Rewind 11 months, and there were three Iowa Hawkeyes weighing NFL Draft decisions who finally opted to return to college for another year.
These three players had legitimate opportunities in the NFL. And they made the most of their senior seasons at Iowa.
Jack Campbell returned and won the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in the nation and was the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Campbell has the potential to move up to the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but is seen as a Day 2 pick at the latest. However, he is opting to play in Saturday’s Music City Bowl against Kentucky rather than joining the growing trend in college football of top prospects opting out of bowl games.
Riley Moss was the reigning Defensive Ten of the Year and had an all-healthy 2022 season, his fifth at Iowa, and was again a first-team all-league pick. It might be considered risky to potentially damage his NFL potential by playing in Saturday’s 11am game (ABC TV), but Moss will play.
Sam LaPorta’s stay-or-go decision last January came just before the NFL’s declaration deadline. It was a tough pick after becoming the first Iowa tight end in 30 years to lead the team in receptions, but he eventually came back and led Iowa in receptions (53) and receiving yards (601). He became a Mackey Award finalist and was a Big Ten year-end finisher. He has nothing left to prove. And yet he is playing in Saturday’s game.
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The Hawkeyes’ only way out of the game for NFL purposes is safety Kaevon Merriweather, and with Cooper DeJean coming back from a scary knockout against Nebraska in the regular season finale, Iowa feels good about its secondary, even without Merriweather.
Motivation for three Iowa captains in Campbell, LaPorta and Moss to play once more was easy to find, they said. Campbell made his remarks after the Iowa-Nebraska game on November 25; LaPorta and Moss spoke Thursday before leaving for Nashville.
“Like I said last year when I stayed, you only get so many opportunities to wear the black and gold, and I can put the black and gold on in Nashville,” Moss said. “It’s an exciting place for us. I’m excited to go out one last time with the boys, to finish with a win and end my career with a W.”
Of either, LaPorta would have more reason to ignore the game. He missed the last seven quarters of Iowa’s season with a torn meniscus and underwent surgery. In the days leading up to the bowl trip, LaPorta returned to the field and swore he would be 100%.
He meant physically. But while he was talking about the motivation for last Thursday’s game, he was also talking about being 100% mentally ready to roll.
“Another opportunity to play with my boys,” said LaPorta. “I have been here for four years. I have given a lot to this program. And it’s given me more than I’ve ever dreamed of since I’ve been here. It’s very important for me to play again. Throw in the black and gold and put it all out there.
“We were talking about it (Thursday) at the team meeting. If you’re not 100% invested, we don’t want you around. We want the guys out there to push themselves as hard as they can. If you’re here, you’re in and invested. I am here and I want to be here.”
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Often when it comes to college football bowl season, the more motivated team has a game day advantage.
Kentucky (7-5) will be without quarterback Will Levis and running back Chris Rodriguez in this game due to the NFL Draft. That’s not necessarily to say that Iowa (7-5) definitely wants this one more than the Wildcats. And it’s going to start a third-string quarterback in Joe Labas, who never took a college picture.
But at least there should be no doubt that the guys who dress for the Hawkeyes want to be there. That’s a mindset that starts at the top with coach Kirk Ferentz, who has always emphasized the importance of bowl games to his players. The team had its first Nashville practice Monday on a snowy field at the Franklin Road Academy. Temperatures were in the high 20s and low 30s.
“The guys training with us are doing a great job,” said Ferentz. “Whether it’s the strength and conditioning work or the times we’ve been on the field, the energy has been good and I feel we’re evolving well.
“This is where we are now. The good news, I think you have a lot of guys who love football. They respect the opportunity in front of them. They respect what it takes to beat an opponent like Kentucky and they work hard. So that part is fine.”
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How much did that mentality influence the younger guys on the team? Well, the feeling is that they are waiting to prove themselves. And there are more opportunities with notable exits from the transfer portal at wide receiver in Arland Bruce IV and Keagan Johnson. Ante Vines, a sophomore at Redshirt, is in high spirits. A player who has struggled to stay healthy in his two years at Iowa, including a broken wrist that cost him his first six games this season, has embraced the chance to hit the field.
Saturday is expected to mark his first snap in a bowl game.
“To me it’s an exciting game because you never know when that game might be taken away from you,” Vines said. “With the kind of injuries I’ve been through, every time I can get on the field, train or play, I’m more than excited and ready to go.”
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has covered sports for 28 years with The Des Moines Register, USA TODAY and Iowa City Press-Citizen. Follow @ChadLeistikow on Twitter🇧🇷