Final Notes – 2022 Season

1st and 10

1 – Iowa defeated Kentucky, 21-0, at the 2022 TransPerfect Music City Bowl. The bowl win was the 10th for Kirk Ferentz, tying him with Joe Paterno for the most bowl wins as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Ferentz is one of 19 coaches with double digit bowl win totals.

2 – The Hawkeyes are one of six teams nationally with eight or more wins in each of the last eight seasons (Iowa won six games (.750 winning percentage) during the Big Ten 2020 COVID season). The other five teams are Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio State.

3 – LB Jack Campbell was the recipient of the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy, an award that recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for their combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. He is the first Hawkeye to receive the honor and the seventh player to be a NFF National Scholar-Athlete.

4 – The nation’s top linebacker. LB Jack Campbell is the first Hawkeye to receive the Butkus Award, which is presented to the nation’s top linebacker. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native had a team-high 128 tackles in 2022, his second straight 100+ tackle season (271 over last two seasons). Campbell was also the Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in 2022.

5 – Campbell earned unanimous consensus All-America status, marking three straight seasons the program has had a unanimous selection. He is the 29th Hawkeye to earn consensus All-America status. Iowa is the only program to have a consensus All-American in each of the last four years and one of two programs (Alabama) to have a unanimous selection each of the last three seasons.

6 – TE Sam LaPorta is the second Hawkeye to earn the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year Award and he was one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s top tight end. LaPorta led the team in receptions and receiving yards for a second straight season, finishing with 58 catches for 657 yards and one touchdown. Amongst Iowa’s all-time tight ends, LaPorta finished as the career receptions leader (153), while ranking second in receiving yards (1,786).

7 – RB Kaleb Johnson, an honorable mention Freshman All-American and honorable mention All-Big Ten selection, had three 100-yard games – the most by a Hawkeye freshman running back in program history. Johnson had a freshman record 779 yards on 151 attempts with a team-high six touchdowns to go along with a team-best 1,131 all-purpose yards.

8 – A stout defense. The Hawkeyes held nine opponents at 10 or fewer points – a first for the program since 1903 – and posted two shutouts. The Music City Bowl shutout was the first in the bowl’s 25-year history. Iowa limited opponents to 270.8 yards and 13.3 points per game – second fewest nationally. Nine Hawkeye defenders earned All-Big Ten recognition.

9 – DB Cooper DeJean had three pick-6 touchdowns during the 2022 season, including a 14-yard interception return for a touchdown in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl. The three interception returns for touchdowns are a single-season program record and they tie the career school record with Tom Knight, Desmond King and Riley Moss.

10 – Special Special Teams. P Tory Taylor finished the season with 82 punts for 3,766 yards – a school-record yardage total. It is the second straight year he has broken the yardage record. K Drew Stevens made 16-of-18 field goal attempts, which are the most by a Hawkeye freshman in program history. Stevens, who earned College Football News second-team All-America honors, led the team with 72 points. Taylor earned first-team All-America honors from the FWAA, Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus.