By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – While the spotlight during the 2025 season has shined brightly, and deservedly so, on Mark Gronowski, Kaden Wetjen and the award-winning Iowa offensive line, Karson Sharar has quietly and impressively just gone about his business.

The Iowa Falls native waited for four years to start at linebacker for Iowa, and he was determined to make the most of it, and it’s fair to say that it has been mission accomplished.

Sharar led Iowa with 83 tackles this past season, and with 12.5 tackles for loss. He also finished second on the team with six quarterback hurries, while also recording four sacks and forcing one fumble.

He wasn’t Jack Campbell or Jay Higgins, but he still was pretty darn good.

He was tough, durable and dependable; one of the latest in a long line of players who have thrived in Iowa’s developmental culture under Kirk Ferentz.

Sharar didn’t do a lot of interviews during the season, partly because he wasn’t asked by the media to be made available on a regular basis, but also maybe because he was just fine staying away from the spotlight.

Some people don’t need the spotlight to feel fulfilled and motivated while some crave it, and others have to deal with the spotlight whether they want to or not.

That was the case with Gronowski as Iowa’s starting quarterback, and with Wetjen as the nation’s top return specialist. They were often made available to the media, every week in the case of Gronowski, and they both handled it with class because they both have a gift for gab and they both seem to enjoy the interaction.

Sharar was made available to the media after several games this past season because his play on the field had earned him interview requests.

And he handled the attention just fine.

What makes Karson Sharar special is that he’s a throwback, an old-fashioned college football player who stayed at the same school in his home state and finished what he started.

That says a lot about Sharar for staying and about Iowa for making him want to stay.

With the way the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Sharar performed this past season, he obviously could’ve helped a lot of defenses, probably even sooner than he did at Iowa.

But he stayed loyal at a time when loyalty often succumbs to the highest bidder or to the constant search for something better.

Sharar climbed the depth chart like so many others have at Iowa by first contributing on special teams. And then he continued to play on special teams, even after becoming a starter.

I thought about reaching out to Sharar for comment, but my guess is that he probably wouldn’t be comfortable, or interested, in talking about his success on the field this season.

And that’s okay because the spotlight isn’t for everybody.

Sharar is currently preparing to play in the East-West Shrine game on Jan 27 in Frisco, Texas, a reward for his breakout senior season.

So the spotlight will continue to shine on him, but for his actions more than his words, which I believe is how he prefers it.