Tag: Phil Parker

Iowa linebacker Jestin Jacobs allowed only one touchdown in coverage in 2021

Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Jestin Jacobs not only stuffed the run in 2021, he only allowed a single touchdown while in pass coverage.

The national media seems to be awakening more and more each day to the large and upcoming realization that is the Iowa Hawkeyes linebackers. This time it is junior linebacker Jestin Jacobs getting some love from the media outlets.

The junior from Englewood, Ohio, was the Hawkeyes’ fifth-leading tackler last year with 53 tackles in 2021. Not only does Jacobs play stout run defense, but his ability in the passing game is just as good. Per Pro Football Focus, Jacobs only allowed one touchdown in pass coverage in 2021.

This statistic speaks to one of the strengths that Jacobs brings to the table. His athleticism and speed within the sideline-to-sideline play has caught the eye of NFL scouts and should only continue to gain more traction with the upcoming season.

With the modern-era of football making running backs viable pass catchers, linebackers have to be able to run in space and make plays in pass coverage. Jacobs’ ability to do this should prove to be a huge asset for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Jestin Jacobs is paired with Jack Campbell, his linebacking partner that has collected a handful of PFF recognition as the best run stopper in the Power Five along with being a 2023 NFL draft riser.

Also alongside Jacobs is the third part of the linebacker crew, Seth Benson. While a little bit more under the radar and less discussed, Benson is a vital piece of Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker’s defense and trailed only Campbell in tackles. Benson had 105 tackles in the 2021 season.

This recognition joins an ever-growing list of leaderboards we are seeing Hawkeyes appear on. This might be one of the first times we see Jacobs’ name getting national news, but it can be expected that it will not be the last time.

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Former Hawkeye and current NFL safety Micah Hyde calls Iowa a ‘cheat code’ to the NFL

Former Iowa Hawkeye and current Buffalo Bills safety Micah Hyde said that “going to Iowa was a cheat code” to the NFL.

The Iowa Hawkeyes just received some of the highest praise possible from one of their own currently starting in the NFL. While on the Pat McAfee Show, Buffalo Bills safety [autotag]Micah Hyde[/autotag] was asked about what Iowa did to prepare him to get to the NFL. His answer was clear cut.

“Iowa is an NFL program fresh out of high school. You come in your freshman year with Coach Ferentz and I had Coach Parker as my position coach back then so I saw him all day every day. They get you ready for the NFL,” Hyde said to McAfee.

What Hyde says is no exaggeration. Iowa is becoming one of the premier schools that is continuously sending defensive backs to the NFL that are not only latching onto a team but becoming contributors. Right now, there are 10 former Iowa Hawkeyes safeties or cornerbacks calling NFL teams home.

Dane Belton, Jake Gervase, Matt Hankins, Amani Hooker, Micah Hyde, Desmond King II, Jack Koerner, Greg Mabin, Michael Ojemudia, and Geno Stone are all products of the Hawkeyes’ program.

That is just the list of former Iowa players roaming NFL secondaries. Overall, Iowa has 48 players currently in the NFL. That is good enough for the ninth-most players in the NFL from all colleges.

Hyde went on to provide the best recruiting pitch of all later on in the interview. His statement resonates and the reaction of the show members tell you everything about just how powerful what he said was.

“Going to Iowa was definitely a cheat code and that’s why they produce so many NFL players because Coach Ferentz gets you ready,” Hyde said.

The players in the NFL speak for itself. Their production at Iowa last year speaks for itself as the Hawkeyes led the nation in interceptions with 25. The NFL bloodline is likely to continue with returning All-American [autotag]Riley Moss[/autotag] looking to become the next Hawkeye to make the jump. The recruiting is showing as Iowa landed five-star safety recruit [autotag]Xavier Nwankpa[/autotag].

The Iowa Hawkeyes continue to grow their reputation for development. They are now seeing that development turn into consistently winning on the field, a high-powered recruiting tool, and evidence that they will give their guys the best chance to make it to the NFL.

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CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli predicts Lukas Van Ness to wreak havoc in 2022

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli has predicted that defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness could be the next big thing to come from the Hawkeyes’ defense.

It appears the Iowa Hawkeyes may have their next big thing on the defensive line. That next big thing comes in the form of sophomore defensive end Lukas Van Ness.

Van Ness hails from Barrington High School in the suburbs of Chicago and found himself beginning to blossom last season in a rotational capacity. His performance earned him a spot on the Football Writers Association of America and Maxwell Football Club’s Freshman All-America teams.

The fact that he wasn’t an every down player makes his performance that much more impressive. CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli thinks Van Ness may just be scratching the surface of what his ceiling could be. He believes the sophomore may be Iowa’s answer to constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Lukas Van Ness is ready to terrorize backfields: Iowa didn’t have a traditional spring game, opting instead for an open practice. Those who attended got a glimpse of Iowa’s next great pass-rusher. Van Ness was impressive during his freshman season in 2021, finishing with seven sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss. And he did that before spending a full year in the strength and conditioning program. Van Ness looked bigger, quicker and meaner this spring, and will be a part of many a nightmare in 2022. – Fornelli, CBS Sports.

Fornelli is right about Van Ness looking bigger entering the 2022 season. At the spring game, he appeared to be bigger than his freshman campaign. It isn’t often to have the combination of height, size and strength to go with the flexibility it takes to turn the corner as a defensive end, but that’s what Iowa’s strength and conditioning program is known for. They take natural size and talent and turn it into All-American outputs.

Van Ness seemed to find his groove down the stretch last season. Through the final three games, he tallied a combined 13 tackles, two sacks, and a quarterback pressure. That performance against all Power Five schools may be the catalyst that springboards him into the next level of Big Ten defensive linemen.

In recent years, Iowa has churned out A.J. Epenesa, Chauncey Golston, and Daviyon Nixon as high-quality defensive linemen making it to the NFL. Van Ness has the intangibles and appears to be quickly figuring out the intricacies of the position. A big 2022 season for Van Ness may not be an overreaction at all. Instead, that might be exactly what’s in order for Van Ness and Hawkeye fans in 2022.

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Iowa Hawkeyes’ defensive backbone is trio of returning linebackers

The Iowa Hawkeyes’ defense has quite a trio of linebackers returning to be the backbone of an already stout defense.

The always stout defense of the Iowa Hawkeyes is returning a trio that combined for 301 tackles last season, or roughly one-third of the entire tackles totaled. They are one of seven teams in the country that had multiple players with 100-plus tackles. That sort of output returning is not common and should provide an experienced backbone to lead a defense that constantly performs under defensive coordinator Phil Parker.

That trio consists of the three returning starting linebackers, last year’s leading tackler [autotag]Jack Campbell[/autotag], second-leading tackler [autotag]Seth Benson[/autotag] and fourth leading tackler [autotag]Jestin Jacobs[/autotag]. Trotting out those three each week gives Iowa an extremely long and athletic core on defense that can cover grass fast. Not only do they show out every fall weekend, they’re even better humans than football players.

Iowa’s linebacking core is the heart and soul and good enough for multiple media outlets to rank them in the top 25 following the conclusion of spring ball. Between USA TODAY Sports and 247Sports, the Hawkeyes find themselves at No. 11 and No. 23 in the country.

Jack Campbell

Led by a future NFL draft pick, Campbell is bringing his length and rangy sideline-to-sideline play back to Iowa City to command the defense. His 143 tackles last year speak for themselves. Campbell possesses the ability to not only constantly find the ball, but also to make the play when he finds himself with the opportunity.

Seth Benson

Seth Benson seems to be a bit of the unsung hero and the lesser talked about in the Hawkeyes’ linebacker bunch. His 105 tackles in 2021 were good enough for 13th-best in the nation and proof he deserves more recognition.

The Sioux Falls, S.D., product was another one of the anchors on a defense that gave up only 19.2 points per game. Benson not only plugs the gap in the run game, but has proven himself more than capable of following Big Ten running backs around in the passing game.

Jestin Jacobs

Jestin Jacobs is entering his third season donning the black and gold for Iowa. He has garnered intrigue for his athleticism and flashes of closing speed in the flat against wide receivers and running backs. While a little less seasoned than Campbell and Benson, his ceiling may be the highest of all three. That is more than enough to get Iowa fans and NFL scouts interested in what he can continue to do.

One of ESPN‘s post-spring takeaways on the Iowa Hawkeyes hypothesizes another season filled with very stout defense each week against whoever lines up against them. These three make the Iowa Hawkeyes’ defense go and are often involved in tackles for losses, turnovers, and big defensive stands. Expect more of the same this fall.

Having a backbone with the likes of Campbell, Benson, and Jacobs sets up a defense that can be aggressive, risk-taking, and fearless making plays because they know they have a three-headed monster of linebackers that will help clean up the mess.

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Iowa Hawkeyes offer 2024 ATH Caleb Benning out of Nebraska

Iowa offered 2024 athlete Caleb Benning this weekend out of Westside High School in Omaha, Neb.

According to 247Sports, Iowa already has a pair of players committed in its 2024 recruiting class. A pair of in-state targets, offensive lineman [autotag]Cody Fox[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Cam Buffington[/autotag], committed to the Hawkeyes last summer.

Fox is a 6-foot-4, 265 pound offensive lineman from East Buchanan High School in Winthrop, Iowa, while Buffington is a 6-foot-3, 200 pound linebacker out of Winfield-Mt. Union in Winfield, Iowa. According to Rivals, Fox is a four-star offensive guard in the 2024 cycle, the No. 3 guard in the class and the nation’s No. 73 player overall. Rivals ranks Buffington as a three-star linebacker.

Now, the Hawkeyes are looking to add a defensive back commit to join those two in the 2024 class. Iowa offered class of 2024 athlete [autotag]Caleb Benning[/autotag] out of Westside High School in Omaha, Neb., over the weekend. The 5-foot-11, 185 pound athlete could play either wide receiver or in the secondary at the next level. Benning reported that his Iowa offer came from defensive coordinator and secondary coach Phil Parker, which signals that the Hawkeyes view Benning’s future in the defensive backfield.

Minnesota and Nebraska have offered Benning as well. The Cornhuskers were the first to offer on Nov. 25, 2021, while the Gophers offered Benning on Jan. 27. According to Rivals, Benning is being recruited by Nebraska wide receivers and passing game coordinator Mickey Joseph as well as the Cornhuskers’ defensive backs coach Travis Fisher. Minnesota’s primary recruiter for Benning according to Rivals is safeties coach Danny Collins.

Here’s a glimpse at Benning’s Hudl tape from his sophomore season.

ESPN selects Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Jack Campbell to have biggest defensive presence in 2022

ESPN writer Tom VanHaaren chose Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell as his defensive player to have the biggest presence in 2022.

Iowa enters the spring slate off a 10-4 season that included a Big Ten West division championship. Hawkeyes defensive coordinator Phil Parker and assistant defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Seth Wallace have reason to be excited about what Iowa returns defensively.

One of the biggest reasons for excitement is senior linebacker Jack Campbell. The 6-foot-5, 243 pound linebacker enjoyed a monster 2021 season. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native racked up 143 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries, six passes defensed, a pair of fumble recoveries, two interceptions and one sack.

It’s no surprise then that Campbell is receiving national attention. In ESPN’s college football roundtable, a panelists of writers were asked to pick which defensive player not named Will Anderson Jr. would have the biggest presence in 2022. ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren chose Campbell.

Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell played in only five games of the 2020 season, but he had 29 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one interception in those games. He was healthy in 2021, and all he did was lead all FBS defenders with 143 tackles. He also had two interceptions and three tackles for loss last season.

He could have made the jump to the NFL, but decided to return for his senior season and is one of the unquestioned leaders on the Hawkeye defense. If we’re talking about presence, Campbell’s return to Iowa was a huge deal, and he has a chance to improve on an excellent season in 2022. – ESPN, VanHaaren.

Campbell’s return provides Iowa with defensive star power. Campbell is joined by another talented starting linebacker’s return. Senior Seth Benson is back as well after registering 105 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hurries, three passes defensed, two sacks and one interception.

Defensively, Iowa was one of the nation’s best a season ago. The Hawkeyes finished ranked No. 13 in scoring defense, surrendering just 19.2 points per game. That was thanks to a total defense that ranked No. 17 nationally and allowed just 328.8 yards per game.

Campbell and Benson helped anchor the country’s No. 13 rushing defense in 2021 as the Hawkeyes allowed just 3.15 yards per carry and 114.4 rushing yards per game. Iowa also led the nation with 25 interceptions and finished tied-third nationally with 30 total takeaways.

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