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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