It’s another set of well-deserved praise for star Iowa football linebacker Jay Higgins.
On Monday, Higgins was named to USA TODAY Sports’ preseason All-America team . Higgins earned preseason first-team All-American honors from USA TODAY Sports.
Higgins joins a first-team defense from USA TODAY Sports that features Tennessee defensive end James Pearce, Louisville defensive end Ashton Gillotte, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, Notre Dame defensive tackle Howard Cross III, LSU linebacker Harold Perkins, Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman, Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke, Georgia safety Malaki Starks and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
Higgins was sensational a season ago for the Hawkeyes. The 6-foot-2, 232 pound linebacker racked up a program-tying single-season tackles record with 171 tackles in 2023.
In his first full season starting, the Indianapolis native emerged as one of the country’s best defensive players. Higgins was recognized as a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, Phil Steele and Sports Illustrated last season. The Indy product was also a Butkus Award semifinalist.
Entering the 2024 season, Phil Steele has tabbed Higgins as its preseason defensive player of the year nationally. Athlon Sports, Phil Steele and Walter Camp have each also tabbed Higgins as a preseason first-team All-American.
Higgins had a decision to make at the end of last year, but he opted against the 2024 NFL draft and instead chose a final season in the black and gold. His decision set off a series of returning dominoes to a defense that brings back a wealth of talent and experience.
“Being a good recruiter that I am, I took those guys out to dinner, I sat them down. When I posted I was coming back, I thought they would respond a little bit faster, so I got a little nervous that they waited until after the bowl game to say they were coming back,” Higgins said recently at Iowa’s Media Day .
After a breakout season in 2023, Iowa fans can’t wait to see what Higgins has in store with the encore act in 2024.
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