really amazing. So it’s fun to watch.”
Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods watched those talents for four years after recruiting Taylor out of Australia, and he has many stories about the development of a player Bears general manager Ryan Poles called one of the best punters he ever has seen.
Woods spoke with the Chicago Tribune about Taylor’s transition to American football, some of his most impressive feats and the fanfare he created in Iowa City.
How did you first become aware of Tory in the recruiting process?
Through his group that he works with, his coaches — Johnny Smith and Nathan Chapman — from Prokick Australia. They had reached out about him. We made contact and had a chance to connect via FaceTime, so that was my first introduction to Tory.
