IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior linebacker Jack Campbell has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in the Hawkeyes’ 13-10 win at Minnesota. The announcement was made Monday by the Big Ten Conference office.
Campbell (6-foot-5, 246-pounds) led the Iowa defense in the final minutes of the win at Minnesota as the Hawkeyes won their eighth straight with Floyd of Rosedale on the line. Campbell forced a Minnesota fumble inside the Iowa 10 with 5:07 left to play, which was recovered by teammate Deontae Craig.
On Minnesota’s next possession, Campbell intercepted a pass that was broken up by cornerback Riley Moss. Campbell returned his second interception of the season to the Minnesota 45 with 2:06 remaining. The Iowa offense turned the theft into a Drew Stevens game-winning field goal with 28 seconds to play. Campbell appeared to have a 75-yard return for a touchdown, but it was ruled that he stepped out of bounds at the 45.
For the game, the Cedar Falls, Iowa, native recorded 10 tackles, including six solo stops, as the Hawkeye defense held the Gophers to 10 points. Iowa’s defense has held eight opponents to 10 points or less in 11 games. Campbell leads Iowa with a Big Ten-best 110 tackles, recording more than 100 tackles for the second straight season.
Campbell is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and was named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, Rotary Lombardi Award and Butkus Award. The Big Ten honor is the second of Campbell’s career, as he was also recognized following Iowa’s win over Colorado State in 2021.
Campbell is the fifth Hawkeye to earn Big Ten recognition this season. Punter Tory Taylor earned special team honors on two occasions (South Dakota State, Rutgers), defensive back Kaevon Merriweather earned defensive honors for his play at Rutgers, Stevens earned Freshman of the Week honors for his play in the win over Northwestern and running back Kaleb Johnson was named Offensive and Freshman of the Week for his performance in Iowa’s win at Purdue.
Iowa (7-4, 5-3) closes out the regular season Friday, hosting Nebraska (3-8, 2-6) in the battle for the Heroes Trophy (3:01 p.m. CT, BTN).
