It wasn't just offensive and defensive stars that earned individual best-in-the-Big Ten awards this season -- Iowa also had a special teams standout honored as part of the Big Ten's year-end awards on Tuesday. Kaden Wetjen was named the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year recipient.
Iowa was the only Big Ten program to have year-end award winners on offense, defense, and special teams.
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This is Kaden Wetjen's first Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year award. Wetjen was the clear choice to be honored as the Big Ten's top returner, given his notable results as both a punt returner and kickoff returner. Wetjen combined high volume return efforts (he led the conference in total punt returns and total kickoff returns) with high efficiency performance (he was third in yards per return for kickoffs and punts).
Overall, Wetjen led the Big Ten with 576 kickoff return yards, almost 100 more than the returner with the second-most kick return yards (Northwestern's Joseph Himon II with 479). He also led the Big Ten with 312 punt return yards, 18 more than the second-place punt returner (Illinois' Hank Beatty with 294). Wetjen also had a stunning, program-record 85-yard punt return touchdown against Northwestern.
Wetjen's win this year continues a recent trend of Iowa dominance of this award. He's the second-straight Hawkeye to earn Return Specialist of the Year honors and the third in four years, joining Cooper DeJean last year and Charlie Jones in 2021.
In fact, no program has dominated the Return Specialist of the Year award -- fitting for an award named in part after Iowa special teams legend Tim Dwight. Since the award's inception in 2011 the Hawkeyes have four overall wins, with Ihmir Smith-Marsette's win in 2018 joining the recent honors for Jones, DeJean, and Wetjen. No other program has more than two Return Specialist of the Year wins (Maryland).
Iowa's dominance in this category also speaks to the high level of performance the Hawkeyes have seen on special teams since LeVar Woods became special teams coordinator in 2018. Iowa has won seven year-end awards in special teams since that season -- two Punter of the Year honors for Tory Taylor (2020 and 2023), Kicker of the Year for Keith Duncan (in 2019), and now the four Return Specialist of the Year honors. No other Big Ten program has won Punter of the Year, Kicker of the Year, and Return Specialist of the Year in that span and Michigan is the only other Big Ten program to win more than two year-end special teams awards over that period of time.
Wetjen was one of the several Iowa special teamers to receive All-Big Ten consideration this year. As expected, Wetjen was named First Team All-Big Ten by the league coaches and media. Freshman punter Rhys Dakin earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors from Big Ten media and Third Team All-Big Ten honors from league coaches. Kicker Drew Stevens received Third Team All-Big Ten recognition from the league coaches and media. Even long snapper Luke Elkin was honored as Second Team All-Big Ten by the Big Ten media and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by league coaches.
