The Hawkeyes are set to begin spring practice on Wednesday with a revamped roster and expectations to contend for the Big Ten West. On defense, the linebacker room will be one of the areas that will require the most replacement. Consensus All-American and Butkus Award winner Jack Campbell is off to the next level, and Seth Benson will join him in preparation for the NFL Draft. Jestin Jacobs was injured for much of 2022 and entered the portal as a grad transfer to Oregon. Their departures leave some room to be filled, but the puzzle pieces are far from inexperienced.
Next Man In
Replacing Campbell and Benson’s 222 total tackles in 2022 is no simple task. Campbell led the nation with 128 total, and Benson was eighth nationally with 94. Jay Higgins will become Iowa’s next leader in the linebacker room. He only started twice last season but saw action in 12 games recording 39 total tackles. The fourth-year player has played in 17 games in his career and will emerge as the group’s veteran for 2023.
Kyler Fisher is another linebacker who will see an increase in production for the 2023 season. The redshirt senior returned a blocked punt for a touchdown to spark Iowa’s comeback against Nebraska in 2021. He has 21 games of experience in his three years of action with one career start. He’s played behind a very talented group of linebackers in his career but has been a valuable contributor on special teams. The 2023 season will be his chance to take on a larger role in one of Iowa’s key position groups.
At cash, Iowa has a few options. The fifth defensive back/linebacker position has been played by some of the Hawkeyes’ best athletes including Amani Hooker, Dane Belton, and even Cooper DeJean. DeJean is going to be a mainstay at cornerback, leaving a few options for the cash position next season. Sebastian Castro is likely to be that guy. Castro earned Iowa’s Next Man In Award on defense, playing in all 13 games with eight starts last year. He recorded 39 tackles, five passes defended, and two forced fumbles in 2022.
Transfer Portal Pickup
Iowa took to the transfer portal to help bolster their linebacker group and landed a top-rated transfer from Virginia. Four-star Nick Jackson committed to the Hawkeyes on February 8th. He played four years in Charlottesville recording 352 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks. During his career at Virginia, he played in 40 total games with 33 starts.
Last season, Jackson led the ACC in tackles per game with 10.4. He excels at pass rush where he gathered 16 total quarterback pressures and five sacks in 2022. He’ll be a huge asset when it comes to closing speed and consistency in tackling, filling that void of Campbell’s departure. Jackson possesses many of the skills of the former Hawkeye All-American but is slightly smaller in stature. Jackson is 6’-1” and 234 pounds from Atlanta, Georgia. He brings an experienced physicality with him from the ACC and has a chance to be a stand-out defender in the Phil Parker defense next season for Iowa.
Iowa Position Preview: Linebacker
If the depth chart was released today, the three linebackers are likely to be Higgins, Fisher, and Jackson. The three combined for 148 tackles during the 2022 season with the bulk of the production coming from Jackson. That’s not to say the group will be without experience, however. Higgins played a vital role coming off of the bench last season. Fisher’s contributions on special teams over the past few seasons have been significant, and he is ready to make the leap to a starting role at linebacker. The addition of 352 career tackles with Jackson will be significant for the middle of Iowa’s defense. As spring practice gets underway next week, we’ll begin to see the impact of Jackson on the defense’s production with the new-coming starters.
Photo courtesy: Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
