IOWA CITY — Four University of Iowa football players were named to preseason watch lists, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) announced on Tuesday.
Seniors Sebastian Castro, Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson were named to the 2024 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List for the national defensive player of the year. Higgins was previously tabbed as the 2024 preseason national defensive player of the year by Phil Steele.
Senior offensive lineman Logan Jones was recognized on the 2024 Outland Trophy Watch List, presented to the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman on offense or defense.
Iowa and Georgia have the second-most Nagurski preseason honorees. Former Hawkeye cornerback Cooper DeJean (2023) and linebackers Josey Jewell (2017) and Pat Angerer (2009) were finalists for the prestigious award.
Higgins (6-foot-2, 232-pounds) recorded 171 tackles (79 solo, 92 assists) last season, which led the Big Ten and ranked third in the nation. That total ties the program record for tackles in a single season. The Indianapolis native was named to the FWAA All-American First Team in 2023.
Jackson (6-foot-2, 235-pounds) contributed 110 tackles (51 solo, 59 assists) at linebacker, good for second on the team and fourth in the conference. The Atlanta, Georgia, native was a third-team All-Big Ten honoree by league media and honorable mention all-conference by league coaches in 2023.
Castro (5-foot-11, 205-pounds) led the team in 2023 with eight pass break-ups and three interceptions in the defensive backfield. Those totals ranked fourth and ninth in the Big Ten, respectively, last season.
Castro was a Football Focus first-team All-America, an Associated Press third-team All-American and a Phil Steele honorable mention All-American a year ago. The native of Oak Lawn, Illinois, was voted second-team All-Big Ten by conference media and honorable mention All-Big Ten by the coaches.
The FWAA All-America Committee, after voting input from the association’s full membership, selects a 26-man All-America Team and eventually the Nagurski Trophy finalists. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner will be chosen from the five finalists named in November. Committee members, by individual ballot, select the winner they regard as the best defensive player in college football.
Jones (6-foot-3, 293-pounds) is Iowa’s first Outland Trophy preseason honoree since Tyler Linderbaum (2021). Jones started at center in 13 games, missing the Nebraska game due to injury.
The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native was voted third team All-Big Ten by conference media and honorable mention All-Big ten by league coaches.
Established in 1946, the Outland Trophy is named after Dr. John H. Outland, who is one of only a few players in college football history to be named an All-American at two positions.
The recipient of the 2024 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Dec. 12, 2024. Four Hawkeyes (Brandon Scherff, 2014; Robert Gallery, 2003; Alex Karras, 1957; Cal Jones, 1955) have won the award. Only three programs in the nation (Nebraska, Alabama, Oklahoma) have had more than four Outland Trophy recipients.
