Iowa Football: Who has been the Hawkeyes’ 2017 defensive MVP?

Although the season didn’t end the way Iowa football would have hoped, the Hawkeyes got plenty of solid defensive play. Who was the MVP?

As long as Kirk Ferentz has been the head coach at Iowa, one of the many things he’s done consistently is put out a punishing defense.

The 2017 season was no exception as Iowa’s defense was superb once more as the Hawkeyes were ranked as the 22nd best unit in the country. The defense was anchored by linebackers Josey Jewell, Ben Niemann, and Bo Bower.

Joshua Jackson also blossomed into one of the premier corner’s in all of college football, replacing former All-American Desmond King. But these two stood out the most for the Hawkeyes.

Co-MVPs: Josey Jewell, LB (SR) and Joshua Jackson, CB (JR)

The impact of Jewell and Jackson on not just the defense, but the Iowa team in general cannot be understated. Jewell was the heart and soul of this football team, as shown by being the only three-time captain in Kirk Ferentz’s 19 years as Iowa head coach.

Over the past three seasons Jewell has accumulated over 100 tackles in each year, and barring an injury in Iowa’s bowl game, will likely set a career high in tackles as he has registered 121 in the regular season.

Many are still dumbfounded at the fact he was not named a finalist for the Butkus Award. However, Jewell did receive the Jack Lambert Award, given out by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. This play against future NFL prospect Josh Allen is why so many believe Jewell is the best linebacker in the country.

The other MVP for Iowa was corner Josh Jackson, who is tied for the national lead in interceptions with seven. Jackson has done a phenomenal job replacing former All-American Desmond King as the Hawkeyes premier corner. In Iowa’s thrashing of then-sixth ranked Ohio State, Jackson intercepted J.T. Barrett three times, his last one perhaps being the catch of the year in college football.

Following his three interception performance against Ohio State, Jackson proved to be Iowa’s only scoring threat in their 38-14 loss to Wisconsin. Jackson intercepted Alex Hornibrook twice and returned both for touchdowns, as he was the Hawkeyes lone bright spot.

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The loss of Jewell next year will be felt, as Iowa will have to replace all three starting linebackers. However, there are hopes of Josh Jackson spurning the NFL and returning to Iowa for his senior season. If Jackson does in fact return, Iowa’s secondary will be among the best in the country in 2018.