IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three University of Iowa football players have been named American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-Americans on Friday. Seniors Luke Elkin and Jay Higgins were honored on the first team, while junior Kaleb Johnson was recognized on the second team.
AFCA is one of five outlets recognized by the NCAA to determine consensus All-Americans (Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp, Sporting News, Associated Press).
Higgins (6-foot-2, 232 pounds) has also been recognized as a Walter Camp first-team All-American, the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten. Higgins, who was a semifinalist for three national awards (Lombardi, Butkus, Lott IMPACT) and is one of five repeat AFCA honorees, is the only player in the nation with 100+ tackles and four interceptions. His four picks are tied for the most amongst linebackers from a Power 4 conference. Higgins has been a tackling machine for Iowa’s defense, racking up 118 tackles — second most in the Big Ten, 13th-most nationally. The Indianapolis native has been a leader on an Iowa defense that is ninth nationally, allowing 17.1 points per game.
Elkin, who has been Iowa’s long snapper the past four seasons, was a second-team all-conference honoree last week. He earned the team’s Next Man In Award (special teams) as a freshman, Hayden Fry Award as a sophomore and Coaches Appreciation Award as a junior. Elkin snapped for Dakin and Stevens, as well as Tory Taylor, the Ray Guy Award recipient and consensus All-American in 2023.
Johnson, who was honored as a Walter Camp first-team All-American, the Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten and finalist for the Doak Walker Award, had a historic year. He posted school single-season records in points (138), total touchdowns (23) and rushing scores (21). Johnson (6-foot, 225 pounds) rushed for 1,537 yards in 12 games, sixth-most in the country and third-most in program history. The native of Hamilton, Ohio, scored at least one touchdown in all 12 regular season games — the longest stretch in school history. He had seven games in 2024 with two or more rushing touchdowns, believed to be the most in a single season in program history. He declared for the NFL Draft earlier this month.
The 2024 Associated Press All-America teams will be announced on Monday, followed by the Football Writers Association of America (Tuesday) and Sporting News (Wednesday).
The Hawkeyes will play No. 19 Missouri on Dec. 30, 2024, in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl in Nashville. The game will start at 1:30 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on ESPN.
2024 IOWA POSTSEASON ALL-AMERICA NATIONAL HONORS
JAY HIGGINS: Walter Camp, AFCA, CBS, The Athletic (first team)
KALEB JOHNSON: Walter Camp (first team); AFCA, CBS, The Athletic (second team), Pro Football Focus
LUKE ELKIN: AFCA (first team)