Hawk Item – – One of nine seniors named to 2016 Leadership Group.
2016 Honors – – Academic All-Big Ten for fourth year . . . honorable mention All-Big Ten by Big Ten coaches and media . . . Brett Greenwood Award . . . Hayden Fry Award, offense . . . named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for his play in 28-0 win at Illinois . . . 2016 – – Started 12 games while playing in all 13 . . . led team in receiving with 42 catches for 517 yards and four touchdowns . . . averaged 21.1 yards on seven punt returns with one touchdown, and recorded one kickoff return for 54 yards . . . started at wide receiver in 45-21 win over Miami, recording one reception for 14 yards . . . started at wide receiver in 42-3 win over Iowa State as offense gained 435 yards total offense . . . career-best four receptions for 31 yards vs. Iowa State . . . started at wide receiver in 23-21 loss to North Dakota State . . . one reception for 30 yards for a touchdown against NDSU . . . started at wide receiver in 14-7 win at Rutgers, but had no statistics . . . started at wide receiver in 38-31 loss to Northwestern . . . career-bests in receptions and yards with eight receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown vs. Northwestern . . . touchdown reception covered 15 yards . . . also recorded 54 yard KO return and 38 yard punt return to lead the team with 170 all-purpose yards . . . started at wide receiver in 14-7 win at Minnesota . . . led receivers with six receptions for 62 yards at Minnesota, with a long of 21 yards . . . started at wide receiver in 49-35 win at Purdue, as offense rushed for 365 net rushing yards and gained 520 yards total offense . . . led team in receiving with four receptions for 74 yards and one touchdown . . . scoring reception is longest of his career . . . started at wide receiver in 17-9 loss to #10 Wisconsin . . . six receptions for 47 yards vs. Wisconsin, with a long of 11 yards . . . started at wide receiver in 41-14 loss at #12 Penn State . . . four receptions for 42 yards at PSU, with a long of 25 yards . . . started at wide receiver in 14-13 win over #2 Michigan, recording one reception for four yards . . . started at wide receiver in 28-0 win at Illinois as offense rushed for 262 yards and gained 342 yards total offense . . . one reception for 16 yards and one rushing attempt for two yards at Illinois . . . two punt returns for 72 yards at Illinois, including a 55-yard touchdown to give Iowa a 7-0 advantage in the second quarter . . . also had a 17 yard punt return . . . saw action in 40-10 win over #25 Nebraska as offense gained 264 net rushing yards and 408 yards total offense . . . led receivers with five receptions for 108 yards vs. Nebraska, with one touchdown covering 77 yards . . . surpassed 100 receiving yards in a game for first time in career and 77-yard scoring reception is longest reception of career . . . also had career-high four punt returns for 38 yards . . . started at wide receiver in 30-3 Outback Bowl loss to #17 Florida, recording one reception for 11 yards.
2015 Honors – – Coaches Appreciation Award, special teams . . . Academic All-Big Ten . . . 2015 – – Saw action in all 14 games, with one start . . . five receptions for 56 yards and one touchdown . . . saw action in 31-14 win over Illinois State, but had no statistics as offense gained 431 yards total offense . . . saw action in 31-17 win at Iowa State as offense gained 260 net rushing yards and 475 yards total offense . . . one reception at Iowa State covered 25 yards for first career touchdown and gave Iowa a 24-17 advantage with 2:14 remaining . . . also had one solo tackle on punt coverage . . . saw action in 27-24 win over Pitts, but had no statistics as offense gained 363 yards total offense . . . started at wide receiver in 62-16 win over North Texas as offense gained 488 yards total offense . . . recorded career-best three receptions for 26 yards vs. North Texas in first career start . . . saw action in 10-6 win at Wisconsin, but had no statistics . . . saw action in 29-20 win over Illinois, but had no statistics as offense rushed for 278 yards and gained 478 yards total offense . . . saw action in 40-10 win at Northwestern, but had no statistics as offense rushed for 294 yards and gained 492 yards total offense . . . saw action in 31-15 win over Maryland, but had no statistics . . . saw action in 35-27 win at Indiana as offense rushed for 234 yards and gained 467 yards total offense . . . recorded one solo tackle on special teams . . . saw action in 40-35 win over Minnesota, recording one reception for five yards as offense rushed for 272 yards and gained 506 yards total offense . . . saw action in 40-20 win over Purdue, recording one KO return for 24 yards . . . saw action in 28-20 win at Nebraska . . . two KO returns for 39 yards with a long of 21 yards at Nebraska, along with one punt return for 10 yards . . . saw action in 16-13 loss to Michigan State, but had no statistics . . . saw action in 45-16 Rose Bowl loss to Stanford, but had no statistics.
2014 Honors – – Academic All-Big Ten for second straight year . . . 2014 – – Missed first three games of the season due to preseason injury and final three regular season games due to illness . . . saw first action of the season in 24-20 win at Pitt, returning one punt for eight yards . . . saw action in 24-10 win at Purdue as offense gained 420 yards total offense . . .handled all punt returns with fair catches at Purdue, and opened game with 36-yard KO return on the first KO return of his career . . . saw action in 45-29 win over Indiana as offense gained 426 yarsds total offense . . . handled all punt returns vs. Indiana, with three returns for two yards . . . saw action in 38-31 loss at Maryland, recording two punt returns for 13 yards, including a career-long of 11 yards . . . saw action in 48-7 win over Northwestern, recording two punt returns for minus 10 yards as offense gained 483 yards total offense . . . saw action in 51-14 loss at Minnesota, but had no statistics . . . did not see action in 30-14 win at Illinois due to illness . . . did not see action in 26-24 loss to No. 14 Wisconsin due to illness . . . did not see action in 37-34 overtime loss to Nebraska due to illness . . . saw action in 45-28 TaxSlayer Bowl loss to Tennessee, but had no statistics.
2013 Honors – – Academic All-Big Ten . . . 2013 – – Saw action in 12 games, recording three receptions for 11 yards and eight yards on three punt returns . . . saw first action of career in 30-27 opening loss to Northern Illinois, collecting one reception for zero yards . . . saw action in 28-14 win over Missouri State, but had no statistics as offense gained 491 yards total offense . . . saw action in 27-21 win at Iowa State, but had no statistics as offense gained 378 yards total offense . . . saw action in 59-3 win over Western Michigan, recording two punt returns for eight yards as offense gained 446 yards total offense and rushed for over 200 yards in fourth straight game . . . saw action in 23-7 win at Minnesota, but had no statistics as offense gained 464 yards and rushed for over 200 yards in fifth straight outing . . . saw action in 26-14 loss to Michigan State, recording two receptions for 11 yards . . . did not see action in 34-24 loss at Ohio State . . . saw action in 17-10 OT win over Northwestern, but had no statistics . . . saw action in 28-9 loss to Wisconsin, but had no statistics . . . saw action in 38-14 win at Purdue, but had no statistics as offense rushed for 318 yards and gained 509 yards total offense . . . saw action in 24-21 win over Michigan, but had no statistics as offense gained 407 yards total offense . . . saw action in 38-17 win at Nebraska, but had no statistics . . . saw action in 21-14 Outback Bowl loss to LSU, recording one punt return for no yards.
2012 – – Redshirted after joining the team as a walk-on.
High school honors – – Earned second team all-state honors as a senior . . . was first team all-conference as sophomore, junior and senior . . . Career – – holds school records for touchdowns in a game (six), points in a game (36), touchdown passes in a season (17) and career punt return yards (502) . . . set conference record for season punt return average (26.9 yards) . . . holds school record in long jump . . . team captain as a senior . . . rushed 106 times for 628 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore . . . rushed for 1,058 yards and 11 touchdowns on 160 carries as a junior and also had 10 receptions for 101 yards . . . had nine punt returns for 242 yards and two scores . . . as a senior completed 113-205 pass attempts for 1,749 yards and 17 touchdowns, while rushing 112 times for 866 yards and five touchdowns . . . recorded 45 tackles and five interceptions as a senior, while gaining 263 yards on eight punt returns . . . earned three letters as quarterback, running back and defensive back . . . also lettered in basketball, track and baseball . . . state long jump champion as a sophomore and junior . . . won state title in 100-meter dash as a junior after placing second as a sophomore.
Personal – – Born 6/16/93 . . . pre-business major . . . member of National Honor Society . . . two-year Student Ambassador . . . earned Eagle Achievement Award . . . parents are Michelle and Steve McCarron . . . one of two players from Dubuque on the Iowa roster . . . high school coach was Mike Mahoney.