Trio of Hawkeyes named to Butkus Award Watch List

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa linebackers Seth Benson (senior), Jack Campbell (senior) and Jestin Jacobs (junior) have been named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list.

Presented annually the Butkus Award goes to the nation’s most outstanding linebacker. Iowa is the only school with three linebackers selected.

Benson (6-0, 232 pounds) was voted third-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele last season and was named honorable mention all-conference by league media in addition to being an Academic All-Big Ten selection. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native was second on the team in tackles (105), notched a pair of sacks and registered an interception. He earned Iowa’s Team Hustle Award and Coaches Appreciation Award for special teams. Benson was a second team preseason All-Big Ten selection by Athlon Sports.

Campbell (6-5, 246 pounds) was a second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Phil Steele in 2021. In addition, he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was second in the Big Ten with 143 tackles – the fifth-most ever in a single season at Iowa. He earned Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors following a career-best performance with 18 tackles in Iowa’s 24-14 win over Colorado State. A native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Campbell was the recipient of Iowa’s Roy Carver Most Valuable Player (Defense) award last season and served as a permanent team captain. He has also been named to the Athlon Sports 2022 preseason All-Big Ten First Team, as well as being named a preseason first-team All-American by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, and Sporting News.

Jacobs (6-4, 238 pounds) saw action in all 14 games for the Hawkeyes in 2021. He totaled 53 tackles and added an interception and forced fumble. Additionally, Jacobs had two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. The Englewood, Ohio, native earned Iowa’s Next Man In Award for defense.

Campbell was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award a season ago. Former Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 2016 and a semifinalist in 2017.

The Hawkeyes open the season with three straight nonconference home games, each featuring a different start time. The season-opener, Sept. 3, against South Dakota State is slated for an 11 a.m. (CT) kickoff. The annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game against Iowa State will follow on Sept. 10, with a 3 p.m. start time. Iowa’s final nonconference contest is an evening contest against Nevada beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Questions concerning the purchase of 2022 football tickets, including general public and UI faculty/staff, should be directed to the UI Athletics Ticket Office. UI student season tickets are sold out. Iowa’s games against Iowa State, Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin are completely sold out. The office telephone number is 1-800-IA-HAWKS and ticket information is available at hawkeyesports.com/footballtickets.

All tickets to 2022 home games will be mobile. Fans may access tickets via the Hawkeye Sports App, a link via email, or account login at hawkeyesports.com/myaccount. These tickets are optimized for display on your smartphone device and should not be printed. Fans can review additional information on mobile tickets by visiting hawkeyesports.com/mobiletickets.

The Hawkeye Sports app helps manage, purchase, download, transfer and scan tickets and parking. The app is located at https://hawkeyesports.com/mobileapp/.