After staying ‘ready,’ Iowa’s Jay Higgins embraces 'long overdue’ opportunity

IOWA CITY — Jay Higgins did not waste much time trying to learn from fellow linebacker Jack Campbell ahead of his arrival on campus in 2020.

“Even before he got there in June, I would hear him on the phone asking Jack questions,” Jay’s father, Roy Higgins III, said. “I was like, ‘Who is Jack Campbell?’ He was like, ‘He’s the guy I need to be learning from.’”

Now in his third season on campus, Jay Higgins has stepped into a larger role on Iowa’s defense at linebacker with the teammate he learned from often next to him.

Higgins is officially Iowa’s first-team weakside linebacker, although he does not have a career start yet because of Iowa opening recent games in its 4-2-5 “Cash” formation.

“I love being a part of this great defense,” Higgins said earlier this season. “I’ve been watching this defense for a while now, so it feels good to be out there, feels good to contribute to the game. … I’m starting to feel like I’m a college football player now.”

Higgins has contributed on special teams since he was a freshman, but the opportunities on defense were not immediately there.

“Jay Higgins’ opportunity is probably long overdue,” Iowa linebackers coach and assistant defensive coordinator Seth Wallace said last month. “I’m really proud of where Jay’s at and what he’s done for us.”

He was on the depth chart in 2021 behind Campbell, who took more defensive snaps than any other Power Five linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus.

Higgins took 15 defensive snaps in 2020 and 39 defensive snaps in 2021.

“He’s had to have some patience,” fellow linebacker Seth Benson said. “He’s done that, and he’s been ready. Every practice, every film session, every walk-through that we went through, he’s been ready.”

His first-team opportunity arrived in 2022 spring practices. With Campbell, Benson and Jestin Jacobs all not participating, Higgins had a greater spotlight.

“If there’s ever a benefit of having guys out because of injury, last spring we got to watch the backup linebackers,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Jay just really emerged the entire spring practice. … We came out of spring ... feeling like this guy could start for us right now.”

Then Jacobs’ injuries — first against South Dakota State and then the season-ending injury against Rutgers — created a void Higgins eventually filled.

“The doors opened up for him with Jestin’s injury,” Wallace said.

Higgins has played at least 20 defensive snaps in four of Iowa’s last six games, per PFF, and had a career-high 33 defensive snaps against Northwestern.

“You’ve got to grow up fast,” Higgins said. “Practice reps are good, but something about when you’re in the game is (where) the real gets really real, really fast.”

Higgins has the benefit of playing around an experienced defensive front. Campbell and Benson have the other two linebacker spots, and the defensive line ahead of him has no shortage of experience either.

"It makes it easier,” Higgins said. “I got Campbell next to me.“

Benson said Higgins is a “great guy” off the field.

“He’s kind of a jokester sometimes,” Benson said. “A guy you want in your room.”

Campbell said Higgins is smart and “loves to learn.”

"He’ll continue to grow, and he’ll continue to improve,“ Campbell said. “I’m excited to see what Jay can do.”

Jay is not the only Higgins family member to build a relationship with Campbell. His father, Roy, also considers Campbell a friend since they first met.

“I got a little slogan,” Roy said. “Nothing runs like a (John) Deere, but Jack Campbell.”

Jay Higgins has learned some leadership lessons from his time with Campbell.

“Leadership is how you carry yourself through the good and the bad,” Higgins said. “Body language is the same if they score a touchdown or we got them third-and-40. … If we see our leader is broken, we’re probably not going to be in a good state of mind either.”

Looking ahead, the next step for Higgins, Benson said, is “really trusting his instincts.”

"Sometimes he gets really excited and just wants to make the plays so bad,” Benson said. “Just trust in his feet and in his eyes.”

Higgins’ next chance to do that will be against Purdue — a program about 60 miles northwest of his high school that did not offer him a scholarship. Fellow in-state Big Ten program Indiana also did not offer the 6-foot-2 linebacker.

“I think Jay has kind of a chip on his shoulder,” Roy said. “I realized that God has something for Jay, no matter what — even if a school in Indiana didn’t see it.”

That helped open the door for Iowa’s coaching staff.

“Iowa had seen something that me and his mom have always seen,” Roy said. “Once we found the real fit — that was Iowa — we knew he will be able to develop and even be a better football player.”

Now, Roy and “a lot” of other family and friends will be able to see Jay play without the several-hour drive to Iowa City.

“His family is excited to see him,” Roy said.

Even some Purdue fans — Roy brags a lot while in West Lafayette for work about Jay, and some of his high school classmates went to school there — seem excited, too.

“I had so many people inbox me from Purdue inviting me to their tailgates,” Roy said. “There’s no bitterness. … They’re excited to see what Jay is going to do, and they tell me how they’ve been following Jay and how proud they are of him.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com