After a historic season defensively, Iowa has some retooling to take care of. In all, the Hawkeyes are replacing five defensive starters from a unit that ranked second nationally in both scoring and total defense. The Hawkeyes surrendered just 13.3 points and 270.8 yards per game.
Iowa says goodbye to Butkus Award-winning linebacker Jack Campbell and his highly-productive running mate Seth Benson. Cornerback Riley Moss and safety Kaevon Merriweather vacate the secondary and the Hawks lose one starting defensive lineman, John Waggoner. Defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness also left early for the 2023 NFL draft where he’s expected to be a first-round selection.
Collectively, that’s some serious experience, production and NFL star power that Iowa is replacing. The good news for Hawkeye fans is that they’re bringing plenty of it back, too.
Cornerback Cooper DeJean was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the league’s media after a single-season record of three pick-sixes. Several other returnees garnered recognition as well.
Remember, defensive end Joe Evans opted to return to Iowa City. The 6-foot-2, 246 pound defensive end was a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the league’s media. Defensive tackle Noah Shannon made the decision to return as well. He joins Logan Lee as returnees that collected honorable mention status from the league’s coaches and media.
As you peruse this initial spring defensive two-deep, keep in mind that Virginia transfer linebacker Nick Jackson will be joining come this summer. Without further ado, the first look at Iowa’s two-deep defensive depth chart.