Two Iowa Players Named to ESPN All-America Team

While the Iowa Hawkeyes failed to have four players make this list like Ohio State, two is a great representation of what this team is all about.

Indiana and Texas Tech each had three as Iowa was one of many teams to be honored twice. Each and every year, ESPN comes together to name their All-America team, with this year being no different.

Led by Heisman winning QB Fernando Mendoza, Iowa had selections at center and returner. Those two should be no surprise and any Hawkeyes fan likely can guess who with relative ease.

There are a few other offensive lineman on this Iowa squad that deserve recognition, but that's what the Joe Moore Award is for. At the end of the day, ESPN's team isn't everything, though it's still a huge accomplishment for these two players.

Center Logan Jones

Iowa C Logan Jone — Aug 9, 2025; Iowa offensive lineman Logan Jones (65) warms up during the Hawkeyes Kids Day NCAA football open practice at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Cress for the Des Moines Register | Joseph Cress/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Jones became the second Iowa player to earn the Rimington Trophy -- given annually to the nation's top center -- while anchoring a Hawkeyes unit that won the Joe Moore Award (most outstanding offensive line) in his sixth college season," Eli Lederman wrote.

He continued, "A career 49-game starter, Jones finished 2025 as the joint-snap leader (756) within a group that paved the way for 176.9 rushing yards per game and allowed the third-fewest pressures (108) of any Big Ten program. Per ESPN Research, only three of the 87 FBS centers who played 700-plus snaps this past fall recorded fewer blown blocks than Jones (seven)."

Jones came up short in pursuit of the Outland Trophy, but he was at least able to take home the Rimington. No one can take away how impactful Jones was up front, and that's a huge name Iowa will be without moving forward.

Returner Kaden Wetjen

Iowa KR Kaden Wetje — Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Kaden Wetjen (21) warms up before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Lederman continued, "Simply put: Wetjen was college football's most effective all-around return man in 2025. With 1,039 total yards between punt and kick return duties, the fifth-year special teams ace tallied 301 more total return yards than the next-closest FBS returner -- Texas' Ryan Niblett -- across the country this past fall."

"Wetjen's 29.75 yards per kick return ranked sixth nationally, and he led the nation with 26.8 yards per punt return while notching an FBS-best three punt return touchdowns that matched the single-season Big Ten record previously held by Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. (2004)," he added.

While Jones was a unanimous AP All-American, Wetjen wasn't met with that same honor. Either way, seemingly everyone in the country realized how special he was and the mark he left on Iowa's special teams unit is going to be remembered for quite some time. These two players are about as impossible to replace as it gets, but thankfully for Iowa they've knocked it out of the park in the portal so far.

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