Steppe’s Stats: Kaevon Merriweather quietly putting together one of most efficient seasons in country

IOWA CITY — Riley Moss and Kaevon Merriweather are not afraid to jokingly throw a little shade at each other.

When Moss blew a Cover 3 assignment against Wisconsin and Merriweather was asked what happened, he said he’d let reporters ask Moss that question.

Then when Moss was available on Tuesday, he dished it back to the fellow Iowa defensive back.

“Whenever Kaevon drops a pick, which is a lot — you make sure to tell him that, too,” Moss said.

In all seriousness, Merriweather is in the midst of statistically the best football season of his career. He has three interceptions, one of which he returned for 33 yards, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.

Merriweather’s three picks are second on the team. The number does not stand out as much nationally — he is one of 72 FBS players with at least three interceptions — yet traditional statistics do not convey the full story.

“Sometimes on paper, it doesn’t seem like the guy is — he doesn’t have all these picks or he doesn’t have all these fumble recoveries or whatever,” Moss said. “But it’s those guys that nothing bad happens in their area, and that’s something that’s been going on with Kaevon.”

These Pro Football Focus numbers show how good Kaevon Merriweather has been

Advanced metrics show Merriweather is quietly putting together one of the best seasons for a defensive back in the Big Ten, if not in the country.

Merriweather has the lowest NFL passer rating allowed among FBS defensive backs who have been in coverage for at least 250 snaps this season, according to a Gazette analysis of Pro Football Focus data.

Opposing quarterbacks have a 15.8 NFL passer rating when throwing toward Merriweather. The next-best defensive back is Marshall’s Steven Gilmore with 30.8, and games against Appalachian State, Troy and Norfolk State may have padded Gilmore’s numbers.

Ohio State’s Ronnie Hickman and Minnesota’s Jordan Howden each have allowed an NFL passer rating of 35.4 — the next-best among Power Five teams.

Six FBS players have finished a season with a lower NFL passer rating than Merriweather’s 15.8 since 2018, again among players to take at least 250 coverage snaps. Three of them are on active NFL rosters, and another is on a practice squad.

Merriweather’s 32.9 coverage snaps per reception rank 20th among FBS defensive backs with at least 250 coverage snaps.

His 0.233 yards allowed per coverage snap is fifth-best in the FBS and third among Power Five defensive backs, again with a minimum of 250 coverage snaps.

The first thing about Merriweather that comes to mind for head coach Kirk Ferentz can’t be quantified, though.

“Leadership,” Ferentz said. “There's no tangible way to measure that. … If you're going to have a good team, you have to have veteran players that do a good job. He's certainly been one of our leaders.”

Merriweather was named one of 20 semifinalists Wednesday for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award. The award recognizes an athlete with a “record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field,” according to the news release.

“He’s really done a great job of trying to help the younger guys out,” defensive coordinator Phil Parker told reporters via Zoom Wednesday.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com