Four members of the Iowa Hawkeye football team were named preseason all-american by Athlon Sports yesterday. Senior linebacker Jack Campbell and senior defensive back Riley Moss garnered first-team selections; junior punter Tory Taylor earned a second team nod; and senior tight end Sam LaPorta was selected to the fourth team.
Campbell (6-foot-5, 243-pounds) was a second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America 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, and first-team on Phil Steele’s preseason All-America team.
Moss (6-1, 194) 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 and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. 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, and the Phil Steele’s preseason All-America First Team.
Taylor (6-4, 231) handled all of Iowa’s punting duties in 2021, averaging 46.1 yards on 80 punts – 39 of which were downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. He was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award and appeared on the weekly Ray’s 8 list three times throughout the season. The Melbourne, Australia, native was named Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against Iowa State and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by league coaches and media a season ago.
LaPorta (6-4, 249) was voted second-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele and third-team by league coaches in 2021. The Highland, Illinois, native was named to the Mackey Award Preseason Watch List last season. As a junior LaPorta led the Hawkeyes in catches and yards, hauling in 53 receptions for 670 yards and three touchdowns. The Hawkeye tight end has been named to the Athlon Sports 2022 preseason All-Big Ten First Team, and third-team on Phil Steele’s preseason All-America team.
