On Dec. 13, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) revealed their end-of-season All-American rosters, with three Iowa football stars earning recognition.
Per the announcement, seniors Luke Elkin and Jay Higgins landed on the first-team list. At the same time, junior Kaleb Johnson claimed a spot on the second-team roster.
Jay Higgins
Higgins, the Hawkeyes‘ defensive leader and permanent captain, was also honored as the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten, semifinalist for the Lombardi, Lott IMPACT, and Butkus awards.
Higgins totaled 118 tackles this season, ranking second most in the Big Ten and 13th-most nationally. He also is the only player in the nation with over 100 tackles and four interceptions (tied for the most amongst linebackers from a Power 4 conference).
Luke Elkin
Elkin, who has been Iowa’s long snapper the past four seasons, gives the proper appreciation given his impact on the team during his tenure.
In addition to being named as a second-team all-conference honoree last week, he earned the team’s Next Man In Award (special teams) as a freshman, Hayden Fry Award winner as a sophomore and Coaches Appreciation Award as a junior. During his four seasons with Iowa, Elkin snapped for Rhys Dakin, Drew Stevens, and former Hawkeyes legend Tory Taylor.
Kaleb Johnson
Rounding out the three is Kaleb Johnson, whose historic season earned him honors as a Walter Camp first-team All-American, the Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year winner, first-team All-Big Ten selection, and a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.
On the season, he posted school single-season records in points (138), total touchdowns (23), and rushing scores (21), as well as the third-most rushing yards in program history (1,537).
With Johnson declaring for the NFL draft, he will finish his stellar 35-game career (22 starts) with 30 rushing touchdowns and 2,779 yards on 508 rushing attempts for an average of 5.5 yards per carry and 79.4 yards per game. Johnson also recorded 29 receptions for 240 yards and two scores during his tenure.
Iowa (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) will play in the Dec. 30 TransPerfect Music City Bowl vs. No. 19 Missouri (9-3, 5-3 SEC) from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., at 1:30 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on ESPN and available on the Hawkeyes Radio Network.