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2022 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Music City Bowl champion
Music City Bowl, W 21–0 vs. Kentucky
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Record	8–5 (5–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	Kirk Ferentz (24th season)
Offensive coordinator	Brian Ferentz (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Phil Parker (11th season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	Jack Campbell Riley Moss Sam LaPorta Cooper DeJean
Home stadium	Kinnick Stadium
Seasons← 20212023 →

The 2022 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa as member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by 24th-year head coach Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes played home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Floundering after a 3–4 start, the Hawkeyes won four straight games to position themselves for a return trip to the Big Ten Championship game and repeat as Big Ten West champions. A disappointing season finale at home against Nebraska spoiled those plans, but Iowa capped the 2022 season with a dominating 21–0 win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl – avenging their bowl loss from the previous season. The Hawkeyes finished with a record of 8–5 (5–4 B1G).

Senior linebacker Jack Campbell was named Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year, a Unanimous First-team All-American, and the 2022 Butkus Award winner as the nation's top linebacker. He later became the 13th Iowa player of the Ferentz era taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Third-year defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness was selected five picks prior to Campbell, marking the second time in five years two Hawkeyes were selected in the first 20 picks of the NFL draft (2019).

Preseason

On January 14, 2022, Kirk Ferentz's contract was extended through the 2029 season. On March 2, 2022, Iowa announced the hire of Abdul Hodge, previously the linebackers coach at South Dakota, as its tight ends coach. Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz took over as quarterbacks coach, after previous quarterbacks coach Ken O'Keefe stepped down. "Man, I got a lot to learn," Brian Ferentz told media about adjusting to coaching quarterbacks after his appointment in May 2022. Former Wisconsin quarterback and Colorado State offensive coordinator Jon Budmayr joined the Hawkeyes as an offensive analyst that would assist Brian Ferentz with the quarterbacks.

During the offseason, two Hawkeye wide receivers transferred to West division rival Purdue. Starters Tyrone Tracy, second on the team in receiving yards in 2019, and Charlie Jones, the 2021 Big Ten Returner of the Year, would both play 2022 with the Boilermakers. After struggling as a starter in 2020 and 2021, quarterback Spencer Petras won a supposed quarterback competition against Alex Padilla and Joe Labas.

The Hawkeyes were ranked second in the West Division in the preseason Big Ten media poll, behind Wisconsin and ahead of Minnesota. Linebacker Jack Campbell was selected as the media's preseason Defensive Player of the Year, finishing ahead of Wisconsin linebacker Nick Herbig. The Hawkeyes received votes, but were unranked in the preseason AP Poll and Coaches Poll.

Kirk Ferentz named Campbell, cornerback Riley Moss, tight end Sam LaPorta, and safety Kaevon Merriweather as captains before the week 1 game against South Dakota State and would remain team captains through the regular season.

Schedule

Iowa announced its 2022 football schedule on January 12, 2022. The 2022 schedule consisted of seven home games and five away games in the regular season. The Hawkeyes hosted Big Ten foes Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Nebraska and traveled to Rutgers, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue, and Minnesota.

The Hawkeyes hosted all three non-conference opponents, South Dakota State from Division I FCS, Iowa State from the Big 12 and Nevada from the Mountain West. This marked the first season since 2011 that the entire home schedule was sold out. The first game of the season was played against the eventual FCS National Champion.

Roster

2022 Iowa Hawkeyes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 5 Joe Labas  Fr QB 3 Carson May Fr QB 8 Alex Padilla Jr QB 7 Spencer Petras Sr RB 34 Zach Brand  Fr RB 22 Nolan Donald Jr RB 20 Deavin Hilson  Fr RB 2 Kaleb Johnson Fr RB 9 Jaziun Patterson Fr RB 17 Max White  Fr RB 25 Gavin Williams So RB 4 Leshon Williams  So FB 42 Denin Limouris  Fr FB 40 Turner Pallissard Sr FB 32 Johnny Plewa Jr FB 38 Monte Pottebaum Sr WR 15 Jacob Bostick Fr WR 14 Brody Brecht  Fr WR 10 Arland Bruce IV So WR 83 Alex Eichmann Fr WR 19 Graham Friedrichsen Fr WR 27 Jack Johnson So WR 6 Keagan Johnson So WR 16 Jordan Kumm So WR 13 Reese Osgood Fr WR 89 Nico Ragaini Sr WR 29 Jackson Ritter  Jr WR 0 Diante Vines So WR 21 Kaden Wetjen So WR 18 Alec Wick Fr TE 88 Jackson Frericks Jr TE 85 Luke Lachey  So TE 84 Sam LaPorta Sr TE 49 Andrew Lentsch  Fr TE 87 Addison Ostrenga Fr TE 82 Johnny Pascuzzi  Fr TE 86 Steven Stilianos Jr TE 80 Kyson Van Vugt Fr TE 81 Cael Vanderbush Fr OL 63 Justin Britt Jr OL 66 Jeremy Chaplin  Fr OL 77 Connor Colby So OL 73 David Davidkov  Fr OL 56 Nick DeJong Jr OL 71 Jack Dotzler Fr OL 67 Gennings Dunker  Fr OL 76 Tyler Elsbury So OL 69 Tyler Endres Jr OL 54 Matt Fagan Sr OL 52 Asher Fahey So DL 58 Taylor Fox Jr C 65 Logan Jones So OL 72 Kale Krogh Fr OL 59 Griffin Liddle Fr OL 53 Michael Myslinski  Fr OT 79 Jack Plumb Sr OL 78 Mason Richman So OL 70 Beau Stephens  Fr OL 75 Josh Volk So	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 90 Brian Allen Fr DE 13 Joe Evans Sr DL 94 Yahya Black So DL 86 Jeff Bowie  Fr DL 45 Deontae Craig So DL 97 Caden Crawford Fr DL 93 Anu Dokun So DL 51 Luke Gaffney Fr DL 95 Aaron Graves  Fr DL 57 Will Hubert Fr DL 49 Ethan Hurkett So DL 87 Andrew Kraus Fr DL 48 Max Llewellyn  Fr DT 85 Logan Lee Jr DL 55 Jeremiah Pittman  Fr DL 98 Chris Reames Jr DT 99 Noah Shannon Sr DL 50 Louie Stec Jr DL 91 Lukas Van Ness  So DE 92 John Waggoner Sr DL 54 Dominic Wiseman Fr DL 83 Jameson Witte So LB 44 Seth Benson Sr LB 31 Jack Campbell Sr LB 39 Eric Epenesa  Fr LB 38 Greg Fagan Fr LB 37 Kyler Fisher Jr LB 41 Jaden Harrell  Fr LB 34 Jay Higgins Jr LB 5 Jestin Jacobs  Jr LB 46 Logan Klemp Sr LB 32 Eli Miller  Fr LB 36 Jayden Montgomery Fr LB 43 Karson Sharar  Fr LB 40 Josef Smith So LB 35 Justice Sullivan  Fr LB 25 Kelby Telander  Fr LB 42 Zach Twedt  Fr LB 23 Landyn Van Kekerix Fr DB 7 Reggie Bracy Jr DB 29 Sebastian Castro Jr DB 19 Gaven Cooke  Fr DB 15 Dallas Craddieth Sr DB 17 Brenden Deasfernandes So DB 3 Cooper DeJean So DB 4 Koen Entringer Fr DB 22 Carter Erickson Fr DB 6 TJ Hall Fr CB 27 Jermari Harris  Jr DB 21 Thomas Hartlieb Jr DB 16 Jamison Heinz So DB 20 Kael Kolarik Fr DB 11 AJ Lawson So DB 8 Deshaun Lee Fr S 26 Kaevon Merriweather Sr CB 33 Riley Moss Sr DB 1 Xavier Nwankpa Fr DB 12 Jaxon Rexroth  Fr CB 2 Terry Roberts Sr S 30 Quinn Schulte Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 96 Lucas Amaya Jr K 1 Aaron Blom So K 18 Drew Stevens Fr P 99 Max Hoskins Fr P 9 Tory Taylor Jr P 45 Nick Phelps Sr LS 39 Luke Elkin So LS 97 Liam Reardon So	Head coach Kirk Ferentz Coordinators/assistant coaches Brian Ferentz – Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Phil Parker – Defensive coordinator/secondary LeVar Woods – Special teams coordinator George Barnett – Offensive line Kelvin Bell – Defensive line Ladell Betts – Running backs Kelton Copeland – Wide receivers Abdul Hodge – Tight ends/fullbacks Jay Niemann – Assistant defensive line/defensive recruiting coordinator Seth Wallace – Assistant defensive coordinator/linebackers Raimond Braithwaite – Director, strength and conditioning Drew Heitland – Assistant, strength and conditioning Kohle Helle – Assistant, strength and conditioning Cody Myers – Assistant, strength and conditioning John Engelbrecht – Nutrition & Performance Analytics Paul Federici – Director, football operations Ben Hansen – Director of football administration and engagement Jason Manson – Director of player development Sam Brincks – Assistant director, player development Scott Southmayd – Director, player personnel Tyler Barnes – Director, recruiting/nfl liaison Matt Spaulding – Football recruiting specialist Ireland Hostetler – Recruiting Operations and Special Events Coordinator Ken O'Keefe – Caleb Saunders – Director, football creative media Justin Elsner – Assistant director, football creative media Eric Copeland – Graduate assistant Adam Cox – Graduate assistant Justin Flood – Graduate assistant Jordan Walsh – Graduate assistant Austin Showalter – Director, football analytics Tyler Parker – Football analyst Shane Viilo – Football analyst Jon Budmayr – Football analyst Bob Rahfeldt – Director, football video operations Kammy Powell – Head Football Athletic Trainer Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 10/24/22

Game summaries

No. 2 (FCS) South Dakota State

Iowa relied almost entirely on defense and special teams to earn a hard-fought victory over FCS foe South Dakota State. The Jacks were only able to muster 120 total yards, in large part due to poor starting field position the entire day. Two such drives ended with the Iowa defense forcing a safety, proving to be the difference in the game. The teams combined for 21 punts for 936 yards. Iowa's Tory Taylor pinned SDSU inside their own 20 on 7 of his 10 punts, earning him B1G Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Iowa State

Iowa State ended a six-game skid in the series. Sophomore Lukas Van Ness blocked two punts and was named B1G Special Teams Player of the Week.

Nevada

After enduring three separate lightning delays totaling 3 hours and 56 minutes, Iowa closed out their non-conference schedule with a 27-point win in the first meeting between the schools.

At Rutgers

In their B1G opener, Iowa scored two defensive touchdowns in the first half to pick up a win on the road and moved to 3–0 all-time versus Rutgers.

No. 4 Michigan

Fox's Big Noon Kickoff was on hand for this contest. Michigan won at Kinnick Stadium for the first time since 2005.

At Illinois

Illinois won for the first time in nine tries in the series. It was also former Iowa player and coach Bret Bielema's first game at Illinois against Iowa, as he missed the 2021 meeting due to issues relating to COVID-19.

At No. 2 Ohio State

FOX's Big Noon Kickoff was on hand for this matchup in Columbus. The score was competitive for most of the first half, but a pick six by Ohio State gave the Buckeyes a cushion heading into the break. After settling for three first half field goals, the Ohio State offense put up four second half touchdowns – TD passes from C. J. Stroud to four different receivers – to make this game a blowout. The Iowa offense turned the ball over six times and mustered just 158 yards and a field goal in what was the team's worst defeat since Kirk Ferentz's Big Ten debut in 1999.

Northwestern

Northwestern had won three in a row at Kinnick Stadium, but the Hawkeyes responded with a 20-point win after a criticism-filled week leading up to the game. Freshman kicker Drew Stevens had a banner day by kicking four field goals, including a 54-yarder – the 5th-longest (by distance) in school history. These are the first back-to-back wins against the Wildcats since the 2014-2015 seasons.

At Purdue

Purdue had won four of the previous five in this series, but the Hawkeye defense held the Boilermaker offense 190 yards and 30 points below their averages. Entering the game, Purdue hadn't scored fewer than 20 points in a game this season, and it was the first time Purdue didn't score an offensive touchdown at home since 2013. Freshman running back Kaleb Johnson had 22 carries for 200 yards that included a 75-yard TD run, earning him B1G Offensive Player of the Week and B1G Freshman of the Week honors.

Wisconsin

Iowa recaptured the Heartland Trophy in a game where Wisconsin rarely threatened.

At Minnesota

Iowa won for the eighth consecutive time against the Gophers, building on its longest streak in the rivalry. After jumping out to a 10–0 first quarter lead, Iowa gave up over 300 yards rushing but forced two huge 4th quarter turnovers. Senior Jack Campbell had 10 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception to earn B1G Defensive Player of the Week honors. Freshman Drew Stevens kicked his second field goal of the game to seal the win.

Nebraska

The Cornhuskers defeated Iowa for the first time in eight tries, in what was Kirk Ferentz's 300th game as head coach of the Hawkeyes. This prevented Iowa from winning the Big Ten West Division and thus a berth in the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game.

Vs. Kentucky (Music City Bowl)

All the scoring came in the second quarter as Luke Lachey caught a 15-yard pass from Joey Labas and the secondary delivered two pick sixes – first from Xavier Nwankpa for 52 yards followed by Cooper DeJean for 14 yards. Kirk Ferentz earned his 10th bowl victory in this rematch of a bowl game from the year prior.

Awards and honors

Players drafted into the NFL

References

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• 2022 Big Ten Conference football season
• Iowa Hawkeyes football seasons
• Music City Bowl champion seasons
• 2022 in sports in Iowa