Iowa Hawkeyes defensive two-deep entering spring football

Josh Helmer

March 22, 2023 at 7:45 PM·4 min read

After a historic season defensively, Iowa has some retooling to take care of. In all, the Hawkeyes are replacing five defensive starters from a unit that ranked second nationally in both scoring and total defense. The Hawkeyes surrendered just 13.3 points and 270.8 yards per game.

Iowa says goodbye to Butkus Award-winning linebacker Jack Campbell and his highly-productive running mate Seth Benson. Cornerback Riley Moss and safety Kaevon Merriweather vacate the secondary and the Hawks lose one starting defensive lineman, John Waggoner. Defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness also left early for the 2023 NFL draft where he’s expected to be a first-round selection.

Collectively, that’s some serious experience, production and NFL star power that Iowa is replacing. The good news for Hawkeye fans is that they’re bringing plenty of it back, too.

Cornerback Cooper DeJean was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the league’s media after a single-season record of three pick-sixes. Several other returnees garnered recognition as well.

Remember, defensive end Joe Evans opted to return to Iowa City. The 6-foot-2, 246 pound defensive end was a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the league’s media. Defensive tackle Noah Shannon made the decision to return as well. He joins Logan Lee as returnees that collected honorable mention status from the league’s coaches and media.

As you peruse this initial spring defensive two-deep, keep in mind that Virginia transfer linebacker Nick Jackson will be joining come this summer. Without further ado, the first look at Iowa’s two-deep defensive depth chart.

Left defensive end

Andrew Nelles/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK

1st: No. 45 – Deontae Craig, 6-foot-3, 266 pound, Jr. from Ft. Wayne, Ind. (Culver Academy)

2nd: No. 48 – Max Llewellyn, 6-foot-5, 243 pound, Soph. from Urbandale, Iowa (Urbandale)

Left defensive tackle

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

1st: No. 99 – Noah Shannon, 6-foot, 289 pound, Sr. from Aurora, Ill. (Oswego)

2nd: No. 95 – Aaron Graves, 6-foot-4, 271 pound, Soph. from Dayton, Iowa (Southeast Valley)

Right defensive tackle

George Walker IV/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK

1st: No. 85 – Logan Lee, 6-foot-5, 275 pound, Sr. from Orion, Ill. (Orion)

2nd: No. 94 – Yahya Black, 6-foot-5, 306 pound, Jr. from Marshall, Minn. (Marshall)

Right defensive end

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

1st: No. 13 – Joe Evans, 6-foot-2, 246 pound, Sr. from Ames, Iowa (Ames)

2nd: No. 49 – Ethan Hurkett, 6-foot-3, 252 pound, Jr. from Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Xavier)

Leo/CASH

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

1st: No. 29 – Sebastian Castro, 5-foot-11, 207 pound, Sr. from Oak Lawn, Ill. (Richards)

2nd: No. 25 – Kelby Telander, 6-foot-4, 228 pound, Soph. from North Liberty, Iowa (Liberty)

3rd: No. 12 – Jaxon Rexroth, 6-foot-2, 213 pound, Soph. from Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Xavier)

Middle linebacker

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

1st: No. 34 – Jay Higgins, 6-foot-2, 229 pound, Sr. from Indianapolis, Ind. (Brebeuf Jesuit Prep)

2nd: No. 41 – Jaden Harrell, 6-foot-2, 239 pound, Soph. from Urbandale, Iowa (Urbandale)

Weak side linebacker

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

1st: No. 43 – Karson Sharar, 6-foot-2, 224 pound, Soph from Iowa Falls, Iowa (Iowa Falls-Alden)

2nd: No. 37 – Kyler Fisher, 5-foot-11, 229 pound, Sr. from Farnhamville, Iowa (SE Valley)

Left cornerback

Joseph Cress / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK

1st: No. 3 – Cooper DeJean, 6-foot-1, 209 pound, Jr. from Odebolt, Iowa (OA-BCIG)

2nd: No. 2 – TJ Hall, 6-foot, 183 pound, Soph. from Fresno, Calif. (San Joaquin Memorial)

Strong safety

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

1st: No. 1 – Xavier Nwankpa, 6-foot-2, 210 pound, Soph. from Pleasant Hill, Iowa (Southeast Polk)

2nd: No. 29 – Sebastian Castro, 5-foot-11, 207 pound, Sr. from Oak Lawn, Ill. (Richards)

Free safety

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

1st: No. 30 – Quinn Schulte, 6-foot-1, 208 pound, Sr. from Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Xavier)

2nd: No. 4 – Koen Entringer, 6-foot, 199 pound, R-Fr. from Ypsilanti, Mich. (Walled Lake Western)

Right cornerback

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

1st: No. 27 – Jermari Harris, 6-foot-1, 190 pound, Jr. from Chicago, Ill. (Montini Catholic)

2nd: No. 8 – Deshaun Lee, 5-foot-10, 174 pound, R-Fr. from Belleville, Mich. (Belleville)

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Story originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire

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