Iowa cornerback Riley Moss returning for fifth season with Hawkeyes

Moss was named the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year as a senior.

Jerod Ringwald

Iowa defensive back Riley Moss returns an interception for his second pick six of the day during a football game between No. 18 Iowa and No. 17 Indiana at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021.

Robert Read, Pregame Editor
January 5, 2022

Iowa cornerback Riley Moss, the 2021 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, will return in 2022 for a fifth season with the Hawkeyes, he announced on social media Wednesday morning.

Moss just completed his senior season at Iowa, but will take advantage of the extra season of eligibility athletes are being provided because of the pandemic. The 6-foot-1, 194-pounder took part in Iowa’s Senior Day ceremony in November and said after the end of the regular season that it was more than 50 percent likely he would enter the 2022 NFL Draft rather than return to the Hawkeyes. Now, Moss will partake in his second Senior Day ceremony next season.

“What a ride the 2021 season has been,” Moss said in a written statement released on Twitter. “Through the highs and lows I would never trade this team for anything. The memories we made will stick with me forever, on and off the field. The season did not finish the way we wanted but to have won 10 games and making it to the B1G Championship was very special.

“I have always dreamed of being a Hawkeye and being able to live out this dream everyday has been incredibly special for both me and my family. That’s why after talking with my family and doing a lot of self-reflection, I have decided to stay and continue being a Hawkeye for the 2022 season. I have more goals I would like to achieve and this team has more goals to achieve as well. This has been the hardest decision I have ever had to make, and I am confident that I have made the right one.

“Hawkeye nation, thank you for the incredible support! Let’s get to work.”

Moss was the fifth Hawkeye to earn Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, joining Micah Hyde (2012), Desmond King (2015), Josh Jackson (2017), and Amani Hooker (2018). Moss tallied four interceptions season despite missing three games because of an injury. The third-team Associated Press All-American had two interception returns for touchdowns in Iowa’s season-opening win over Indiana.

Moss, who is from Ankeny, Iowa, has made 25 career starts at cornerback and has intercepted 10 passes in his college career.