Hawkeyes put Desmond King, Jaleel Johnson on all-Big Ten

IOWA CITY — Iowa's defense has been at the heart of its November surge, and Tuesday the Big Ten Conference recognized the Hawkeyes' efforts.

Senior cornerback Desmond King and senior defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson were named first-team all-Big Ten on the league coaches' ballot. King was also named first team by vote of Big Ten media, while Johnson was named second-team by the media. Junior linebacker Josey Jewell, who led the Big Ten in tackles, was named second-team by both coaches and media.

The defensive honorees were announced by the Big Ten Conference Tuesday on BTN. Offensive award winners will be announced Wednesday evening.

Hawkeye defensive players who earned honorable mention recognition include sophomore end Parker Hesse, who was tabbed by both groups, senior cornerback Greg Mabin (coaches) and junior tackle Nathan Bazata (media).

The Big Ten also announced special teams players who were recognized. King was named as the second-team return specialist by both coaches and media. Senior punter Ron Coluzzi earned third-team honors from both groups.

King, a native of Detroit, earned first-team honors for the second straight year. He recorded 53 tackles and seven pass breakups, while also collecting two interceptions. King has 13 career interceptions to tie for fourth on Iowa's career list. He previously was named a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award, Bednarik Award, and Lott IMPACT Trophy.

King has handled the majority of kickoff and punt returns for the past two seasons. He averaged 9.8 yards on 25 punt returns and 27.2 yards on 25 kickoff returns this season, ranking among Big Ten leaders in both categories. His career-long 44-yard punt return led to a touchdown in Iowa's 40-10 win over then-No. 16 Nebraska.

Johnson earned first-team honors for the first time in his career after earning honorable mention recognition as a junior. The native of Lombard, Ill., led Iowa with 7.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. His tackle for a safety was a key play for the Hawkeye defense in a 14-13 win over third-ranked Michigan. Johnson finished the regular season with 54 tackles.

Jewell, a Decorah native, earned second-team recognition for the second straight season. His 114 tackles tied for the Big Ten lead, and he also led Iowa with eight pass breakups. Jewell recorded 10 tackles or more in six of 12 games while leading the team in tackles for the second straight season.

Mabin, who missed the final three games of the season because of injury, earned Big Ten recognition for the first time in his career. He started 33 games throughout his career, including 29 straight. Mabin is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who collected 37 tackles, three pass breakups, and one forced fumble in nine games.

Hesse earned honorable mention honors from both coaches and media after being named to the league's freshman team a year ago. He recorded 33 tackles in 11 games, missing the Iowa State game because of injury. He also had 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and one forced and one recovered fumble.

Coluzzi made the most of his one season with the Hawkeyes. The native of Naperville, Ill., joined the Iowa program as a graduate transfer. He averaged 41.2 yards per punt, with 13 punts of 50 yards or more. Coluzzi placed 22 of his 68 punts inside the 20 and had just five touchbacks. Iowa opponents had just 10 returns in 12 games, with 33 Coluzzi punts resulting in a fair catch.

Senior running back LeShun Daniels, Jr., earned Iowa's Sportsmanship Award, which honors one player from each conference team. Daniels leads Iowa in rushing (198-1,013) and has scored 10 rushing touchdowns. He is the first Hawkeye to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season since 2011. The native of Warren, Ohio, has 1,843 career rushing yards. He is a two-year member of Iowa's leadership group.

FWIW, here's my first- and second-team defensive ballots for the Associated Press

1st Team Defense

DE Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State

DE Taco Charlton, Michigan

DT Jaleel Johnson, Iowa

DT Steven Richardson, Minnesota

LB Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

LB Josey Jewell, Iowa

LB T.J. Watt, Wisconsin

CBJourdan Lewis, Michigan

CB Desmond King, Iowa

S Malik Hooker, Ohio State

S Leo Musso, Wisconsin

P Cameron Johnston, Ohio State

2nd Team Defense

DE Carroll Phillips, Illinois

DE Ifeadi Odenigbo, Northwestern

DT Ryan Glasgow, Michigan

DT Chunky Clements, Illinois

LB Tegray Scales, Indiana

LB Vince Biegel, Wisconsin

LB Raekwon McMillan, Ohio State

CB Sojourn Shelton, Wisconsin

CB Channing Stribling, Michigan

S Marcus Allen, Penn State

S D'Cota Dixon, Wisconsin

P Kenny Allen, Michigan