3 Hawkeyes Added To Midseason Watch Lists

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa football players Aaron Graves, Jay Higgins and Kaleb Johnson were added Thursday to prominent midseason watch lists.

Graves was added to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, while Johnson was added to the Maxwell Award Watch List. Higgins is one of 16 quarterfinalists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

The Maxwell Award has been awarded to College Football’s Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert Maxwell for his contributions to the game as a player, sportswriter and official. Presented annually since 1994, the Bednarik Award is named for University of Pennsylvania linebacker Chuck Bednarik and recognizes the most outstanding defensive player in the nation.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy, entering its 21st year, is awarded to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the characteristics of Ronnie Lott by making an IMPACT on and off the field. IMPACT is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Johnson has rushed for 937 yards with 12 touchdowns in 22 quarters. He is second nationally, averaging 156.2 yards on 19.7 attempts per game, which includes 16 rushes of 20+ yards. Johnson’s 937 yards are the most in the team’s first six games since 1997 (Tavian Banks, 1,018 yards). He is third in yards per carry (7.94), fourth in rushing touchdowns (12), points scored (78) and total touchdowns (13).

In six games, Johnson is leading the nation with 16 20+ yard rushes — 21, 23, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 28, 33, 33 37, 39, 40, 53, 54, 64 yards – five of which went for touchdowns (26, 64, 33, 28, 40). The Hamilton, Ohio, native has five 100-yard games in six contests in 2024, which are tied for the 10th-most in a single season in program history. He has 43 forced missed tackles and 660 yards after contact.

Graves is third in the Big Ten and 14th nationally, averaging 0.83 sacks per game. The native of Dayton, Iowa, has started all six games at defensive tackle in 2024. Earlier this week, Graves was tabbed Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week after totaling five tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass deflection in Iowa’s victory over Washington. The pair of forced fumbles were a career best. Graves has recorded multiple sacks twice in 2024 (Illinois State, 3; Washington, 2).

Higgins leads the Big Ten in tackles (ninth nationally), making 62 tackles (10.3 per game). He has led the team in tackles in all six games, including a season-high 14 tackles in Weeks 6 and 7 against Ohio State and Washington. He also has two interceptions and two forced fumbles. Higgins has three double-digit tackle games this season and 14 in his career. His has 279 career tackles are tied for 21st in program history. Higgins is 12 tackles shy of moving into the top 20 in the record books.

Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced Nov. 12, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled Nov. 26. Semifinalists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy will be chosen in late November with finalists in December.