IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa linebackers Seth Benson (senior), Jack Campbell (senior) and Jestin Jacobs (junior) have been named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list. Senior defensive back Riley Moss was named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch list.
Presented annually the Butkus Award goes to the nation’s most outstanding linebacker. Iowa is the only school with three linebackers selected. The Thorpe Award is awarded annually to the best defensive back in college football.
Benson (6-0, 232 pounds) was voted third-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele last season and was named honorable mention all-conference by league media in addition to being an Academic All-Big Ten selection. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native was second on the team in tackles (105), notched a pair of sacks and registered an interception. He earned Iowa’s Team Hustle Award and Coaches Appreciation Award for special teams. Benson was a second team preseason All-Big Ten selection by Athlon Sports.
Campbell (6-5, 246 pounds) was a second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Phil Steele in 2021. In addition, he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was second in the Big Ten with 143 tackles – the fifth-most ever in a single season at Iowa. He earned Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors following a career-best performance with 18 tackles in Iowa’s 24-14 win over Colorado State. A native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Campbell was the recipient of Iowa’s Roy Carver Most Valuable Player (Defense) award last season and served as a permanent team captain. He has also been named to the Athlon Sports 2022 preseason All-Big Ten First Team, as well as being named a preseason first-team All-American by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, and Sporting News.
Jacobs (6-4, 238 pounds) saw action in all 14 games for the Hawkeyes in 2021. He totaled 53 tackles and added an interception and forced fumble. Additionally, Jacobs had two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. The Englewood, Ohio, native earned Iowa’s Next Man In Award for defense.
Moss (6-1, 193 pounds) was a first-team All-America selection by Sporting News a season ago and was voted the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year. Additionally, Moss was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by both league coaches and media. The Ankeny, Iowa, native was a recipient of Iowa’s Team Hustle Award and is second all-time at Iowa in career interception return yards (239). Moss is one of three players in program history with three interception return touchdowns. He has been named to the Athlon Sports 2022 preseason All-Big Ten First Team. Moss was selected to both the Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s preseason All-America First Teams.
Campbell was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award a season ago. Former Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 2016 and a semifinalist in 2017.
Iowa’s Desmond King won the Thorpe Award in 2015 and was a semifinalist the following season. Josh Jackson was a finalist for the award in 2017. Moss was a semifinalist in 2021.
The Hawkeyes open the season with three straight nonconference home games, each featuring a different start time. The season-opener, Sept. 3, against South Dakota State is slated for an 11 a.m. (CT) kickoff. The annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game against Iowa State will follow on Sept. 10, with a 3 p.m. start time. Iowa’s final nonconference contest is an evening contest against Nevada beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Questions concerning the purchase of 2022 football tickets, including general public and UI faculty/staff, should be directed to the UI Athletics Ticket Office. UI student season tickets are sold out. Iowa’s games against Iowa State, Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin are completely sold out. The office telephone number is 1-800-IA-HAWKS and ticket information is available at hawkeyesports.com/footballtickets.
All tickets to 2022 home games will be mobile. Fans may access tickets via the Hawkeye Sports App, a link via email, or account login at hawkeyesports.com/myaccount. These tickets are optimized for display on your smartphone device and should not be printed. Fans can review additional information on mobile tickets by visiting hawkeyesports.com/mobiletickets.
