Tag: Hawkeyes Football

Iowa Hawkeyes’ transfer TE Steven Stilianos could add an offensive wrinkle

The Iowa Hawkeyes top transfer this offseason from the FCS ranks could add an offensive wrinkle at an unexpected position.

The Iowa Hawkeyes remained quiet in the transfer portal for the most part aside from one offensive addition. That addition is at the tight end position in the form of Steven Stilianos who comes over from Lafeyette and the FCS ranks where he played his previous four seasons.

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli took a look at all of the top Big Ten transfers and ranked Stilianos Iowa’s top transfer for the upcoming 2022 season. Obviously, he sort of had to as he is the only transfer joining the Hawkeyes.

Iowa — TE Steven Stilianos: It didn’t take much time to figure out the best transfer in Iowa’s class because Stilianos is the only one. The Lafayette transfer is seen as more of a blocking tight end but might impact the passing attack. – Fornelli, CBS Sports.

Stilianos committed to the Hawkeyes in February of this year. He chose Iowa over a handful of other offers such as Pittsburgh, Virginia, Syracuse, Temple, and Rutgers.

While Fornelli views him as a blocking tight end—and it certainly makes sense why as Stilianos is 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds—he does add value to the passing game. While at Lafeyette, he racked up 65 receptions for 534 yards and five touchdowns. His ability to perform in the passing game is evident.

Stilianos joins a tight end room that includes Hawkeyes leading pass catcher Sam LaPorta and redshirt sophomore Luke Lachey. There are also two incoming freshman tight ends in the 2022 recruiting class, Addison Ostrenga and Cael Vanderbush.

The Hawkeyes were relatively quiet in the transfer portal as they often have most of their talent homegrown. Going out and adding Stilianos could be signs of mixing his size into the scheme with play-action passes and throwing the ball out of run-heavy formations to go against their tendencies.

As Iowa begins summer camp and preseason, it might be worth keeping an eye on not only how many reps Stilianos receives, but also what his utilization looks like. The Iowa Hawkeyes have built up a reputation for churning out top tight ends and have more than the benefit of the doubt to think they will be right once again.

[listicle id=4423]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Iowa Hawkeyes snapshot profile: No. 44 Seth Benson

Seth Benson brings some serious production back to Iowa heading into 2022. He racked up 105 total tackles in 2021 for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker and assistant defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Seth Wallace have to just be ecstatic to return what they do at the linebacker spots entering 2022.

One of the returning stars is redshirt senior linebacker Seth Benson. The 6-foot, 229 pound linebacker from Sioux Falls, S.D., may have been overshadowed at times by what his counterpart Jack Campbell accomplished in 2021, but his returning production and experience is vital for the Hawkeyes’ defense.

Benson racked up 105 total tackles, eight quarterback hurries, 5.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, two sacks and one interception during the 2021 campaign. His interception was one of three that the Hawkeyes forced against Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy in Iowa’s 27-17 win over the Cyclones. That interception set up a Caleb Shudak field goal that staked the Hawkeyes to a two-score lead.

Benson’s career high in tackles came against Northwestern during the 2020 season when he tallied 13 stops. He had a pair of 10-tackle games last season with his most recent such effort coming against the Purdue Boilermakers on Oct. 16, 2021. Benson also had eight assisted tackles in the Hawkeyes’ come-from-behind win over Nebraska on Nov. 26.

His ability to rush the passer from the linebacker position was part of what helped Iowa finish as the No. 13 scoring defense, surrendering just 19.2 points per game in 2021. Benson finished with a pair of quarterback hurries in Iowa’s 23-20 win over Penn State last year and he had a pair of pass breakups in the Hawkeyes’ 33-23 victory over Illinois on Nov. 20, 2021.

Playing alongside the national leader in tackles from the 2021 season in fellow Iowa linebacker Campbell, Benson is primed to shine once more in 2022. Let’s take a look at his snapshot profile entering the 2022 season.

Preseason player profile

Hometown: Sioux Falls, S.D.

Ht: 6-0

Wt: 229

Class in 2022: Redshirt senior

247Sports composite ranking

2018 two-star / No. 100 inside linebacker / No. 2 player from South Dakota

Career stats

Defense & Fumbles Table
Tackles Def Int Fumbles
Year School Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk Int Yds Avg TD PD FR Yds TD FF
*2019 Iowa Big Ten FR LB 7 6 5 11 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 Iowa Big Ten SO LB 7 26 21 47 3.0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
*2021 Iowa Big Ten JR LB 14 54 51 105 5.5 2.0 1 6 6.0 0 3 0 0
Career Iowa 86 77 163 8.5 4.0 1 6 6.0 0 3 0 0
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 6/10/2022.

Depth chart overview

Benson is another one of Iowa’s great developmental success stories. After arriving as an unheralded two-star signee in the 2018 class, Benson has now started in 21 consecutive games.

Benson is entrenched atop the defensive depth chart as Iowa’s starting weak side linebacker opposite Campbell. Make no mistake. His presence is a huge part of the reason many view Iowa’s linebackers as one of the nation’s best units in all of college football.

[vertical-gallery id=4426]

Full snapshot profile series

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JoshOnREF

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Best photos of Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Seth Benson entering the 2022 college football season

Seth Benson registered triple-digit tackles in 2021. Here’s a look at his Iowa Hawkeyes career so far through these stunning still images.

Iowa has a pair of returning stars at linebacker entering the 2022 college football season. While senior Jack Campbell has seen his fair share of accolades and deservingly so, his running mate flies a bit under the radar.

That’s a crazy thing to say about a player that registered triple-digit tackles in his own right during the 2021 season, but it’s the case for redshirt senior Seth Benson. The 6-foot, 229 pound linebacker out of Sioux Falls, S.D., can flat out play.

Benson tallied 105 total tackles last season, eight quarterback hurries, 5.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, two sacks and one interception during the 2021 campaign. His interception against Iowa State during Iowa’s 27-17 triumph helped the Hawkeyes run their winning streak over the Cyclones to six straight.

Naturally, he’s had his fair share of highlight-worthy moments. Take a look back at his Hawkeye career thus far through these stunning still photos.

A look at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 2023 visitors this weekend

Who all is visiting Iowa this weekend and what type of a chance do the Hawkeyes have with each?

As the countdown continues to the start of Iowa’s 2022 football season, that also means the Hawkeyes are beginning to zero in on the early December signing period for the 2023 class.

Iowa’s 2023 class already looks like a good one, but, of course, the Hawkeyes would love to continue adding pieces to it as the summer rolls along. According to Rivals and 247Sports, the Hawkeyes’ 10 commits comprise the nation’s No. 16 class.

Iowa’s 2023 class is currently regarded as the fifth-best Big Ten class by both Rivals and 247Sports as well. Meanwhile, On3 rates the Hawkeyes’ 2023 class thus far as the country’s No. 31 class and as the sixth-best in the Big Ten.

Who all is visiting Iowa this weekend and where do the Hawkeyes stand with each? Let’s take a look below.

College Football News pegs Iowa Hawkeyes as Nebraska Cornhuskers’ key game in 2022

Nebraska has not been able to solve Iowa since 2014. In a make-or-break year for Scott Frost, the season closer in Iowa City is a key game.

November 26 will be a date marked down for Cornhuskers fans as one of the biggest matchups of the year. Since 2014, Nebraska has not been able to solve their Iowa problem. Two coaching regimes have been unable to get in the win column against the Hawkeyes.

It is a very symbolic loss for a program that has struggled in recent years to get over the middle tier hump in the Big Ten.

Recently, in Pete Fiutak’s breakdown of the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ 2022 season for College Football News, he listed the regular season closer in Iowa City as the key game.

You want to see the cliché of Lucy pulling the football in action? That’s what Iowa has done to Nebraska over the last four years in the Scott Frost era, and it’s been even worse than that.

There have been late heroics, a few meltdowns, blowouts, and overall, lots of pain over a seven-game losing streak. If nothing else, winning in Iowa City for the first time since 2014 would be very, very cathartic.

The schedule is light enough that Nebraska really and truly should have bowl eligibility locked up before the finishing kick of the season – at least, it had better. Now it has to finally get past this Iowa problem. – Fiutak, College Football News.

Fiutak has a good amount of optimism for a team that hasn’t made it over .500 since 2016 in what will surely be a prove-it year for Nebraska head football coach Scott Frost and the entire program. Last year, Nebraska came so close to breaking the streak, amassing a 21-6 lead, but eventually allowed 22 unanswered points to yet again fall to the Hawkeyes.

Nebraska’s 3-9 record last year wasn’t pretty, but if a few plays went differently they could’ve finished with a respectable record. Their biggest margin of defeat came against Ohio State.

The Cornhuskers took both Michigan and Michigan State to the brink of upset, both contests against the two Great Lake State teams within three points. Fans hope that Texas transfer quarterback Casey Thompson can elevate Frost’s squad in a way that new Kansas State Wildcat Adrian Martinez wasn’t able to.

It could wind up as a very important game for the Iowa Hawkeyes, too. Depending on how the three weeks prior play out, there’s the realistic possibility it could be for a return berth into the Big Ten championship game. Iowa travels to Purdue on Nov. 5, hosts Wisconsin on Nov. 12 and travels to Minnesota on Nov. 19 before its closing date in Iowa City against the Huskers.

Hawkeye fans will be hoping that seven-game winning streak against the Huskers is a harbinger of more good things to come against Nebraska.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fvdcxf97xrgg1awc player_id=none image=https://hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=4057]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Jacob on Twitter: @Jacobkeppen

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Riley Moss named Pro Football Focus’ best coverage cornerback over last two seasons

Iowa’s Riley Moss is the only cornerback in the country to be given 75-plus grades per Pro Football Focus the last two seasons.

Riley Moss finds himself at the top of the mountain. That mountain is Pro Football Focus’ coverage grades over the last two seasons. He is the only cornerback in the entire nation to achieve 75-plus coverage grades over both of the last two years.

The fifth-year returning All-American joins a defense that was the best in the country in 2021 with 25 interceptions and was unbelievably stout against the pass. Moss was an anchor on the back end with four interceptions of his own last year, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

Moss can be expected to be a staple for the Hawkeyes this season as he plays alongside other returning comrades such as Jack Campbell and Lukas Van Ness as they look to be a strong unit once again.

Joining Moss in the back end will be Cooper DeJean and Terry Roberts at cornerbacks. The safeties will be Kaevon Merrriweather, Quinn Schulte, and freshman Xavier Nwankpa. Nwankpa was recently listed as one of the nation’s top freshmen.

Moss will look to build on last year with another great year for the Hawkeyes. If things go as planned, and even expected, Riley Moss could be the next Iowa Hawkeye to make the jump to the NFL as proven by other defensive backs.

For his career, Moss has appeared in 41 games, logged 27 starts, racked up 111 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 25 passes defensed, 10 interceptions and scored three touchdowns.

[listicle id=4119]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Iowa Hawkeyes freshman Aaron Graves named MaxPreps National Athlete of the Year

Iowa Hawkeyes freshman Aaron Graves has been named the MaxPreps National Athlete of the Year.

Iowa Hawkeyes freshman and member of the 2022 signing class Aaron Graves has been named MaxPreps National Athlete of the Year. The award is quite the recognition for the incoming Hawkeye defensive lineman as he prepares to join his new team in Iowa City.

 

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fvdcxf97xrgg1awc player_id=none image=https://hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=3747]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Iowa Hawkeyes at No. 3 in Athlon Sports’ Big Ten West prediction

The Iowa Hawkeyes find themselves at No. 3 in Athlon Sports’ Big Ten West predictions even though they are reigning Big Ten West champs.

The Iowa Hawkeyes come in at No. 3 in the most recent Big Ten West football predictions from Athlon Sports. Although reigning champs of the Big Ten West, there seems to be some belief that the Hawkeyes are going to take a step backwards even though that is something they have rarely done with Kirk Ferentz at the helm.

The usual suspects are the cause of this dip in the prediction. The defense is expected to be reloaded, not rebuilt, with hard-nosed talent that will stonewall opposing offenses. Athlon Sports once again begs the question if the Iowa offense can find some more success than they saw in the 2021 season where they struggled in multiple areas.

A repeat of last year’s Big Ten West Division title will hinge on one thing for Iowa: Offensive improvement. In conference games last season, the Hawkeyes averaged only 4.5 yards per play and 23 points a game. Also, this unit struggled to generate big plays and ranked near the bottom of the league in third-down and red-zone offense. Adding to the challenges of generating improvement is the departure of running back Tyler Goodson and standout center Tyler Linderbaum, along with an ongoing quarterback battle between Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla. – Steven Lassan, Athlon Sports.

How much better the Iowa offense can be is the question everyone has been asking throughout this offseason. As Lassan noted, sorting out the Hawkeyes’ quarterback competition is priority No. 1 for Iowa.

There’s a hope that Petras can and will be a much-improved version of himself in 2022 if he wins the job. Petras’ quarterback trainer, Tony Racioppi, praised the 6-foot-5, 233 pound redshirt senior’s improvement with 247Sports recently.

“He’s the best he’s looked. He’s worked hard on his body, worked hard on his body fat, and he’s moving as quickly as he’s ever moved. Again, not that he’s ever going to be a dual-threat quarterback, but he’s going to have to get away from trouble, move quickly, get his feet set, and make a throw. He’s worked on that. I think he’s lost a good seven or eight pounds,” Racioppi told 247Sports.

“Mechanically, he’s worked on all of the stuff we did last year. He’s made some strides. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much we talk about this stuff, he has to play better on Saturdays. He knows that. At the end of the day, he’s going to be judged on how many games they won, his completion percentage, and his touchdown passes. That is the reality of playing quarterback.”

While Lassan pointed out the losses of both Goodson and Linderbaum, it doesn’t seem like his hang up with Iowa is necessarily due to lack of skill talent. However, he does want to see progression up front along the offensive line for the Hawkeyes.

Gavin Williams and Leshon Williams should be a capable one-two punch on the ground, and there are capable options in the receiving corps, including tight end Sam LaPorta and receivers Nico Ragaini and Keagan Johnson. Even with Linderbaum leading the way last season, Iowa’s line was not a strength in ’21 and needs to play a lot better this fall. – Lassan, Athlon Sports.

As has typified most of the offseason analysis of Iowa, Lassan is confident with what the Hawkeyes bring back defensively. Linebacker Jack Campbell led the nation with 143 total tackles last season and he anchors a defense that will have to plug in several new starters, particularly in the secondary where the Hawkeyes are replacing Dane Belton, Matt Hankins and Jack Koerner.

Despite a few departures, the Hawkeyes should have one of the top defenses in college football. Jack Campbell and Seth Benson lead a strong linebacker unit, while Riley Moss is one of the top cornerbacks returning in college football. Logan Lee, Noah Shannon and Lukas Van Ness are back to anchor one of the Big Ten’s top defensive lines. – Lassan, Athlon Sports.

There’s a couple other items that has Lassan looking a different direction at the top of the Big Ten West, too. The first is the reality that it’s asking a lot for the Hawkeyes to match their turnovers forced output from a season ago. Iowa led the nation with 25 interceptions and, again, that’s a spot where the Hawkeyes will be breaking in some fresh faces.

Beyond that, it’s the additions of Michigan and Ohio State to Iowa’s 2022 slate of games and the locations of several of the others.

Forcing 31 turnovers again is a tough ask for this defense, adding to the urgency of finding improvement on offense in preseason practices this fall. Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska come to Iowa City next year, but coach Kirk Ferentz’s squad gets Ohio State, Purdue and Minnesota away from home. – Lassan, Athlon Sports.

Ahead of Iowa at No. 1 is the Wisconsin Badgers and the Purdue Boilermakers are at No. 2. In all reality, the top three in the West could conceivably shake out in any order and it would not be a surprise to anyone.

Dropping Iowa below the two teams it beat out for the Big Ten West title last season is a little bit of disrespect, but also some bulletin board material to hang up in the locker room in Iowa City as they begin their preparation for the 2022 season.

[listicle id=3878]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Spencer Petras’ quarterback trainer sees improvement from Iowa Hawkeyes’ signal-caller

Spencer Petras’ quarterback trainer, Tony Racioppi, sounded off on some of the improvements Iowa’s signal-caller has made with 247Sports.

The biggest “X-Factor” for the Iowa Hawkeyes every year is the quarterback.

While the faces and names may change year after year, most of how Iowa is built stays constant. Consistently, Iowa touts strong offensive and defensive lines to pair with a potent rushing attack and grind-it-out mentality. Kirk Ferentz’s teams typically have a high floor as a result, but the ceiling really depends on how far the man with the ball in his hands takes them.

It is no different for Iowa this year. Last year the defense was as stout as can be, but an offense that averaged only 23.4 points per game is only going to take you so far. Quarterback play limited the Hawkeyes’ offense, and if they want to make it back to the Big Ten championship game, Petras needs to take another step forward.

Luckily for Iowa fans, Petras appears to be making some improvements over the summer if a recent interview 247Sports’ HawkeyesInsider did with his quarterback trainer Tony Racioppi is to be believed.

“He’s the best he’s looked. He’s worked hard on his body, worked hard on his body fat, and he’s moving as quickly as he’s ever moved. Again, not that he’s ever going to be a dual-threat quarterback, but he’s going to have to get away from trouble, move quickly, get his feet set, and make a throw. He’s worked on that. I think he’s lost a good seven or eight pounds,” Racioppi told 247Sports.

“Mechanically, he’s worked on all of the stuff we did last year. He’s made some strides. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how much we talk about this stuff, he has to play better on Saturdays. He knows that. At the end of the day, he’s going to be judged on how many games they won, his completion percentage, and his touchdown passes. That is the reality of playing quarterback.”

Most Hawkeye fans will recognize the New Jersey trainer for work he’s done with former Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley, as well as Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett.

Racioppi recognized some of the flaws Petras made last year, and spoke on how he can help maximize the senior’s game in 2022.

“Fundamentally, he missed some throws last year that he shouldn’t have missed,” Racioppi told 247Sports on Monday of Petras. “Sometimes that was a mechanical thing. He needed to be more athletic. He’s not a bad athlete. He was just heavy. The way college football is played nowadays, if one and two are covered, you’re going to have to buy some time and find three or four, or if things break down, get out of there and extend plays. He’s never going to a ball 70-yards to the house, but if he can extend plays and pop somebody open down the field, they’re going to be that much more dynamic on offense.”

Much of his work over the summer has been tinkering with the little things. There can be flashes of potential in Petras’ game, but some minor problems snowball into major ones. Racioppi sees progress and potential in Petras after a strong spring.

“I think he had a great spring,” Racioppi said. “I think people look into the last scrimmage they had, but outside of that, he had a fantastic spring, and it’s closed practices. He was elite in spring, so I think those guys saw strides and saw him take the bull by the horns. Go win the job and go improve on what they did last year.”

As Racioppi noted, all of this with Petras hinges on him winning the job over Alex Padilla and Joe Labas first. If that winds up being the case and Petras has indeed refined his game and made significant improvements, then Iowa should be right back in the thick of the Big Ten West race. Perhaps the Hawkeyes could even close ground on the two perceived heavyweights in the conference, Ohio State and Michigan.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fvdcxf97xrgg1awc player_id=none image=https://hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=4057]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Jacob on Twitter: @Jacobkeppen

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Iowa Hawkeyes snapshot profile: No. 31 Jack Campbell

Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell led the nation in tackles with 143 last season. How can he replicate or surpass that production in 2022?

Surpassing his 2021 season might mean a first-round selection in the 2023 NFL draft for Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell. The 6-foot-5, 243 pound linebacker out of Cedar Falls High School led the nation with 143 total tackles last season.

His 10.2 tackles per game ranked 10th nationally, trailing only Northwestern’s Chris Bergin and Wisconsin’s Leo Chenal’s 11.8 and 10.4 tackles per game, respectively.

Bergin earned an invite to the Chicago Bears’ rookie minicamp and Chenal was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. Chenal just inked his rookie deal with K.C.

That means Campbell is both the leading returning tackler nationally and the leading returning tackler per game in the Big Ten. After a season that ended with Campbell picking up first-team All-Big Ten honors by the Big Ten’s media and coaches, the expectations are sky high heading into 2022. Campbell was also one of 16 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top linebacker.

Naturally, Campbell has enjoyed his fair share of praise throughout the offseason. ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren selected Campbell as his choice for the defensive player not named Will Anderson Jr. that would have the biggest impact on the 2022 college football season back in March.

Meanwhile, 247Sports touted Campbell as one of its top 2023 NFL draft stock risers. Pro Football Focus acknowledged Campbell as the top Power Five run stopper and he was named alongside teammate Riley Moss as one of two Hawkeyes on the Lott IMPACT Trophy watchlist. That pair was also selected as first-team All-Big Ten choices by Athlon Sports.

Following a season that put Campbell on the national radar, let’s take a look back at his Iowa career thus far and examine what’s ahead for the star linebacker in 2022.

Preseason player profile

Hometown: Cedar Falls, Iowa

Ht: 6-5

Wt: 243

Class in 2022: Senior

247Sports composite ranking

2019 three-star / No. 44 outside linebacker / No. 4 player from Iowa

Career stats

Defense & Fumbles Table
Tackles Def Int Fumbles
Year School Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk Int Yds Avg TD PD FR Yds TD FF
*2019 Iowa Big Ten FR LB 2 2 3 5 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  2020 Iowa Big Ten SO LB 5 21 8 29 3.5 1.0 1 0 0.0 0 3 0 1
*2021 Iowa Big Ten JR LB 14 57 83 140 3.5 1.0 2 33 16.5 1 6 2 1 1
Career Overall 80 94 174 7.0 2.0 3 33 11.0 1 9 2 1 2
Iowa 80 94 174 7.0 2.0 3 33 11.0 1 9 2 1 2
Cincinnati
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 6/7/2022.

Depth chart overview

As one of the top linebackers nationally and a player that has been earmarked as a potential 2023 NFL draft stock riser, it goes without saying that Campbell’s starting status isn’t in question.

The in-state linebacker was once again listed atop the depth chart at the Hawkeyes’ middle linebacker slot to begin the spring and that won’t change between now and Iowa’s season opener versus South Dakota State. How much better can Campbell be than the 143 tackles he delivered in 2021?

Probably not much. And if he leads the nation in total tackles once more, that will be an amazing feat considering the type of attention he will merit from opposing offensive lines. Campbell had a pair of interceptions last season, too. One area Campbell could improve is in the tackles for loss and sacks department. He finished the 2021 season with 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

[vertical-gallery id=4327]

Full snapshot profile series

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JoshOnREF

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.