Inside The Hawkeyes

Iowa All-American Accepts East-West Shrine Bowl Invite

Standout Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver/kick returner is heading to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Oct 11, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Kaden Wetjen (21) takes the opening kickoff during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ross Harried-Imagn Images
Oct 11, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Kaden Wetjen (21) takes the opening kickoff during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ross Harried-Imagn Images | Ross Harried-Imagn Images

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Iowa Hawkeyes

Originally, the Iowa Hawkeyes weren't sure if Max Llewellyn was going to be their only representative in the East-West Shrine Bowl. Now, they know that standout wide receiver/kick returner Kaden Wetjen will be joining him.

Wetjen is still awaiting a JuCo lawsuit to determine whether he'd have another year of eligibility with the Hawkeyes. Currently, all signs are pointing towards him no longer suiting up for Iowa, with this being the latest example of that.

The Iowa native took the world by storm as he now sees his name in the history books with Tim Dwight. After winning the B1G returner of the year award for back-to-back years, it was quite shocking to see Wetjen not named consensus All-American alongside Logan Jones.

Regardless, he's still being honored in the East-West Shrine Bowl. After Iowa takes on Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, they'll have plenty of players partaking in at least one more game en route to potentially being drafted.

Wetjen's East-West Shrine Bowl Invite

To no surprise, the 5'9'' 196-pound speedster didn't say no to this invite. December 31 marks when Iowa is playing in Tampa, but after their bowl game, he'll have roughly a month to prepare for his next challenge.

Being drafted is much easier said than done, but Wetjen could be a late-round steal. His kick returning abilities mimmick what rookie Pro Bowler Chimere Dike is doing with the Tennessee Titans, or KaVontae Turpin in Dallas.

Wetjen's career seemingly has come to an end with 929 punt return yards and 1,489 kick return yards. He had quite a few offensive plays drawn up around him, whether that was with him as a running back or wide receiver. He'll go down in Hawkeyes history having finished his career with a rushing, receiving, punt, and kick return touchdown.

Wetjen and Llewellyn's Time To Shine

January 27, 2026 is the date these two will suit up in the East-West Shrine Bowl. It's one of many to take place after bowl season comes to an end. Currently, Iowa has players getting ready to play in the likes of the Panini Senior Bowl along with the Hula Bowl.

The East-West Shrine Bowl gives Wetjen to prove himself once more, if he hasn't enough already. Hawkeyes fans expect him to suit up for the ReliaQuest Bowl as their team doesn't have a single opt-out less than a week away from game time. Wetjen's historic career inches closer to coming to an end, but Iowa fans now have at least two more chances to see him in action.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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