Tag: Jay Higgins

10 players for Packers fans to monitor on West roster during Shrine Bowl week

Ten players from the West roster to watch during the East-West Shrine Bowl week.

The East-West Shrine Bowl practices start on Saturday with the game scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 30th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Zach Tom, Edgerrin Cooper, Jon Runayn Jr, Samori Toure, Ka’Dar Hollman, James Looney and Hunter Bradley are all draft picks who played in the Shrine Bowl that Brian Gutekunst has selected.

Let’s take a look at 10 players from the West roster who could be potential targets for the Green Bay Packers during the 2025 NFL Draft.

Zy Alexander, CB, LSU

The LSU cornerback is a well-put-together cornerback with the fluidity to mirror and match. He uses his length to disrupt the catch point. Over the past two seasons, Alexander recorded four interceptions and 11 pass deflections.

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Jason Marshall Jr, CB, Florida

The Florida Gator cornerback had his season cut short due to injury and will get a chance to remind teams of his talent down in Texas this week. Marshall is a tall, lanky corner, who plays with clean feet.

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Jordan Phillips, DT, Maryland

A high school wrestler, Phillips has a unique blend of power and initial quickness that will be on full display in practice this week. His production won’t jump out at you, but there is no denying there is a ton of power flowing through his frame.

Ahmed Hassanein, Edge, Boise State

Hassanein is a power-packed edge rusher with strong hands to sledgehammer through offensive tackles. As a run defender, he sets a hard edge and competes with consistent effort.

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Jay Higgins, LB, Iowa

Higgins has strong hands to defeat blocks and fills the gap with urgency. He plays with physicality and has a motor that runs hot. Over the past two seasons, Higgins has recorded 295 tackles, 103 run stops, eight tackles for loss, five interceptions and nine pass deflections.

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Drew Kendall, C, Boston College

Pete Kendall’s son, the younger Kendall finished his collegiate career with 37 starts at center. Kendall moves well, with outstanding lateral mobility. This past season Kendall gave up one sack and five pressures.

Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, OL, Florida

A San Diego State transfer, Crenshaw-Dickson started 11 games at right tackle during his lone season in The Swamp. As an Aztec, he started 18 games at right tackle and 17 at left tackle. He’s a powerful run blocker who uses an efficient punch in pass protection.

Marcus Wehr, OL, Montana State

Wehr started his career at Montana State as a defensive lineman before making the switch to the offensive line in 2022. That season he started five games before suffering a season-ending injury. The following season, Wehr started 11 games at right tackle and one game at right guard. This past season Wehr started all 16 games at right guard for Montana State.

Jermari Harris, CB, Iowa

Harris is a physical cornerback who is very feisty at the catch point. Over the past two seasons, he recorded four interceptions and 15 pass deflections. He shows no fear flying up in run support and is more than willing to throw his body around.

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Luke Lachey, TE, Iowa

The next tight end to come out of the Iowa pipeline is Lachey. The Hawkeye tight end is a fluid athlete and has strong hands. As a blocker, he keeps his feet moving at contact and throws his weight around to help open up running lanes.

Two Iowa football stars crack ESPN’s final top 100 players of the 2024-25 season

Two Hawkeye stars getting their deserved shine.

The 2024 Iowa Hawkeyes college football season could be described by a two-word adjective. That adjective would be star power.

A team known for all 11 guys doing their jobs had a year that saw a star on each side of the ball shine brightly for all of the college football world to see.

Those stars, running back Kaleb Johnson and linebacker Jay Higgins, shined brightly enough to land on ESPN’s final top 100 players of the college football season.

Cracking the list as the No. 64 best player of the season is Jay Higgins, Iowa’s heart and soul on defense who was a brick wall during his time with the Hawkeyes.

64. Jay Higgins

LB, Iowa, Senior
Stats: 53 solo tackles, 1 sack, 2 FFs, 4 INTs
Preseason ranking: NR

Higgins earned unanimous All-American honors and was named the Big Ten’s Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year. He finished second in the league with 120 tackles and four interceptions — no player in college football had more than 100 tackles with four picks. He topped the Big Ten with 120 tackles and a tackling rate of 92.3%. He also led the Hawkeyes with four interceptions and two forced fumbles. — Trotter

Ascending the list and cracking the top 20 is Kaleb Johnson, Iowa’s running back who put together a historic, record-breaking year for the Hawkeyes.

17. Kaleb Johnson

RB, Iowa, Junior
Stats: 240 carries, 1,537 yards, 21 TDs
Preseason ranking: NR

Johnson didn’t enter the season as Iowa’s starter, but he soon emerged as one of the nation’s best backs. He had 685 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in the first four games, averaged 5.6 yards per carry or better in the first nine games and reached the end zone at least once in the first 11 contests. Johnson was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award and a second-team AP All-America selection. He set single-season team records for points (138), total touchdowns (23) and rushing touchdowns (21). — Rittenberg

Both Kaleb Johnson and Jay Higgins will live on in Iowa lore forever as each of them joined the elite club of being named consensus All-Americans.

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Iowa LB Jay Higgins dissects Missouri challenge

Ahead of his final action in the black and gold, Jay Higgins offers a breakdown on slowing down Missouri.

As Iowa football (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) prepares for Monday’s TransPerfect Music City Bowl clash vs. Missouri (9-3, 5-3 SEC), fifth-year senior linebacker Jay Higgins shared his thoughts on defending against a ball-control heavy Tigers’ offense.

Higgins began by praising Missouri quarterback Brady Cook for his ability to make the right decisions during critical moments and mentioned the challenge that will come with stopping the clever signal-caller.

“No, he’s really good. I mean, obviously, arm talent. I think there’s a thing going around, like a game manager. He makes the right throw every single time. As soon as you lull yourself to sleep, he’s going to beat you over the top. He’s got ability to run, really likes to do it in the hot zone. But just the ability to make it out of the pocket. Really good throwing the ball on the run. Really good at extending the play,” Higgins said.

“So he’s a guy that we need to make sure we stay in coverage, even if he leaves the pocket. He does have the ability to obtain the first down himself.”

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Higgins continued by addressing how he feels the Hawkeyes can disrupt the versatile and heavy time-of-possession Tigers offense during the game by saying Iowa will need to control the line of scrimmage and make Missouri “one dimensional.”

“We’ve just got to make them one-dimensional. Obviously, they’ve got some big dudes up front. Their offense is based on how well their offensive line is doing. Their offensive line has been playing great these last six games or so. We’re going to try to stop the run. We’re going to try to make their game plan as small as possible. Put them in obvious pass situations and do our best to play our way of football,” Higgins added.

“We want to disrupt routes, take some time and just play physical. Physical bowl game doesn’t sound like… I don’t think too many teams want to play a physical bowl game. That’s the only way we can play it.”

Higgins, a 6-foot-2, 232-pound unanimous All-American, enters his final game in a Hawkeye uniform with 153 solo tackles and 182 assists for 335 total tackles to go along with nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, 14 pass deflections, and five interceptions in 28 stars over his 57 game career.

The upcoming TransPerfect Music City Bowl will occur from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., at 1:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN and through the radio on the Hawkeye Radio Network.

Three Iowa football players named Sporting News All-Americans

Sporting News tabs three Iowa football stars as 2024 All-Americans.

As the college football regular season has officially come to a close, Sporting News released its end-of-season All-American teams, with three Iowa football stars highlighting the announcement.

In the release, Hawkeyes‘  senior linebacker Jay Higgins, running back Kaleb Johnson, and punt returner Kaden Wetjen were recognized. Higgins and Johnson both were named to the first-team All-American roster, while Wetjen landed on the second-team squad.

As a result of the nominations, Higgins became a unanimous consensus All-American, while Johnson became a consensus All-American.

As for Higgins, the 6-foot-2, 232-pound senior was also honored as the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten.

A semifinalist for the Lombardi, Lott IMPACT, and Butkus awards, Higgins has racked up 118 total tackles this fall, which ranks 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).

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Johnson’s impressive honors include a first-team All-America honoree by Walter Camp, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Sporting News, and second-team by the Associated Press (AP) and American Football Coaches Association of America (AFCA).

The junior running back was also voted Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and finalist for the Doak Walker Award. He posted school single-season records in points (138), total touchdowns (23) and rushing scores (21). Johnson (6-foot, 225 pounds) rushed for 1,537 yards in 12 games, sixth-most in the country and third-most in program history.

Regarding Wetjen, the second-team Sporting News honoree was tabbed a first-team All-American punt returner by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and was previously awarded the 2024 Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and is a finalist for the Jet Award.

Wetjen, a 5-foot-10, 196-pound senior, is second in the FBS in punt return yards (312) and sixth in kickoff return yards (576) this season, including an 85-yard punt return touchdown against Northwestern.

These honors now provide Iowa with the distinction of being the only school to have a consensus All-American each of the last six seasons.

In program history, the Hawkeyes now have 33 consensus All-Americans, including 18 total in the Kirk Ferentz era and 12 over the last 11 seasons. The Hawkeyes have had multiple consensus All-Americans seven times throughout their illustrious history (1981, 1984, 2002, 2003, 2017, 2023, and 2024).

Iowa will play in the Dec. 30 TransPerfect Music City Bowl vs. No. 19 Missouri in Nashville, Tenn., at 1:30 p.m. CT, with the game televised on ESPN and on the Hawkeyes Radio Network.

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Iowa specialist named as AFCA All-American

Three Iowa football stars were honored with AFCA All-American distinctions.

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.

The AFCA is one of five outlets recognized by the NCAA to determine consensus All-Americans, along with the Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp, Sporting News, and Associated Press.

Jay Higgins

Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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

Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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.

Two Iowa Hawkeyes among CBS Sports Top 150 college football players of 2024

Two Hawkeyes are among the elite.

The 2024 Iowa Hawkeyes were buoyed by stars on both sides of the ball, a bit of a contrast to what felt like the norm for prior years.

This season, they ran the ball well on offense and were absolutely stifling against the run game on defense.

That can be credited to running back Kaleb Johnson and linebacker Jay Higgins, both consensus All-Americans this year.

Both now find themselves included in CBS Sports Top 150 college football players of 2024.

Coming in at No. 34 on the list is Kaleb Johnson after his historic season for the Hawkeyes.

34. Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa

Johnson is an exceptional zone runner with patience, vision, and speed to break away. He rushed for more than 1,500 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry, and scored 21 touchdowns despite being the focal point of opposing defenses. His success also highlights the strength of Iowa’s offensive line. – Blake Brockeymeyer, CBS Sports

Kaleb Johnson ran for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns behind Iowa’s much-improved offensive line. He added two more touchdowns and 188 receiving yards.

He set Iowa’s single-season record for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns.

The second Hawkeye on the list, linebacker Jay Higgins, comes in at No. 68.

68. Jay Higgins, LB, Iowa

Higgins continued his excellent play for Iowa’s stingy defense, finishing the season with 118 tackles and a career-high four interceptions. Known for his instincts and nose for the ball, Higgins has also improved his coverage ability, solidifying his reputation as one of the most consistent defenders in Hawkeye history. – Blake Brockeymeyer, CBS Sports

Jay Higgins did it all for Iowa this year on defense. He had 118 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a sack, and two forced fumbles while also contributing to the pass defense with nine pass deflections and four interceptions

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Jay Higgins is Iowa football’s newest Consensus All-American

Jay Higgins joins an elite and historic club at Iowa being the Hawkeyes’ newest consensus All-American after a strong season.

Few teams recruit and develop better than the Iowa Hawkeyes. Each year it is on display as they reap the rewards of turning an under-recruited talent into one of the best in America.

This year, that individual is All-American linebacker Jay Higgins. After another strong year across the national football landscape, Higgins was littered among All-American teams.

He found himself on all the right teams and has earned himself a spot in Iowa history forever. Jay Higgins is Iowa’s newest consensus All-American.

Seth Wallace, linebacker coach and assistant head coach, took to X to congratulate Higgins on the accomplishment and give recognition to the way Jay Higgins made it happen.

Consensus All-American status requires one to be named a first-team selection by over half of the outlets recognizing All-Americans. The outlets include the Walter Camp Foundation, the Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News, the American Football Coaches Association, and the Associated Press.

Higgins recorded 118 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a sack, two forced fumbles, nine pass deflections, and four interceptions during the 2024 campaign.

Iowa has had a consensus All-American for the last six years and 11 since 2014 which displays their ability to develop talent at the highest level across college football.

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Trio of Iowa football stars named to USA TODAY Sports All-American team

Three Hawkeyes find themselves among the nation’s best.

Football is the ultimate team game with 11 players on the field for both teams at all times, but it can’t be missed that star players make teams better.

This season, the Iowa Hawkeyes had three stars that stood out not only against their opponents but among the entire college football world.

In the USA TODAY Sports All-American Team, Iowa is represented by three players between the first and second team selections.

Kaleb Johnson and his historic season was selected as a First-Team All-American running back alongside Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.

Jeanty ran for at least 128 yards in every game against FBS competition and closed with a 209 yards and a score in the Mountain West championship game against UNLV. Johnson led the Big Ten by a wide margin in rushing yards (1,537) and touchdowns (21). – Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

Johnson carried the ball 240 times for 1,599 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. He added 22 receptions for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

Kaleb Johnson set Iowa’s single-season touchdown record with 23 total touchdowns and is now headed to the NFL Draft, where he will almost certainly hear his name called early.

At linebacker, Jay Higgins represents Iowa as a First-Team All-American selection. He is joined by Chris Paul of Ole Miss and Jalon Walker of Georgia.

Paul (88 tackles, 11 for loss) had a terrific second half to the regular season as the Rebels came up just shy of the playoff. One of the most productive linebackers in Iowa history, Higgins (118 tackles) finished second in the Big Ten in stops. Walker stepped into a full-time starting role as a junior and came up big in Georgia’s biggest games, tallying a combined four sacks in two wins against Texas. – Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

Jay Higgins once again led the Hawkeyes in tackles this year and had arguably his best all-around year with the program. Higgins tallied 118 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, four interceptions, five pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and forced two fumbles.

Rounding out the Hawkeyes’ selection is a special teams player who burst onto the scene for Iowa this season. Kaden Wetjen was selected as USA TODAY Sports’ Second-Team All-American returner.

Kaden Wetjen returned 23 kickoffs this year for an average of 25 yards per kick return. His bigger impact came in the punt return game. He returned 25 punts averaging 12.5 yards per return to go with a season-long 85-yard punt return touchdown.

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Iowa Hawkeyes Jay Higgins named Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year

Jay Higgins is going out as he deserves.

It seems that the days of a player on defense being the heart and soul of a team are going to the wayside with the explosion of offenses. Fortunately, that old adage still exists in Iowa City.

Jay Higgins, the Iowa Hawkeyes heart and soul, led Phil Parker’s defense for the last two seasons as the middle linebacker and was so much more than just a force on the field.

Higgins was able to be a coach in between the boundaries and be the focal point of one of America’s best defenses.

His efforts this year are not unnoticed, either. His performance once again helped the Iowa defense constantly stonewall opponents.

Due to that, Jay Higgins has been named the Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year.

The award comes after Higgins tallied his second season in a row surpassing 100 tackles. This year, jay Higgins tallied 118 tackles, five pass deflections, a sack, two forced fumbles, and four interceptions to prove he can do it all on defense.

Higgins is departing Iowa after the conclusion of the Hawkeyes’ bowl game and will be starting next fall on an NFL roster likely making a team very happy in the football player and man that they are getting.

The native of Indianapolis, Indiana leaves Iowa with 336 tackles, eight pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and five interceptions to his name.

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Three stars in Iowa football’s Week 13 win vs. Maryland

Three stars from Iowa football’s dominant 29-13 win vs. Maryland

Iowa (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) responded out of their Week 12 bye with a sound 29-13 victory on Saturday over Maryland (4-7, 1-7 Big Ten) from SECU Stadium in College Park, M.D.

The Hawkeyes generated 344 yards of offense against the Terrapins, including plenty of success via the run game. On the ground, Iowa ran 58 times for a total of 288 yards and two touchdowns.

While not utilized as much, the passing game from redshirt sophomore Jackson Stratton was efficient by finishing 10-of-14 for 76 yards.

Defensively, Iowa returned to their stingy style of play. The Hawkeyes held pass-happy Maryland to a season-low 129 passing yards and tallied two interceptions. The Hawkeyes’ pressure throughout the game also forced seven tackles for loss and three sacks.

As the Hawkeyes return home from Maryland, here are the three stars that helped guide Iowa to another win.

Jackson Stratton

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Statton, while not heavily relied on for offensive production, had an effective day through the air, completing 10-of-14 passes for a total of 76 yards. Stratton avoided Maryland pressure throughout the contest by taking only one sack.

Given the precarious quarterback situation that the Hawkeyes have found themselves in lately due to injuries, having a safe and consistent game out of the signal-caller is very much appreciated.

Kaleb Johnson

Greg Fiume/Getty Images

Junior running back Kaleb Johnson had a monstrous game on Saturday, carrying the ball 35 times from scrimmage for 164 yards and a touchdown. While serving a minuscule role in the receiving portion of the stat sheet, Johnson also caught one pass for six yards.

Johnson’s bell-cow role in the backfield allowed the Hawkeyes to put together long first-half drives and possess the ball for a total of 37:41 of game time.

Johnson’s performance elevates his impressive season rushing total to 1,492 yards and 21 touchdowns on 223 carries for an average of 6.7 yards per play. Johnson’s touchdown against Maryland set the new Iowa single-season rushing touchdowns record.

Iowa Defense

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Hawkeyes’ defense returned to their typical form by putting a stranglehold on the Maryland offensive attack for much of the day, surrendering 227 yards and forcing two interceptions.

Highlighting Iowa’s defensive showing were the performances of fifth-year linebacker Jay Higgins and fifth-year defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett.

Higgins led the defense with eight total tackles (four solo), one pass deflection, and an interception. Meanwhile, Hurkett had a dominant performance on the defensive line with six total tackles (four solo), two sacks, and three tackles for loss.

Considering the Hawkeyes’ poor performance against UCLA in Week 11, the dominant showing from Iowa on Saturday was a pleasant sight.

Iowa finishes the regular season with a rivalry matchup on Friday, Nov. 29, against Nebraska (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) in the Pioneer Heroes Game from Kinnick Stadium.

Game time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock. The game will also be available on air from the Hawkeyes Radio Network.

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