IOWA CITY, Iowa – Twelve University of Iowa football offensive student-athletes earned All-Big Ten honors, by league coaches and media. The Big Ten Conference made the announcement on Tuesday. Defensive honors will be announced Wednesday and special teams Thursday.
Three Hawkeyes – senior left tackle Alaric Jackson, sophomore running back Tyler Goodson, and redshirt sophomore center Tyler Linderbaum – were named first-team All-Big Ten selections. Goodson and Jackson were selected by coaches and media, while Linderbaum’s first-team selection was by the media.
Linderbaum was a second-team All-Big Ten selection by Big Ten coaches. Senior offensive guard Cole Banwart was also a second-team selection by both coaches and media.
Rounding out Iowa’s All-Big Ten honors on the offensive side of the ball are eight honorable mentions: senior running back Mekhi Sargent (coaches & media), junior guard Kyler Schott (coaches & media), sophomore tight end Sam LaPorta (coaches & media), senior wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette (coaches), sophomore guard Cody Ince (media), redshirt sophomore quarterback Spencer Petras (media), junior tackle Mark Kallenberger (media), and senior tight end Shaun Beyer (media).
Jackson, a Detroit, Michigan, native, earns his third career All-Big Ten postseason honor. Last season he was a third-team All-Big Ten selection. In 2018, he garnered second-team honors. Jackson has started all eight games for the Hawkeyes at left tackle this season and has helped lead Iowa’s offensive line that was recently named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award. Jackson has 42 career starts, all at left tackle.
Goodson, from North Gwinnett, Georgia, earns his first career postseason nod by the conference. He leads the Hawkeyes and ranks second in the Big Ten with 762 rushing yards. Goodson’s seven rushing touchdowns are tied for third most in the Big Ten. He has four 100-yard rushing games this season and has the longest run by a Big Ten player this season after his 80-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter against Wisconsin.
Linderbaum, a Solon, Iowa native, earns his second career Big Ten postseason honor after being named honorable mention by league coaches and media last season. Linderbaum has started all eight games at center for the Hawkeyes. Linderbaum has helped lead an offensive line that is setting the tone for an offense that is averaging 31.8 points per game – second most in the Big Ten.
Banwart, an Ottosen, Iowa, native, earns his first career postseason honor. Banwart is one of three Iowa offensive lineman to start all eight games this season. He has started at both right and left guard.
Sargent, from Key West, Florida, earns his first career postseason honor. He has rushed for 432 yards on 76 attempts to rank sixth in the Big Ten in yards per carry (5.7). His seven rushing touchdowns this season are tied for the third most in the conference. He is one of 11 players in school history to record 20 career rushing touchdowns.
Schott, a Coggon, Iowa, native, earns his first career postseason honor, after rotating on Iowa’s offensive line at the guard position. He missed three games this season due to illness.
LaPorta, a Highland, Illinois, native, earns his first career postseason honor. LaPorta has a team-high 27 receptions and ranks second on the team with 271 receiving yards. He scored his first career touchdown in Week 7 at Illinois.
Smith-Marsette, who was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Monday, is an honorable mention All-Big Ten wide receiver for the third time in his career. The Newark, New Jersey, native has a team-high 345 receiving yards this season and ranks 18th in career receiving yards (1,615) on 110 receptions.
Ince and Kallenberger are Iowa’s fifth and sixth offensive linemen to garner Big Ten postseason honors. It is the first career postseason honor for both. Ince has started six games and Kallenberger has four starts while missing two games to injury.
Petras, a San Rafael, California, native, earns his first career postseason honor. Petras is 92-of-156 with 1,088 passing yards and eight touchdowns to only two interceptions during Iowa’s six-game winning streak. Petras’ 245 pass attempts are the most in the Big Ten and his 1,569 passing yards rank third most in the conference.
Beyer, a Shellsburg, Iowa, native, earns his first career postseason honor. Beyer has 11 receptions for 158 yards, including his first career touchdown on a 16-yard reception at Illinois.
Iowa (6-2) and its six-game winning streak will face Michigan (2-4) on Saturday inside Kinnick Stadium at 6 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on ESPN.
