 Higgins with Iowa in 2023 | |
| Iowa Hawkeyes–No. 34 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | February 14, 2002 |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 233 lb (106 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College | Iowa (2020–present) |
| High school | Brebeuf Jesuit Prep (Indianapolis) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Jay Higgins (born February 14, 2002) is an American football linebacker for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Higgins was born on February 14, 2002, and attended Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School. Higgins committed to play college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes. [1] [2]
As a freshman in 2020 Higgins notched just two tackles. [3] In 2021, he totaled five tackles and a fumble recovery. [4] In week 9 of the 2022 season, Higgins recorded a career-high 11 tackles versus Northwestern. [5] He finished the season with 39 tackles with one and half going for a loss, and half a sack. [6] Higgins tallied 16 tackles in the 2023 season opener against Utah State. [7] In week 4, he notched a career-high 18 tackles versus Penn State. [8] Higgins was a semifinalist for the 2023 Butkus Award and a first-team all-Big Ten Conference selection by both the coaches and the media. [9] [10] In 2024, Higgins was again named first team all-Big Ten and won the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year. [11]
Iowa Hawkeyes | |||||||||
| Season | Tackles | Sacks | Fumbles | INT | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Total | TFL | Total | FF | FR | INT | PD | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 20 | 19 | 39 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 79 | 92 | 171 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 2024 | 49 | 69 | 118 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Totals | 153 | 182 | 335 | 9.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
Kirk James Ferentz is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of Iowa, a position he has held since the 1999 season. From 1990 to 1992, Ferentz was the head football coach at the University of Maine. He was also an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Ferentz played college football as a linebacker at the University of Connecticut from 1974 to 1976. Since 2017, he has been the longest tenured FBS coach with one program. Ferentz is the all-time wins leader at Iowa.
Abdul Hodge is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the tight ends coach at Iowa, where he played as a 3-time all Big-Ten linebacker. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft.
Larry W. Station Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Iowa. He is Iowa's leader in career tackles and was twice named as a consensus first-team All-American. Station was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
LeVar Woods is the special teams coach at the University of Iowa, where he played linebacker during his college career. As a professional football player, he was originally signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2001, played for a season and a half with the Detroit Lions (2005–2006), and finished his career with the Tennessee Titans (2006–2007).
Patrick Aaron Angerer is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft.
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Ben Niemann is an American professional football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at Iowa.
Tristan Wirfs is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and was selected in the first round by Tampa Bay in the 2020 NFL draft. He has been selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls.
Andrew Jared Epenesa is an American professional football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa, and was drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Riley Moss is an American professional football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and was a two-time All-Big Ten selection. Moss was selected by the Broncos in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Jack Campbell is an American professional football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was a unanimous All-American for the Iowa Hawkeyes, winning the Butkus Award in 2022. Campbell was selected by the Lions in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, and named to the All-Rookie Team.
The 2022 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa as member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by 24th-year head coach Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes played home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
Cooper DeJean is an American professional football cornerback and punt returner for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, receiving unanimous All-American honors in 2023. DeJean was selected by the Eagles in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Aaron Casey is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Indiana and was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024 by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Nick Jackson is an American football linebacker for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He previously played for the Virginia Cavaliers.
Joe Evans is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Logan Lee is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Carson Schwesinger is an American college football linebacker for the UCLA Bruins.
Jestin Jacobs is an American football linebacker for the Oregon Ducks. He previously played for the Iowa Hawkeyes.