Andrew Mevis Begins Smooth Approach, Landing At Iowa State
October 2, 2021 at 5:04 a.m.
Andrew Mevis Begins Smooth Approach, Landing At Iowa State
By Chip Davenport-
Iowa State, a Big XII Conference member, will play most of its games on Fox, but some on ESPN. Kid brother Harrison will likely be on the Southeast Conference Network, or CBS.
Andrew’s parents, however, have been fortunate enough to attend each of his first three games to catch the live action. The Iowa State Cyclones’ graduate transfer placekicker has already clashed with interstate rival Iowa, played in Las Vegas’s state-of-the-art one-year old Allegiant Stadium against UNLV, and traveled to Waco, Texas to launch the Big XII Conference schedule against the Baylor Bears last weekend in a game televised on Fox.
In March 2020 with a global pandemic set in after Andrew’s three full seasons (2017-2019) with the Fordham University Rams in The Bronx, New York, he returned home to shelter in place and complete his undergraduate business degree.
It was a time of consternation and a bumpy ride per se for many current and prospective college athletes, but Mevis’s sharp focus facilitated his efforts to land one more year of eligibility through the graduate transfer program. Ten months after the start of sheltering in place he was back in a familiar environment, in front of full crowds again
The opener was the Cyclones’ biggest rivalry game, and Andrew eventually dove into the groundswell of campus spirit after dipping his toe in the proverbial water.
“It was a rivalry game, but with me I just got here so I had never experienced anything like that before,” he said. “Everybody has an emotional connection, and as it drew closer to gametime I could feel it a little more. The atmosphere was amazing come gametime.”
The Mevii and their parents currently form an equidistant seven-hour driving-distance triangle among themselves, but even at those distances, the friendly football confines of Ames, Iowa feel much more like home after enduring the turbulent experience college athletes experienced nationwide.
Andrew continues to take his current graduate course load online from his off-campus apartment in the manner he finished his final semester at Fordham. He misses the classroom but appreciates the advantages on-line studies have since Big XII Conference football program rigors require greater time conditioning at team facilities.
“I like being in the classroom, but at the same time taking classes online creates a huge advantage for me because I can do it when I want to,” he remarked. “Everything is due at the end of each week. It allows me to adjust my schedule so I can be in the training room as much as I need to be.”
His current schedule starts with a 6:30 a.m. report time to begin recovery treatment before returning to his apartment for daily studies from 8:00 a.m. To 1:00 p.m. Andrew returns to the academic center on campus (via bicycle in warmer climes) for additional academic time, then moves on to practice until 7:00 p.m.
“I’d rather get in there and start early,” he continued, “so I can finish my schoolwork and not worry about academics once afternoon practice begins.”
The Ames, Iowa campus has significantly greater acreage, and although all levels of NCAA football have a weekly practice maximum of 17 hours per week, major college programs require much greater time in conditioning activities.
“We do all the same things,” Andrew said. “But we do more band work to go along with the lifting we did at Fordham. We have red (walk through), yellow, and green days (full go) at Iowa State.”
Ames and The Bronx have numerous lifestyle and population density contrasts, but they share a notable similarity. Each comparative home-field venue is almost equally windy.
Another constant from New York to Iowa is the Cyclone kicker’s ability to eliminate the noise even with significantly larger-sized gameday crowds.
“I’ve noticed how many more people you’re playing before,” the elder Mevis brother continued. “Football is still football. Out on the field I still don’t hear anybody. When I kick off, they told me they shoot a cannon every time, and I don’t even hear it.”
“I play X-box live with some of the (Fordham) guys,” Andrew said regarding continued contact with fellow ram alumni. “I’ve got a handful of guys I talk to still.”
Meanwhile, in Ames, Iowa the 5’11” 199-lb. graduate transfer currently stands at 75% field goal accuracy (6-8) among his first three games including a career and season long 54-yarder he nailed against UNLV. It was his first career field goal over 50 yards. He also hit all five of his extra point attempts this year.
Andrew only needs twelve more credit hours in the spring semester to earn his master’s degree in family financial planning at Iowa State. The job market is promising, but he has his sights set on an even greater level of competition ahead in his eventual first professional endeavor: the NFL.
“I’ll train with as many guys who are available to work out with before the draft. There are usually only a few specialists picked up in the draft. I’m planning for the hard route, which is the undrafted free agent path, and hoping I’ll get picked up.”
Much like the Colquitt brothers who punt on NFL Sundays, seeing the Mevii placekicking on Sundays would be a smooth landing for two brothers who dodged the pandemic speed bumps.
Iowa State, a Big XII Conference member, will play most of its games on Fox, but some on ESPN. Kid brother Harrison will likely be on the Southeast Conference Network, or CBS.
Andrew’s parents, however, have been fortunate enough to attend each of his first three games to catch the live action. The Iowa State Cyclones’ graduate transfer placekicker has already clashed with interstate rival Iowa, played in Las Vegas’s state-of-the-art one-year old Allegiant Stadium against UNLV, and traveled to Waco, Texas to launch the Big XII Conference schedule against the Baylor Bears last weekend in a game televised on Fox.
In March 2020 with a global pandemic set in after Andrew’s three full seasons (2017-2019) with the Fordham University Rams in The Bronx, New York, he returned home to shelter in place and complete his undergraduate business degree.
It was a time of consternation and a bumpy ride per se for many current and prospective college athletes, but Mevis’s sharp focus facilitated his efforts to land one more year of eligibility through the graduate transfer program. Ten months after the start of sheltering in place he was back in a familiar environment, in front of full crowds again
The opener was the Cyclones’ biggest rivalry game, and Andrew eventually dove into the groundswell of campus spirit after dipping his toe in the proverbial water.
“It was a rivalry game, but with me I just got here so I had never experienced anything like that before,” he said. “Everybody has an emotional connection, and as it drew closer to gametime I could feel it a little more. The atmosphere was amazing come gametime.”
The Mevii and their parents currently form an equidistant seven-hour driving-distance triangle among themselves, but even at those distances, the friendly football confines of Ames, Iowa feel much more like home after enduring the turbulent experience college athletes experienced nationwide.
Andrew continues to take his current graduate course load online from his off-campus apartment in the manner he finished his final semester at Fordham. He misses the classroom but appreciates the advantages on-line studies have since Big XII Conference football program rigors require greater time conditioning at team facilities.
“I like being in the classroom, but at the same time taking classes online creates a huge advantage for me because I can do it when I want to,” he remarked. “Everything is due at the end of each week. It allows me to adjust my schedule so I can be in the training room as much as I need to be.”
His current schedule starts with a 6:30 a.m. report time to begin recovery treatment before returning to his apartment for daily studies from 8:00 a.m. To 1:00 p.m. Andrew returns to the academic center on campus (via bicycle in warmer climes) for additional academic time, then moves on to practice until 7:00 p.m.
“I’d rather get in there and start early,” he continued, “so I can finish my schoolwork and not worry about academics once afternoon practice begins.”
The Ames, Iowa campus has significantly greater acreage, and although all levels of NCAA football have a weekly practice maximum of 17 hours per week, major college programs require much greater time in conditioning activities.
“We do all the same things,” Andrew said. “But we do more band work to go along with the lifting we did at Fordham. We have red (walk through), yellow, and green days (full go) at Iowa State.”
Ames and The Bronx have numerous lifestyle and population density contrasts, but they share a notable similarity. Each comparative home-field venue is almost equally windy.
Another constant from New York to Iowa is the Cyclone kicker’s ability to eliminate the noise even with significantly larger-sized gameday crowds.
“I’ve noticed how many more people you’re playing before,” the elder Mevis brother continued. “Football is still football. Out on the field I still don’t hear anybody. When I kick off, they told me they shoot a cannon every time, and I don’t even hear it.”
“I play X-box live with some of the (Fordham) guys,” Andrew said regarding continued contact with fellow ram alumni. “I’ve got a handful of guys I talk to still.”
Meanwhile, in Ames, Iowa the 5’11” 199-lb. graduate transfer currently stands at 75% field goal accuracy (6-8) among his first three games including a career and season long 54-yarder he nailed against UNLV. It was his first career field goal over 50 yards. He also hit all five of his extra point attempts this year.
Andrew only needs twelve more credit hours in the spring semester to earn his master’s degree in family financial planning at Iowa State. The job market is promising, but he has his sights set on an even greater level of competition ahead in his eventual first professional endeavor: the NFL.
“I’ll train with as many guys who are available to work out with before the draft. There are usually only a few specialists picked up in the draft. I’m planning for the hard route, which is the undrafted free agent path, and hoping I’ll get picked up.”
Much like the Colquitt brothers who punt on NFL Sundays, seeing the Mevii placekicking on Sundays would be a smooth landing for two brothers who dodged the pandemic speed bumps.
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