The recognition for Jay Higgins has been gaining steam ever since the moment he decided to forego the NFL draft and return to the Iowa Hawkeyes for one more season.
The linebacker is a tackling machine and provides an experienced, solidifying force in the middle of one of the nation’s top defenses. He takes on blocks, makes tackles, defends in the passing game, and does it all.
His work last year and the expectations ahead of this season have landed Jay Higgins as a selection on the Walter Camp Preseason First-Team All-American team.
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β Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) July 1, 2024
The 2023 season saw Jay Higgins named a First-Team All-American by FWAA, Phil Steele, and Sports Illustrated. The AP, Walter Camp, and Sporting News awarded Higgins as a Second-Team All-American.
He was a Butkus Award semifinalist and Iowa’s Roy Carver Award winner, which goes to the most valuable player on defense.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Higgins has received the First-Team All-American nod from Althon and Phil Steele as well.
Higgins, a product out of Brebeuf Jesuit Prep in Indianapolis, Indiana burst onto the scene last year with monster production. He tallied 171 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, and five pass breakups.
In his career, Higgins has played in 45 games and racked up a whopping 217 tackles. With another year of production like he has shown, Higgins is set to stake his claim among some of the best Iowa linebackers to wear the yellow and black.
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