Iowa is well regarded as one of the most potent defensive football programs in the country. Hawkeye football is synonymous with grit, toughness, and 11 players on the defense hustling to the ball.
While everyone knows about Iowa’s strength in the trenches, the secondary still really has not received their due praise. There are multiple defensive backs from Iowa in the NFL, from All-Pros Micah Hyde and Desmond King to newly-drafted New York Giant Dane Belton. Hyde recently called Iowa a cheat code for the NFL.
The secondary is no different for Iowa in 2022. While a ton of attention will be placed on their strong linebacker group, Iowa will once again be led by the secondary, specifically cornerback Riley Moss. A fifth-year senior, Moss is the leader of the defensive backs and is one of the best cornerbacks in the country.
A First-Team All-Big Ten selection last year, Moss was named the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year as the top defensive back in the Big Ten. He also was named a Third-Team All-American by AP. He is on watchlists for multiple awards and looks to maintain his throne as the top defensive back in the Big Ten.
Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Ankeney, IOWA.
Ht: 6-1
Wt: 193
Class in 2022: Senior
247Sports composite ranking
2018 two star / No. 248 cornerback / No. 13 player in Iowa
Career Stats
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2018 | Iowa | Big Ten | FR | DB | 7 | 20 | 4 | 24 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 36 | 18.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| *2019 | Iowa | Big Ten | SO | DB | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | Iowa | Big Ten | JR | DB | 8 | 33 | 10 | 43 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 111 | 55.5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| *2021 | Iowa | Big Ten | SR | DB | 11 | 34 | 5 | 39 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 85 | 21.3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | Iowa | Big Ten | SR | DB | |||||||||||||||
| Career | Iowa | 92 | 19 | 111 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 10 | 239 | 23.9 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
Depth Chart Overview
Moss will of course retain his position as the top cornerback on the Hawkeyes roster. He’s been Iowa’s go to corner for the past two years, and that certainly won’t change in 2022. Going beyond the depth chart, Moss will be the experienced leader of a Hawkeyes defense that brings a mix of seasoned veterans and young potential stars.
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