Iowa’s Jay Higgins becomes unanimous All-American, Kaleb Johnson becomes consensus All-American

IOWA CITY — Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins officially is a unanimous All-American.

Sporting News named him a first-team All-American on Wednesday, completing a clean sweep of first-team honors on the five preeminent All-America teams.

Higgins is Iowa’s sixth unanimous All-American in the last five seasons. He joins Cooper DeJean (2023), Tory Taylor (2023), Jack Campbell (2022), Tyler Linderbaum (2021) and Daviyon Nixon (2020).

Sporting News also named Kaleb Johnson on its All-America first-team — his third first-team All-American honor, clinching consensus All-America status. He also received first-team All-America recognition from the Football Writers Association of America and Walter Camp Football Foundation and was a second-team honoree on the other two teams.

Johnson is Iowa’s first consensus All-American running back since Shonn Greene in 2008. It followed a season in which Johnson amassed 1,537 rushing yards — the most for a Hawkeye since Greene — and a program-record 21 rushing touchdowns and 23 total touchdowns.

Iowa’s Kaden Wetjen, meanwhile, earned second-team All-America recognition from Sporting News as a punt returner. The Williamsburg native was named a FWAA first-team All-American as a punt returner earlier in the week.

Iowa now has 33 consensus All-Americans in program history, including 18 during Kirk Ferentz’s 26-year tenure as head coach. The Hawkeyes have multiple consensus All-Americans in back-to-back years for only the second time in program history. (The other occasion was 2002-03.)

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