Four Hawkeyes On Athlon's All-Big Ten First Team

10 Iowa players honored on preseason lists.

Iowa senior kicker Keith Duncan, senior offensive tackle Alaric Jackson, sophomore center Tyler Linderbaum and senior wide receiver/return specialist Ihmir Smith-Marsette were named to the Athlon Sports All-Big Ten preseason first team on Tuesday.

Sophomore Tyler Goodson, as a running back and all-purpose selection, and senior defensive end Chauncey Golston were named to the second team, while junior defensive back Jack Koerner was a third-team selection.

Senior defensive back Matt Hankins, junior defensive lineman Daviyon Nixon, and sophomore tight end Sam LaPorta were named to the fourth team.

Duncan was a consensus All-American last season, with five first-team All-America selections and two second-team All-America selections. He led the nation with 29 made field goals to set the Iowa and Big Ten single-season record, which ranks sixth all-time in NCAA history.

Duncan was also the Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year in the Big Ten, one of three Lou Groza Award finalists, a first-team All-Big Ten selection by league coaches and media.

Iowa tackle Alaric Jackson was a first-team preseason All-Big Ten selection by Athlon Sports. (Bryon Houlgrave/Des Moines Register for USA Today Sports)

Jackson earned second-team and third-team All-Big Ten honors a year ago. He started 10 games at left tackle, missing three games due to injury. He has 34 career starts.

Linderbaum earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season. He started every game at center after playing in the defensive line in 2018.

Smith-Marsette, named to the first team as a return specialist and the fourth team as a wide receiver, was the Most Valuable Offensive Player in Iowa’s 49-24 Holiday Bowl win over USC. He had a rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown and a kickoff return for a touchdown in that contest.

Smith-Marsette averaged 29.6 yards on 17 kickoff returns, and had a touchdown return in Iowa’s win at Nebraska. As a receiver, he had 44 receptions for 722 yards with five touchdowns.

Goodson became the first freshman ever to lead Iowa in rushing last season. He had 134 carries times for 638 yards and five touchdowns, while catching 24 passes for 166 yards.

Golston, who has been named to the 2020 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List, started all 13 games at defensive end in 2019, recording 47 tackles, including 26 solo stops and 21 assists, with 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, five pass break-ups and seven pressures. Golston led the Big Ten and ranked sixth nationally with three fumble recoveries.

Koerner started 11 games a year ago at free safety. He ranked second on the team in tackles with 81. He had five pass break-ups, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Nixon played in all 13 games, starting at defensive tackle in Iowa’s win at Iowa State. He finished the season with 29 tackles, with 5 1/2 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Hankins has 19 starts. He started 10 games a year ago while missing three games due to injury. He ranked fifth on the team with 58 tackles and was second in interceptions (two) and pass break-ups (seven).

LaPorta had 15 receptions for 188 yards as a true freshman last season.