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 Draft Scout College Football Player News: Iowa
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  07/11/22 - *Lukas Van NessrSo/2023, Iowa, 6-5, 272 (DS#3 DE) + More +

  Iowa assistant defensive line coach Jay Niemann understands the looming expectations of his room this upcoming season. The Hawkeyes return eight of their top nine contributors from last year, equating to more than 75% of its production (total tackles, tackles for loss and sacks) returning. A trio of seniors headline the group in Joe Evans, Noah Shannon and John Waggoner. Junior Logan Lee has earned preseason All-Big Ten honors and sophomore Lukas Van Ness, the team's leading sack getter last season, has perhaps the highest ceiling and a new position, switching to defensive end full-time this year.

On paper, there's plenty to be excited about and returning experience points to a breakout year for the group. But Niemann is tempering those expectations. "There's plenty of room for improvement," Niemann said. "You're never a finished products. And if you listen to some of the guys, even at the NFL level talk, guys that have eight, nine, ten years of experience, they're always trying to master their craft. They're always trying to find something to get better at always trying to find a way to improve their game. "We've got three seniors in Noah, John Waggoner, Joe Evans and they're leading the charge but I think all three of them will tell you that there's three or four things about the fundamental and technique aspect of their game they'd like to get better at." - Iowa City Press-Citizen


(DS#3 DE) rSo/2023 DE *Lukas Van NessIowa
News Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen
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  07/06/22 - Jack CampbellrJr/2023, Iowa, 6-5, 249 (DS#1 ILB) + More +

  Program veterans like linebacker Jack Campbell called the summer period "vital." It allows older players to clean up their technique and younger players to learn some basics entering fall camp. Not taking advantage of this time can set a player back, a lesson Campbell learned as a younger player and is passing on now as a senior leader. "If you don't have the right mindset or attitude it's gonna fly by and you're not gonna be able to progress," Campbell said. "The guys right now, we meet every day pretty much except Fridays and I just try to emphasize that (fall camp) is going to come up fast. It's a marathon, not a sprint, but at the same time, you got to just do your best every single day."

Campbell also added that the down time allows more opportunities for bonding outside of the facility. "This is a time where you can you can really build bonds," Campbell said. "You get done with workouts and meetings times and we have a little bit of free time. You got to get to your position group, the guys on the unit but also guys on the other side of the ball. I feel like right now it's an important time to just build relationships. A team culture is all built on relationships, and that's something that (head coach Kirk Ferentz) has let us know." Campbell's linebacker position was one of the groups hardest hit by injuries in spring, as well as defensive back, wide receiver and both lines of scrimmage. Mounting injuries affected how much progress the team could make during spring and while it allowed for other players to gain valuable reps, having the full depth return will help speed up development. - Iowa City Press-Citizen


(DS#1 ILB) rJr/2023 ILB Jack CampbellIowa
News Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen
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  07/02/22 - Jack CampbellrJr/2023, Iowa, 6-5, 249 (DS#1 ILB) + More +

  Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell isn't taking anything for granted during summer conditioning. The All-Big Ten Conference selection missed all of spring practice due to a knee injury but returned as a full participant in June. He did all he could to contribute off the field, and now he's making up for lost time on the field. "I wish I could have worked every single day in (the linebacker) room," Campbell said. "Due to the fact that I was just trying to get some things fixed up, that wasn't an option. But for me, personally, I can't take a day for granted. I just worked my butt off in the film room and also just talking to other linebackers about football stuff. But ultimately, I'm here now. I feel great so I'm ready to go."

Campbell passed on the 2022 NFL Draft to return to Iowa for his senior season. The Hawkeyes linebacker corps is the only position group on the team to return every starter from last season. Campbell is joined by fellow All-Big Ten selection and senior Seth Benson as well as junior Jestin Jacobs, whose athleticism could make him an intriguing 2023 draft prospect. What are the expectations for this group? Campbell, who is racking up preseason All-American honors, has challenged the room to be second to none in 2022. "I feel like obviously our next step is we want to be the best," Campbell said. "The best unit to step foot on the field every single day, day in and day out. It all starts with a mindset and if everyone in the room doesn't carry that mindset, we're not going to be that. I feel like we have a really good great group of veterans and young guys that do carry that mindset. And that's something that I'm excited to see develop throughout this summer (and) fall camp (and) into the season." - Iowa City Press-Citizen


(DS#1 ILB) rJr/2023 ILB Jack CampbellIowa
News Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen
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  07/01/22 - Sam LaPortaSr/2023, Iowa, 6-3, 245 (DS#5 TE) + More +

  A third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021, Sam LaPorta outplayed his lack of accolades, especially late in the season. Over his final three games, LaPorta totaled 245 receiving yards. His 122 receiving yards against Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl are tied for the second-most in an Iowa bowl game. He scored on a 36-yard screen pass early in the fourth quarter. "Sam's a guy that runs great routes," Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras said. "He catches the football and he makes plays after he catches them. A great tight end like that is a quarterback's best friend. He's just a great player. It's just my job to get him the ball when he's open, and that's quite a bit." "He just has a knack for getting open," said Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell, one of LaPorta's roommates and a second-team All-American. "He does a great job of just finding the soft spots in a zone, sitting down."

LaPorta, 21, considered leaving for the NFL after his third year - just like Hockenson and Fant - but instead wanted to round out his Iowa career with a great senior season and a college degree. LaPorta needs 23 catches and 532 receiving yards to become the program's all-time leader among tight ends in both categories. "He just loves it there," Staci LaPorta said. "He loves everything about Iowa football and didn't want to leave early and look back at it wishing that he would have gone back for that senior year. Just being with all of his teammates and his housemates and the coaches and to get his degree finished up. He weighed both options, but he felt really comfortable making the decision to get back for his senior year. "He's got some pretty big goals for himself." - The Athletic


(DS#5 TE) Sr/2023 TE Sam LaPortaIowa
News Source: The Athletic
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  06/29/22 - Nico RagainirSr/2024, Iowa, 5-11, 188 (DS#114 WR) + More +

  Iowa wide receiver Nico Ragaini knows the end of his Hawkeye career is near. He's been playing in Iowa City for four years and 34 games. He's the longest-serving veteran player in the program. He's already graduated. Now he only has about six months to try to cement his final game: Ensuring he gets a shot in the NFL. His plan is to go all in this fall. "This is my last football year, my fifth year," Ragaini said. "I got this summer and then the next couple games. So putting all my eggs in the basket and going as hard as I could possibly go." There'll certainly be opportunity for Ragaini to have a large role in the offense this year. Due to transfer portal attrition, Iowa's wide receiver room is small in scholarship numbers with Ragaini as the lone senior.

Charlie Jones' departure to Purdue allows for Ragaini to take a stronghold over the slot receiver position. But he didn't rule out lining up at other positions. A bit of the leap Ragaini wants to take is maintaining the swagger that he says allows him to play at his best. Admittedly it's come and gone over the last year or so but with a fresh perspective this summer, he sees himself putting his best foot forward for the team in 2022. "I know my best player when I have this little swag about myself," Ragaini said. "Sometimes I get myself out of it. So I just got to focus on myself and just get in that zone every single game. That's my goal this year." - Iowa City Press-Citizen


(DS#114 WR) rSr/2024 WR Nico RagainiIowa
News Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen
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  06/26/22 - Tory TaylorSr/2024, Iowa, 6-4, 223 (DS#1 P) + More +

  These days, Tory Taylor isn't doing anything "too exciting." "Just lifting and running and punting," Taylor said Thursday. "Making the most of the nice weather while it is nice. It felt like winter went for ages." As the Iowa punter enjoys weather more comparable to what he's used to in Melbourne, Australia, he's also well aware of what the next steps are in his development. Hitting more spiral punts was a focus for Taylor last year "because obviously the ball goes farther and the ball is in the air longer," Taylor said.

"I didn't have any of those punts my freshman year," Taylor said. "So to really just rip the Band-Aid off … was a big thing for me - probably something that other people didn't actually really notice." Taylor had 18 punts inside the 20-yard-line and only one touchback in 2020. That's a staggering 95 percent of punts that pinned opponents rather than rolling into the end zone. Then in 2021, he had 39 punts inside the 20 and 13 touchbacks - 75 percent success instead of 95 percent. "That's one area of my game that I really want to clean up," Taylor said. - The Gazette


(DS#1 P) Sr/2024 P Tory TaylorIowa
News Source: The Gazette
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  06/25/22 - Jack CampbellrJr/2023, Iowa, 6-5, 249 (DS#1 ILB) + More +

  Wearing a T-shirt and shorts instead of a uniform and pads, Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell paced the field during the Hawkeyes' open practice in April. It's the way he was dressed the whole spring, when he was held out of practices as he rested and rehabilitated nagging injuries from a season in which he led the nation with 143 tackles. "It was tough, obviously - every competitor is going to want to be out there," Campbell said this week. "I wish I could have worked every single day in the spring. But just due to the fact that I was trying to get things healed up and fixed up, that wasn't an option. For me, personally, you can't take a day for granted."

Campbell, a senior, is back on the field for summer workouts, and he's trying to convey that attitude to teammates. "When I was a freshman, I didn't know what to expect," Campbell said. "I learned really quickly that the summer goes by pretty fast, and then you're in fall camp." An Associated Press All-Big Ten second-team selection last season, Campbell is healthy and expected to once again play a major role for an Iowa defense that ranked as one of the best. The Hawkeyes led the nation with 25 interceptions and ranked third in turnovers forced with 30. They allowed 19.2 points per game. Campbell was the anchor at middle linebacker. "If you're the linebacker at Iowa, you've got to know all of the calls," defensive end John Waggoner said. "He's on top of that, barking out calls, and seeing things before other people do. He's a great leader and an example for how the younger guys should act." - AP College Football


(DS#1 ILB) rJr/2023 ILB Jack CampbellIowa
News Source: AP College Football
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  06/22/22 - Jack CampbellrJr/2023, Iowa, 6-5, 249 (DS#1 ILB) + More +

  Iowa's Jack Campbell the type of fundamental linebacker prospect that always seems to be around the football. From a productivity standpoint, there are few that do it better than the Hawkeyes star. In 2021, he had an eye-popping 143 total tackles with eight pass deflections and two interceptions. Given the fact that was his first year as a consistent starter, he could put up comparable numbers in 2022 and become a can't miss prospect. Beyond the stat sheet, he has prototypical middle linebacker size at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds and above average coverage skills, to boot. - Hawk Central

(DS#1 ILB) rJr/2023 ILB Jack CampbellIowa
News Source: Hawk Central
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  06/10/22 - Aaron GravesSr/2026, Iowa, 6-4, 300 (DS#9 DT) + More +

  Incoming Iowa football freshman Aaron Graves' list of accolades has already solidified him as one of the best athletes in state history. On Wednesday, he received an honor that put him in a class of his own. Graves was named the MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year nationally. Graves joins a list of past winners that include NFL superstars Derrick Henry, Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray and NBA players Lonzo Ball and Jalen Sugges. Graves is the first Iowan to win the award.

A quick glance at his resume explains why he was the recipient. Graves is a four-sport athlete at Southeast Valley High School. He's the school's all-time leading scorer in basketball (1,356 points), all-time leader in shot put in track and field (52 feet, 2 inches) and is a two-time district champion and two-time fourth-place finisher in the state wrestling finals. In his primary sport, football, Graves led Southeast Valley to the state championship as an All-American two-way lineman. With his most notable high school award in hand, Graves will officially enroll at Iowa this weekend and will look to crack the Hawkeyes' defensive line rotation as a freshman. - Iowa City Press-Citizen


(DS#9 DT) Sr/2026 DT Aaron GravesIowa
News Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen
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  06/07/22 - *Dallas ClarkJr/2003, Iowa, 6-3, 257 (DS#1 TE) + More +

  Two former Iowa football players from could soon be enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame. Tight end Dallas Clark and offensive tackle Robert Gallery are candidates on the 2023 ballot, the National Football Foundation announced Monday. Clark at first played linebacker at Iowa before switching to tight end for his last two years, recording 1,281 receiving yards and 81 receptions.

Gallery was the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2003 and selected with the second overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Clark and Gallery played in some of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz's first successful seasons - the 2001 team that won the Alamo Bowl and the 2002 team that went 8-0 in Big Ten play and earned a trip to the Orange Bowl. Iowa is one of seven Big Ten schools to have multiple former players as candidates on this year's ballot, joining Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois, Ohio State, Indiana and Purdue. - The Gazette


(DS#1 TE) Jr/2003 TE *Dallas ClarkIowa
News Source: The Gazette
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  05/31/22 - Kaleb JohnsonJr/2025, Iowa, 6-1, 224 (DS#6 RB) + More +

  Kaleb Johnson is approaching the long-awaited June 12 date with growing excitement. That's the day the Iowa football incoming freshman running back will finally arrive on campus. It's a date that's been circled since he signed with the program last December. Depending on where you look, Johnson is a three- or four-star recruit in Iowa's 2022 signing class. The Ohio native hasn't participated in any other sport since signing, devoting all of his time to making sure he's ready from the moment he enrolls. "I've been working out every day focusing on football," Johnson said. "(Running back coach Ladell Betts) gave me a workout plan, but my trainer is mixing in his own thing with coach Betts' stuff, so it's like both." The scope of these workouts is focused on improving Johnson's hip flexibility and quickness.

He's different than the running backs that Iowa's had in recent years. Betts said as much about the 6-foot-1, 216-pound prospect when his signing became official. "In recent years we haven't had a 'big' running back in the program," Betts said in a statement. "Kaleb brings a physical presence to the running back room with his size and speed and should be a great addition to an already talented group." He believes he'll be a perfect fit in Iowa's zone running scheme given his playing style. "I think I'm going to be the best at doing it," Johnson said. "Their scheme is what I really love running: through the holes and also to the outside. I feel like their running scheme will make me superb when I get there. And their offensive line, they're all just big. I feel like I can maneuver through them, so it's going to be pretty cool." - Iowa City Press-Citizen


(DS#6 RB) Jr/2025 RB Kaleb JohnsonIowa
News Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen
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  05/26/22 - Erick AllrSr/2024, Iowa, 6-4, 252 (DS#11 TE) + More +

  If there was ever an on-field moment that sums up Erick All, it was the cold, wet afternoon last November at Penn State. Nursing a high-ankle sprain that sidelined him a week earlier, and had Nittany Lions defenders feeling confident in their ability to keep up with the 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end, All surprised everyone. As quarterback Cade McNamara dropped back to pass, Michigan successfully ran a mesh route that sent two receivers from the right side of the field to left, confusing Penn State players and leaving a streaking All wide open over the field of the field.

Not only did he catch the football, but he darted up field more than 40 yards for a touchdown, outrunning everyone after him. "I mean, he was two weeks off a high-ankle sprain and he was doing that," Michigan tight ends coach Grant Newsome, a graduate assistant coach at the time, recently recalled. "I think he's a really, really special athlete." Newsome isn't the only Michigan assistant to heap praise on All, who enters his senior year this fall. It was offensive line coach (formerly in charge of the tight ends) Sherrone Moore who just a couple of years ago set the expectation high for the Fairfield, Ohio, native. The coaches saw something special in All early on, not only in his big, athletic frame but his natural ability and over-the-top work ethic. "We have to try and pull him back sometimes, because he just wants to kill everything," Newsome said. "He wants to hit, hit, hit. And that's great - but we're trying to be smart about that." - Ann Arbor News


(DS#11 TE) rSr/2024 TE Erick AllIowa
News Source: Ann Arbor News
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  05/26/22 - Olando TraderFr/2026, Iowa, 6-1, 185 (DS#999 CB) + More +

  A member of Iowa football's 2022 recruiting class announced Wednesday he won't be joining the team as planned in June. Defensive back Olando Trader, a three-star signee from Jackson, Michigan, announced he's re-opening his recruitment via his Twitter account. Trader held offers from Iowa, Central Michigan, Nebraska and Vanderbilt. He was committed to Central Michigan until he flipped his commitment to Iowa before the early signing period in December. Trader joined Koen Entringer, TJ Hall, Deshaun Lee and Xavier Nwankpa as the five defensive back signees in the class. Hall and Nwnakpa early enrolled in January and have already made an impression on the coaching staff. Elsewhere, Iowa has 12 scholarship defensive backs on the roster. Iowa's 2022 recruiting class was ranked No. 38 nationally according to 247sports. - Iowa City Press-Citizen

(DS#999 CB) Fr/2026 CB Olando TraderIowa
News Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen
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  05/26/22 - Jack CampbellrJr/2023, Iowa, 6-5, 249 (DS#1 ILB) + More +

  2022 LOTT IMPACT TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST: JACK CAMPBELL, LB, Iowa, Jr., 6-5, 243, Cedar Falls, Ia.; Led nation in tackles with 143 in 2021; Dean's List; Iowa Leadership team. - Lott IMPACT Trophy/The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation

(DS#1 ILB) rJr/2023 ILB Jack CampbellIowa
News Source: Lott IMPACT Trophy
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  05/24/22 - Riley MossSr/2023, Iowa, 6-1, 193 (DS#19 CB) + More +

  2022 LOTT IMPACT TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST: RILEY MOSS, DB, Iowa, Sr., 6-1, 194, Ankeny, Ia.; Sporting News All-American; 10 career interceptions, 3 for touchdowns; Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2021. - Lott IMPACT Trophy/The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation

(DS#19 CB) Sr/2023 CB Riley MossIowa
News Source: Lott IMPACT Trophy
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