3 Hawkeyes earn 2024 All-America honors from FWAA

IOWA CITY — Iowa’s consensus All-American is one step away from potentially being a unanimous All-American.

Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins is a 2024 first-team All-American, the Football Writers Association of America announced Tuesday morning. It is his fourth first-team All-America nod, following the Walter Camp Football Foundation, American Football Coaches Association and Associated Press.

Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson and return specialist Kaden Wetjen also were first-team All-Americans. The Hawkeyes are the only program in the country to have three FWAA first-team All-Americans this year. They have had at least one FWAA first or second-team All-American in 12 consecutive seasons. (Alabama is the only school with a longer streak.)

Higgins just needs first-team recognition from the Sporting News to be a unanimous All-American. He also was named the Big Ten’s Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year after racking up 118 total tackles and four interceptions during the 2024 regular season.

Johnson has been either a first or second-team selection on all four of the preeminent All-America teams that have been released so far. He needs first-team recognition from Sporting News on Wednesday to be a consensus All-American.

This is Wetjen’s first All-America recognition. It is specifically for Wetjen as a punt returner although he also handles Iowa’s kick returns. The Williamsburg native was the Big Ten’s Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year after leading the nation with 888 combined kick return yards.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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