Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes Star Projected to Land with Los Angeles Rams
The Iowa Hawkeyes have a few players who will be selected throughout the 2025 NFL Draft. While the biggest name of the bunch is standout running back Kaleb Johnson, there is another intriguing name to keep an eye on.
Jay Higgins, the team’s star linebacker, will also be selected at some point in the draft.
Arguably one of the most underrated linebackers in the 2025 draft class, Higgins put together a very strong college career at Iowa. He has been projected to end up being selected anywhere from the third to the fifth round.
Being selected in any round lower than the third round would make him a major steal.
That being said, a new projection has been made for where Higgins will end up.
Scott Salomon of Pro Football Network has predicted that the Los Angeles Rams will end up taking Higgins with the No. 98 overall pick.
Landing with the Rams would be a great opportunity for him. Los Angeles needs help at the linebacker position and he could come in and earn playing time right off the bat.
Throughout the course of the 2024 season with the Hawkeyes, Higgins ended up totaling 124 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles, four interceptions, and five defended passes.
In his entire Iowa career, Higgins produced massive numbers. He racked up 341 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, five interceptions, and nine defended passes.
While there are some concerns about his athleticism and ability to translate to the NFL, his production speaks for itself. Sometimes, teams have to look past the tape and focus on how a player plays on the field. That is how Higgins should be looked at.
Hopefully, Higgins is able to land with a good team and earn playing time early on. He is one of the best defensive players that the Hawkeyes have had in recent years and fans will continue rooting him on at the next level.
When it comes to the Iowa Hawkeyes 2026 football season, it doesn’t get much bigger than Ohio State coming to Kinnick Stadium.
No one knows at this stage where the Buckeyes will be come Oct. 3, but Iowa has a chance to make an early impression against a team that is no stranger to winning the big one.
Iowa’s B1G schedule couldn’t get off to a worse start as they head to Michigan and then welcome the Buckeyes to Kinnick.
Hopefully for Iowa’s sake, their first three games against Northern Illinois, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa are enough to get them prepared. If not, things could get ugly.
ESPN Believes Ohio State is Iowa’s Biggest Opponent in 2026
The Michigan game will certainly be a test, but hosting the Buckeyes is a different animal. That gives the Hawkeyes an advantage like no other, and if there was ever a time to give OSU a run for their money, it’s in Iowa City on Oct. 3.
“The Hawkeyes haven’t faced Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium since 2017, when Nate Stanley threw five touchdowns as they stunned the Buckeyes 55-24. An early October win over Ohio State could propel Iowa into the Big Ten title and playoff conversations,” Jake Trotter wrote.
To put things into perspective, Indiana and Oregon were the other two teams that had the Buckeyes listed as their defining game in the 2026 season. Shockingly, Iowa was actually selected against a team, that being Minnesota. Seeing as that’s for the Floyd of Rosedale, it makes complete sense.
Iowa Can’t Let Regular Season Opportunities Go To Waste
Last year was seemingly the Hawkeyes’ first time to actually make the College Football Playoffs. They came up short as their losses to No. 16 Iowa State, No. 11 Indiana, No. 9 Oregon and No. 17 USC all added up. Sure, those were by a combined 15 points, but that doesn’t matter, as it’s bad enough that a three-loss team made the playoffs.
Iowa ended with a bang as they took down No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, 34-27. Now, all eyes are on either Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown. One of those men will have a chance to make their first B1G start at the Big House in Michigan.
It doesn’t get any tougher than that, as Iowa is immediately putting their new QB into deep water. They’ll have three games prior to that to get up to speed, but other than that, it’s go time as OSU awaits after their trip to Michigan.
Don’t forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!
MANCHESTER, Iowa — The state of Iowa lost a titan of the prep coaching world this week. Former Kee High School baseball coach Gene Schultz died on Monday at the age of 80.
Schultz spent 45 seasons as the baseball coach at Kee, helping turn the program into an Iowa dynasty. He won 9 State championships (not counting 2 fall titles, which the IHSAA doesn’t recognize in the record books), and took the Hawks to 19 State tournaments, which is also the most in Iowa history.
His 1,754 wins are not only the most in Iowa history, but the most of any high school baseball coach in the country.
Utah Mammoth take down Minnesota 5-2 to end the Wild’s winning streak at 6
Couple sentenced for selling faulty fire extinguishers to Mississippi daycares, businesses – SuperTalk Mississippi
Missouri Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 winning numbers for Feb. 27, 2026
Montana cowboys help build trauma ranch for Israeli soldiers
How to Watch No. 12 Nebraska Basketball at USC with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
ICE blasts Washington mayor over directive restricting immigration enforcement
Did the EU bypass Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s €90 billion loan?
How the federal government is painting immigrants as criminals on social media
Where Iran’s ballistic missiles can reach — and how close they are to the US
Has India’s influence in Afghanistan grown under the Taliban?
-
World2 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts3 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Louisiana5 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Denver, CO2 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology7 days agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Technology7 days agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
Politics7 days agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT