My top 10 Iowa defensive linemen of all time
Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a series ranking the top 10 Iowa football players at each position on offense and defense. Up next, linebacker.
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – This series now shifts to defense where the Iowa football team has a rich and long-standing tradition of producing individual stars on the defensive line.
The selection process started with a list of 30 defensive linemen, including tackles, defensive ends and nose guards. The list was then trimmed to 25 then to 20 and to 15 before ultimately settling on a top 10.
And to say that it was difficult picking just 10 defensive linemen would be an understatement as you should be able to tell by the players that didn’t make the top 10, players such as Jonathan Babineaux, Paul Hufford, John Harty (no relation), Pat Dean and Aaron Kampman just to name a few.
Perhaps the hardest part was picking who should have the top spot because it came down two of the most legendary players in program history.
I went back and forth before finally making a choice. But if I had waited another day, I might have changed my mind, and my top 10.
Because it was that difficult picking just 10.
I look back at my top 10 Iowa receivers and now wonder why I didn’t have Lester Belding in the top 10 as a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, and a consensus All-American in 1919.
The biggest fear is overlooking an obvious choice because the field of candidates is so deep and talented, and because there’s so much history to cover.
The legendary Cal Jones could’ve made this list, but I chose to rank him as the No. 1 offensive lineman in program history.
And remember, these rankings are based solely on what each player accomplished as a Hawkeye.

10. A.J. Epenesa, DE, 2017-19 – The son of former Iowa defensive lineman Eppy Epenesa played a key role in each of his three seasons in the program.
But he only started for one season in 2019, and yet, he twice made first-team All-Big Ten in 2018 and 2019.
A.J. Epenesa was part of three-player rotation at defensive end as a freshman and sophomore, sharing playing time with Anthony Nelson and Parker Hesse.
Some heralded recruits might not have accepted that role for two seasons, but Epenesa put the team first and made it work.
He was named second-team All-America by at least three news outlets in 2019, including the Associated Press.
He could’ve added to his Hawkeye legacy, but chose to skip his senior season and now plays for the Buffalo Bills after having been selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft.
9. Mitch King, DT, 2005-08 – The Burlington native came to Iowa as a linebacker and left as a highly decorated defensive tackle.
What he lacked in size he made up for with speed, quickness and tenacity.
He was named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year as a senior in 2008 when he led Iowa with 15.5 tackles for loss and added 51 total tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble in 12 games.
He was also named a second-team All-American in 2008 by the Associated Press and he made first-team All-Big Ten as a junior in 2007.
8. Daviyon Nixon, DT, 2019-20 – The Kenosha, Wisconsin native certainly made the most of his only season as a starter in 2020.
He overcame the obstacles and distractions caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic to earn unanimous consensus first-team All-America honors during the eight-game shortened season.

He became the ninth unanimous consensus All-American in program history and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Award, and a semifinalist for Chuck Bednarik Award.
He led the conference in tackles for loss (13.5), tied for the conference lead in sacks (5.5) and had the most tackles by a defensive lineman with 45.
He also scored on a 71-yard interception return in a win at Penn State.
7. Leroy Smith, DE, 1988-91 – The New Jersey native came to Iowa as a running back and left as a consensus All-America defensive end.
His 1991 season still ranks as one of the greatest individual performances in program history as he set the Big Ten record with 18 quarterback sacks, breaking a 14-year record.
His 18 sacks in 1991 still is a school record, and he also holds the Iowa record for most sacks in a game with five, which he set during a 16-9 win at Ohio State in 1991.
That game was played just a day after a disgruntled graduate student had killed five University of staff and faculty members in a campus shooting.
Smith was the third defensive player to earn consensus All-America honors under Hayden Fry, joining defensive end Andre Tippett and linebacker Larry Station.
6. Dave Haight, NG, 1985-88 – This was a tough pick as it came down to his body of work over two players (Leroy Smith and Daviyon Nixon) that had one spectacular season.
Body of work, as you can see, prevailed.
The Dyersville native was named a second-team All-American as a junior in 1987 by the Sporting News and he made first-team All-Big Ten three times. He was also named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1987.
In 1989, Haight was named to the University of Iowa All-Time Team on the defensive line alongside Alex Karras (1956-57) and Mark Bortz (1979-82).
He is the younger brother of former Iowa offensive lineman Mike Haight, who made first-team All-Big Ten as a senior in 1985 and was selected in the first round of the 1986 NFL draft by the New York Jets.
5. Matt Roth, DE, 2001-04 – The Illinois native came to Iowa as a heralded linebacker recruit and then left as one of the best defensive ends in program history.
He was named a second-team All-American as a senior in 2004 by the Associated Press and he also made first-team All-Big Ten in 2003 and 2004.
He played with high energy and was a terror for quarterbacks as an overpowering pass rusher who exploded from the edge.
Fans loved his fiery, and sometimes unpredictable personality, and his teammates seemed to feed off his toughness, energy and passion.
Iowa combined to finish 31-7 in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, and won a share of two Big Ten titles.
He would go on to play for eight seasons in the NFL after having been picked by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2005 draft.
4. Adrian Clayborn, DE, 2007-10 – The St. Louis native earned consensus All-America honors as a senior in 2010 and twice made first-team All-Big Ten.
A three-year starter at defensive end, he helped Iowa post a 28-11 record during his final three seasons, including three consecutive bowl wins.
He was also the first defensive player under Kirk Ferentz to earn consensus All-America honors, and he was named a Permament Team Captain and winner of the Hayden Fry “Extra Heartbeat” Award.
He was selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and with the 20th pick overall.
3. Jared DeVries, DT, 1995-98 – The Aplington native was Hayden Fry’s last consensus All-American, earning that distinction as a senior in 1998.
He made first-team All-Big Ten three times and was a four-year starter.
He was named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1997 and he holds Iowa records for tackles for loss in a season (22), for a career (78) and for career sacks (42).
He also earned MVP honors in the 1995 Sun Bowl and the 1996 Alamo Bowl.

2. Andre Tippett, DE, 1979-81– After spending one season at Ellsworth Community College, the New Jersey native helped lead the resurgence under Hayden Fry as an overpowering defensive end.
He was Hayden Fry’s first consensus All-American, earning that distinction as a senior for Iowa’s 1981 Rose Bowl team.
He also twice made first-team All-Big Ten and was a defensive end on Iowa’s all-time team.
He still holds the Iowa record for tackles for lost yardage in a season, which he set as a junior in 1980 with 20 tackles for a minus-153 yards.
He was named to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame in 2021 and is a member of the Kinnick Stadium Wall of Honor.
He would go on to play 11 seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots and was a five-time All-Pro selection.
He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
- Alex Karras, DT, 1956-57 – The Gary, Indiana native won the Outland Trophy as a senior in 1957 and just two years after Iowa lineman Cal Jones had won the award that goes to the nation’s best collegiate interior lineman.
Karras played both offense and defense for Iowa, but he preferred playing defense and it showed as he was close to unstoppable as a junior and senior under head coach Forest Evashevski.

He earned consensus All-America honors in 1957, making 10 All-America teams that season. He was also a first-team All-American as a junior, twice made first-team All-Big Ten and was Iowa’s first two-time Associated Press first-team All-America pick.
Named to the school’s all-time team, Karras was a member of Iowa’s inaugural class of the Varsity Hall of Fame and a member of Iowa’s 1956 Rose Bowl championship team.
His fued with Forest Evashevski is certainly part of Karras’s mystique, but they overcame their differences to have huge success, both individually and from a team standpoint.
Iowa combined to finish 16-2-1 in Karras’s junior and senior seasons, including a 35-19 victory over Oregon State in the 1957 Rose Bowl and two wins over Notre Dame.
He would go on to play for over a decade in the NFL and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, although, that had no impact on making this list.
He also became a successful actor, appearing in over 20 movies and co-starring in the 1980s sitcom “Webster” with his real-life wife, Susan Clark.
Karras passed away on Oct, 1o, 2012 at the age of 77.
Also considered: Mark Bortz, Paul Hufford, Jonathan Babineaux, John Harty, Aaron Kampman, Pat Dean, Colin Cole, Anthony Nelson, Jeff Drost, Chauncey Golston, Howard Hodges, Jaleel Johnson, Joe Mott, Kenny Iwebema, Mike Wells, George Little, Jim Johnson, Layne McDowell, Hap Peterson, Matt Ruhland, Carl Davis.