Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta named Most Valuable Players as Iowa announces 2022 team awards
By Hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior linebacker Jack Campbell and senior tight end Sam LaPorta were named Roy J. Carver Most Valuable Players as the Iowa football program announced its 2022 team awards.
Campbell (Cedar Falls, Iowa) earns the honor for the second consecutive season. He has been named first-team All-America by Walter Camp and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). He was named Nagurski-Wooden Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second consecutive season. Campbell was also recognized with the Iron Hawk Award.
Campbell received the William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by the National Football Foundation, and was named the recipient of the Butkus Award, awarded annually to the top linebacker in the nation.
Campbell was the leader of Iowa’s defense throughout the season. He has totaled 118 tackles, which rank second in the Big Ten and tied for 13th nationally. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native also recorded two interceptions, one recovered fumble and one forced fumble, along with 3.5 tackles for loss. He has 295 career tackles to rank 19th in program history.
LaPorta (Highland, Ill.) was named the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year and a first-team All-Big Ten selection. He was one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the top tight end in the nation.
LaPorta leads Iowa in both receptions and receiving yards, totaling 53 receptions for 601 yards and a touchdown. His career totals include 148 receptions for 1,730 yards to rank 15th in career receiving yards. Among tight ends, LaPorta ranks first in career receptions and second to Marv Cook in receiving yards.
Five team captains were named, including LaPorta on offense, Campbell and senior defensive backs Kaevon Merriweather and Riley Moss on defense, and Taylor on special teams.
Merriweather, a native of Belleville, Michigan, started all 12 games at strong safety, recording 47 tackles and three interceptions. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors and was the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his play in Iowa’s win at Rutgers.
Moss is a native of Ankeny, Iowa, who started every game at cornerback. Moss was named first-team All-Big Ten by league coaches. He is tied for ninth in career interceptions (11), with three of the interceptions being returned for touchdowns.
Taylor, a native of Melbourne, Australia, earned first-team All-America recognition from the FWAA. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the conference media. Taylor handled all punting duties throughout the season, averaging 45.1 yards on 74 punts, with a long of 70 yards. Taylor has placed 32 punts inside the 20 with just 11 touchbacks. He has 22 punts of 50 yards or more, while opponents are averaging just 3.7 yards on 18 returns. In three seasons, Taylor has averaged 45.3 yards on 194 punts, with 89 punts inside the 20 (45.8 percent) and 58 punts of 50 yards or more.
The Hayden Fry Award was shared by LaPorta on offense, Campbell, senior linebacker Seth Benson and senior tackle Noah Shannon on defense, and junior linebacker Jay Higgins and sophomore long snapper Luke Elkin on special teams. The Hayden Fry Award is presented to team members who show exemplary leadership and dedication throughout the year. Benson earned second-team all-conference honors and Shannon was an honorable mention selection.
The Brett Greenwood Award was shared by senior fullback Monte Pottebaum on offense and senior end Joe Evans on defense. Established in 2011, the Greenwood Award also honors former Hawkeyes, one year at a time, for each season Kirk Ferentz has coached the Hawkeyes. Greenwood, a former defensive back who lettered from 2007-10, was recognized as the former player.
Senior offensive lineman Matt Fagan received the Forest Evashevski Academic Achievement Award. Fagan has earned Academic All-Big Ten honors each of the past four seasons. He has earned multiple President’s List and Dean’s List honors throughout his career. A health management and policy major, Fagan began his Hawkeye career as a walk-on before earning a scholarship.
The Reggie Roby Special Teams Award was shared by Taylor as specialist, and sophomore defensive back Cooper DeJean, who was recognized for his overall play. DeJean earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from league media and second-team recognition from coaches. He recorded 68 tackles and four interceptions. Taking over punt return duties late in the season, he averaged 17.6 yards on seven punt returns.
Eight Hawkeyes earned the Next Man In Award; redshirt freshmen wide receivers Brody Brecht and Alec Wick, sophomore center Logan Jones and freshman running back Kaleb Johnson on offense, junior defensive back Sebastian Castro, senior linebacker Logan Klemp and junior linebacker Jay Higgins on defense, and Johnson and freshman kicker Drew Stevens on special teams.
Stevens took over the field goal duties early in the season and led the Hawkeyes in scoring with 69 points. He connected on 16-of-18 field attempts to set an Iowa freshman record for made field goals. His career-long of 54 yards ranks seventh-best in program history. He made all 21 PAT attempts and handled all kickoff duties. Stevens was named second-team Freshman All-America by College Football News.
Johnson earned honorable mention recognition from both coaches and media. He set a freshman rushing record with 762 yards, leading the team with six touchdowns. He rushed for over 100 yards in three games while also averaging 25 yards on 13 kickoff returns. He was honorable mention Freshman All-America by College Football News.
Coaches Appreciation Award recipients were sophomore tight end Luke Lachey, sophomore tackle Mason Richman, and sophomore running back Leshon Williams on offense, Merriweather, sophomore ends Deontae Craig and Ethan Hurkett, junior safety Quinn Schulte and junior tackle Louie Stec on defense, and Craig, Stec, Pottebaum, senior fullback Turner Pallisard and sophomore defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness on defense.
Team Hustle Awards went to Pottebaum, senior quarterback Spencer Petras, and senior receiver Nico Ragaini on offense, DeJean, Moss, Van Ness, junior tackle Logan Lee, and senior end John Waggoner on defense, and Benson, Campbell, Moss, and freshman safety Xavier Nwankpa on special teams.
Team Leader Awards were presented to junior offensive lineman Taylor Fox, redshirt freshman running back Deavin Hilson, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Griffin Little and redshirt freshman running back Max White on offense, freshman defensive back Koen Entringer, freshman lineman Luke Gaffney, junior defensive back Thomas Hartlieb on defense, and freshman defensive back Kael Kolarik, freshman wide receiver Reese Osgood, sophomore linebacker Josef Smith and redshirt freshman linebacker Kelby Telander on special teams.
Sophomore wide receiver Diante Vines was presented the Comeback Player of the Year Award. A native of Danbury, Conn., Vines suffered an injury in preseason training camp that forced him to miss the first six games of the season. He returned to play in the final six games, recording eight receptions for 71 yards.
The Bump Elliott Appreciation Award was presented to staff members Greg Morris, Kevin Foor and Kelly Koch. The trio are long-time members of the athletics equipment staff, working with the Iowa football program in all phases of equipment and uniform management.
The 2022 Distinguished Service Award was presented to Barbara Burke. Burke, who joined the Iowa administrative staff in 2016, serves as deputy director of athletics, chief operating officer, and senior women’s administrator. Burke has announced her retirement following the 2022-23 academic year.
The Player Appreciation Award was presented to Brad Heinrichs, a four-year letterman with the Iowa men’s golf program. Heinrich serves as CEO of The Swarm Collective, a non-profit organized to exclusively enable and empower Iowa student-athletes in amplifying their NIL opportunities by contributing their time and diversity of talents through charitable work with non-profits, being active while giving back to Iowa communities, and providing mentorship to the future generation of leaders.
Iowa (7-5, 5-4) will face Kentucky in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Dec. 31 in Nashville, Tennessee (11 a.m. CT, ESPN). The Hawkeyes earned their 20th bowl invite over the past 24 seasons under Moon Family head football coach Kirk Ferentz.
2022 Iowa Football Award Winners
Forest Evashevski Academic Achievement: Matt Fagan
Iron Hawk Award: Jack Campbell
Roy Carver Most Valuable Players: Sam LaPorta, offense
Jack Campbell, defense
Permanent Team Captains: Sam LaPorta, offense
Jack Campbell, defense
Kaevon Merriweather, defense
Riley Moss, defense
Tory Taylor, special teams
Hayden Fry Award: Sam LaPorta, offense
Seth Benson, defense
Jack Campbell, defense
Noah Shannon, defense
Luke Elkin, special teams
Jay Higgins, special teams
Reggie Roby Special Teams Award: Tory Taylor (specialist)
Cooper DeJean (overall)
Team Leader Award: Taylor Fox, offense
Deavin Hilson, offense
Griffin Liddle, offense
Max White, offense
Koen Entringer, defense
Luke Gaffney, defense
Thomas Hartlieb, defense
Kael Kolarik, special teams
Reese Osgood, special teams
Josef Smith, special teams
Kelby Telander, special teams
Brett Greenwood Award: Joe Evans
Monte Pottebaum
Former Player: Brett Greenwood (2007-10)
Comeback Player of the Year: Diante Vines
Coaches Appreciation Award: Luke Lachey, offense
Mason Richman, offense
Leshon Williams, offense
Deontae Craig, defense
Ethan Hurkett, defense
Kaevon Merriweather, defense
Quinn Schulte, defense
Louie Stec, defense
Deontae Craig, special teams
Louie Stec, special teams
Turner Pallisard, special teams
Monte Pottebaum, special teams
Lukas Van Ness, special teams
Team Hustle Award: Spencer Petras, offense
Monte Pottebaum, offense
Nico Ragaini, offense
Cooper DeJean, defense
Logan Lee, defense
Riley Moss, defense
Lukas Van Ness, defense
John Waggoner, defense
Seth Benson, special teams
Jack Campbell, special teams
Riley Moss, special teams
Xavier Nwankpa, special teams
Next Man In Award: Brody Brecht, offense
Kaleb Johnson, offense
Logan Jones, offense
Alec Wick, offense
Sebastian Castro, defense
Jay Higgins, defense
Logan Klemp, defense
Kaleb Johnson, special teams
Drew Stevens, special teams
Player Appreciation Award: Brad Heinrichs
Bump Elliott Award: Greg Morris
Kevin Foor
Kelly Koch
Distinguished Service Award: Barbara Burke
