Tag: Joe Evans

Iowa DE Joe Evans named a Burlsworth Trophy Semifinalist

Often underappreciated while doing the dirty work, Joe Evans is key to Iowa’s defense. His play has him as a Burlsworth Trophy Semifinalist.

No one in America turns walk-ons and under-recruited players into high-level talent like the Iowa Hawkeyes can. They take overlooked and forgotten players and every year we see them turn them into Power Five starters that are making key plays in crunch time of Big Ten games.

Joe Evans is no exception. He is another story of Iowa’s walk-on success, turning into an every-down starter for one of the nation’s best defenses.

His play throughout his career and this season has him among the semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy.

“Just happy to see those guys, their efforts being recognized,” Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said of Evans’ recognition.

This award is named after Brandon Bulsworth, a walk-on to the Arkansas Razorbacks in the mid-1990s. He transformed himself into an All-American and a future NFL draft pick.

Joe Evans, the Ames, Iowa, native, began his career at Iowa in the 2019 season and is now in his fifth season donning the Tigerhawk logo. His career totals are 123 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, and three forced fumbles.

Evans’ current season is pacing to potentially be his best yet. He has 34 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. He has tied his career high in tackles for loss, is just seven tackles behind his career high in tackles for a season, and needs just two sacks to tie his career-best single-season sack total.

Joe Evans has played in 51 games for the Hawkeyes and could have up to five more chances to shine if Iowa can continue their winning ways. His work and performance can go unnoticed but is a building block to the foundation of this great Iowa defense.

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Iowa Hawkeyes select season-opening captains

The Iowa captains versus Utah State are set.

One of the greatest honors a player can be bestowed by their fellow teammates and from their coaches, the Iowa Hawkeyes have their captains for Week 1.

Quarterback Cade McNamara, tight end Luke Lachey, defensive end Joe Evans and linebacker Jay Higgins will represent the Hawkeyes as captains versus the Utah State Aggies.

The talented mix of players is actually a nice portrayal of the hopes for Iowa’s 2023 season.

Outside of Evans, there’s a relative lack of production from the group. At least in Iowa City anyways. Yet, that’s the story of the 2023 Hawkeyes. How much production will Iowa get from new faces and from faces that have been in the program but haven’t been placed in key roles here yet.

Of course, McNamara passed for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns while leading Michigan to the 2021 Big Ten championship. Obviously, that wasn’t at Iowa, though.

Lachey flashed in a big spot last season, reeling in 12 receptions for 166 yards with a score during the Minnesota and Nebraska games when Sam LaPorta was sidelined with an injury.

Then, there’s Higgins. He slides in to replace Jack Campbell at middle linebacker. Though Higgins tallied 39 tackles last season, including an 11-tackle performance versus Northwestern, he’s only started once in his career. Now, he’s a full-time starter and expected to be one of the Hawkeyes’ best players.

While there’s only one transfer portal addition among that group, the trio is symbolic of Iowa’s offseason shift toward a number of new leaders and hopefully stars in a number of different places.

Lastly, there’s Evans. Unlike the other three captains to start, Evans has been one of the Hawkeyes’ most productive defensive players each of the past two seasons.

The 6-foot-2, 252 pound defensive end has tallied 75 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks over the last two years.

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Gettin’ it done: 5 most impactful ‘glue guys’ for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2023

A “glue guy” isn’t always the standout, but they do the little things right that add up. Iowa’s five most impactful glue guys of 2023.

Every team has the guy who does the little things that go unnoticed. They get less shine than other players and their contributions might not be as lauded in comparison. But that’s okay for those guys and you often see them embrace that role. Those are your “glue guys” and every team needs a handful of them.

In a way, some may say that the majority of the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ roster are made up of these players that do their job, don’t need the recognition, and just always gets it done. Even in that capacity, some guys hold things together by their contributions coming at the right time or when it matters most.

The Hawkeyes have a handful of these players that turn up in big moments, always are in the right place, or make life easier for those around them. Here are the Hawkeyes’ five most impactful “glue guys” entering the 2023 season.

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Iowa Hawkeyes 2023 Snapshot Profile: No. 13 Joe Evans

Joe Evans exemplifies part of what we love about Iowa football. A look at the former walk-on turned Big Ten standout entering 2023.

Pass-rushing specialist Joe Evans is everything we all love about Iowa football.

Iowa isn’t as glamorous as some of the other schools in the country. We may not have the great weather of Miami or the NIL influence of USC, but what Iowa does have is a strong culture of over-performing. Every year the Hawkeyes take undervalued recruits, show them the way and turn them into top Big Ten players.

Joe Evans wasn’t a highly-touted recruit coming out of Ames, Iowa. He wasn’t even ranked at all. A quarterback and linebacker coming out of high school, Evans took his shot as a walk-on at the University of Iowa in 2018. By 2020, he earned a scholarship after transitioning to defensive end. Now entering 2023, Evans is a prolific super-senior looking to boost Iowa’s chances at making it back to the Big Ten Championship.

Evans enjoyed a great amount of success over the past two years as the Hawkeyes’ pass-rushing specialist. Evans has 13.5 sacks over the past two seasons, leading the Hawkeyes in the category back in 2021. He has a relentless rushing style that makes him a terror off the edge, a perfect complement to some of the other pieces on the Iowa defensive line.

Returning for one final season, here’s a last preview look at a true Hawkeye in Joe Evans.

Iowa Stock Index: Hawkeyes’ stock report after win over Wisconsin

Iowa got the job done in a 24-10 win over Wisconsin. Whose stock is rising, whose stock is falling after the win over the Badgers?

The Iowa Hawkeyes essentially have the driver’s seat in the Big Ten West. A sentence more or less unfathomable just a month ago is a very real situation and a reality that is fully upon us.

At 6-4, following a rivalry victory over the Wisconsin Badgers for the Heartland Trophy, the Hawkeyes are tied for first place in the Big Ten West. If they win out against Minnesota and Nebraska, paired with Michigan taking care of Illinois next weekend, the Hawkeyes are returning to Indianapolis.

The three-game win streak they are riding right now has seen efforts from all three units at different times and has Iowa not only tied for first in the Big Ten West, but officially bowl eligible as well.

Quite a few Hawkeyes have had their hands in the mix helping create this winning streak, but there are a few that are seeing their stock rising as we continue down the final stretch of the season.

One honorable mention is whoever played “Jump Around” in Kinnick following the game to really let Wisconsin know who won the rivalry.

Report card: Grading the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 54-10 blowout loss at Ohio State

Iowa surrendered a Ferentz-era high 54 points in the blowout loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Here’s the postgame report card.

Iowa (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) has a losing record for the first time in 2022 after No. 2 Ohio State started slow offensively but found its footing after recess en route to four second half touchdowns and a 54-10 blowout victory.

The 54 points are the most any Iowa team has surrendered since the 1995 season, which means it’s also the most points a Hawkeye team has allowed under head coach Kirk Ferentz. It speaks to the explosiveness of the Buckeyes and how offensive ineptitude will eventually turn into a landslide against one of the nation’s best teams.

While it’s the latest result in what is morphing into a potential season to forget, the marks aren’t all failing grades for the Hawkeyes. Pull up a chair. Class is in session.

Week 3 rewind: 3 Iowa Hawkeyes seeing stock rising, falling

The Iowa Hawkeyes moved to 2-1 after a marathon against Nevada due to lightning delays. Let’s check on some of the Hawkeyes’ stock trends.

Saturday night, and eventually into the wee hours of Sunday morning, saw the Iowa Hawkeyes move to 2-1 with a 27-0 shutout of Nevada. In a game that took nearly seven hours from kickoff to the clock hitting zero, the circumstances were some that many players, coaches, or fans have never dealt with before.

That said, there were positives to take away from this game. The Hawkeyes got some things going offensively and were able to string together some drives. Even more promising, the Iowa offense showed some big-play ability, a very welcome sight from an offense that was looking anemic.

The Hawkeyes defense did their thing. Whether it is 7 p.m., 10 p.m , or 1 a.m., the defense is going to be lights out week in and week out. Nevada could not get anything going on a wet field and the Iowa defense didn’t let them sniff an ounce of success.

Let’s get into a handful of Iowa Hawkeyes and some that are seeing their stock take a rise.

How LSU transfers fared at their new schools in Week 1

From Arik Gilbert to Eli Ricks, here’s how former Tigers fared in Week 1.

LSU was busy in the transfer portal this offseason.

Much of that was because it lost quite a few guys, too. Throughout the coaching transition, there was a steady trickle of players leaving. That’s just how it goes when a new coach takes over.

Some of the losses hurt more than others, like [autotag]Eli Ricks[/autotag] and [autotag]Dwight McGlothern[/autotag]. There were some hits that LSU should have no trouble absorbing, like the loss of [autotag]Trey Palmer[/autotag], who left a crowded wide receiver room.

Not all of these transfers are from this cycle. There are guys like [autotag]Chris Curry[/autotag], now with Utah, who saw a steady dose of action on Saturday. Let’s take a look at how some former LSU players fared in their new uniforms.

5 positives from Iowa’s 7-3 win over South Dakota State

Iowa is 1-0 on the season. Here are five of the biggest positives from the Hawkeyes’ season-opening victory over South Dakota State.

While it was far from the debut any Iowa fan was looking for, ultimately, the Hawkeyes did win their opener over South Dakota State, 7-3. There’s plenty of cause for concern with Iowa’s offense and grades have already been doled out here.

Still, even with some of the good marks that Hawkeyes Wire passed out, that space really didn’t lend itself to fully rewarding some of the good play that fans did in fact witness. Let’s do that now with the five biggest positives for the Hawkeyes against South Dakota State.

Week 1 Iowa Hawkeyes defensive depth chart versus the South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Iowa released their first defensive depth chart of the season. What changes were made for their week one clash against South Dakota State?

Iowa released their depth chart on Monday for their week one clash against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and it surely is interesting. Virtually nothing is changed on the defensive line from the depth chart we’ve already seen, and that might puzzle some.

Some players are listed at different areas on the chart than how we’ve seen them used during camp. The most important thing to note with head coach Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes, the depth chart is not the be all end all. Just like the pirates code, Iowa’s depth chart is more what you would call guidelines instead of rules.

Defensive coordinator Phil Parker and defensive line coach Kelvin Bell know how to utilize their guys best, relying on the depth and versatility abundant with this unit. Expect to see Iowa’s front line look a lot different on game day. That being said, here’s a look at the week one defensive depth chart that was released.