Pro Football Focus gives top spot to Iowa football’s linebacker duo

One thing that the Iowa Hawkeyes will do well year in and year out is play stout defense. That starts up front with the defensive line and linebackers. The Hawkeyes have had a run on great front seven players lately.

There has been Jack Campbell, Lukas Van Ness, A.J. Epenesa, and many more. Up next is the linebacking duo of Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson who burst onto the scene in 2023 fortifying Iowa’s defense in the middle.

The two are looking to build upon last season and have an even bigger year while having their sights set on being the best. They aren’t the only ones who believe that, either. Pro Football Focus has claimed they are the best linebacker duo in college football.

“That’s the best pair of starting linebackers in the country,” Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus said.

Dalton Wasserman wasn’t afraid to stamp high praise on  Jackson and Higgins with the statement. He has reason to believe it could be true as well. The two both chose to come back to Iowa rather than venture to the NFL and are part of a defense returning eight starters and is built around them.

Jackson tallied 110 tackles last year and has a total of 462 career tackles in his time with Iowa and Virginia. Higgins is coming off of a monster year in which he totaled 171 tackles in 2024 and has high hopes to build upon that.

The two provide Iowa with incredible depth and experience in the middle and give Phil Parker an added layer of trust when he sends in the defensive play.

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