IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa football senior linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson have been named to the midseason watch list for the 2023 Rotary Lombardi Award. The Rotary Lombardi committee made the announcement on Tuesday.
Higgins and Jackson have combined for 146 tackles this season — the highest by a Power 5 tandem in the nation. Higgins leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally (the most by a Power 5 player) with 12.4 tackles per game. He has two 15+ and five 10+ tackle games this season. Jackson has two 10+ tackle games this season and 22 for his career — the most of any player nationally.
Higgins has 55 tackles in four Big Ten games, averaging 13.8 tackles per contest — 19 more than second-place Nick Jackson. Higgins had 18 tackles at Penn State, tied for the second-most in a game this season and the most by a Hawkeye since Jack Campbell in 2021.
Center Tyler Linderbaum was a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award in 2021 and defensive end Adrian Clayborn was a finalist in 2010. Other Hawkeyes who have been semifinalists include Campbell (2022), offensive lineman Brandon Scherff (2014), offensive lineman Robert Gallery (2003), defensive lineman Jared DeVries (1998), offensive lineman Mike Devlin (1992) and defensive lineman Jeff Drost (1986).
No. 24 Iowa (6-1, 3-1) will host Minnesota (3-3, 1-2) on Saturday on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City (2:30 p.m. CT, NBC).
