Kaden Wetjen isn’t certain if he’ll return to the Iowa football team next season, but he at least has a number in mind.
“I’m 98 percent sure,” Wetjen told reporters after the Hawkeyes’ practice in Nashville on Friday. “I want to keep people on their toes because a lot of guys are like, ‘Are you announcing you’re coming back yet?’ I’ll just be the quiet guy.”
Wetjen’s play on the field this season has done plenty of talking. Leading the Big Ten in punt and kick return yards, Wetjen earned the conference’s Return Specialist of the Year Award. On Dec. 18, Wetjen received a second-team All-American nod from Sporting News. The 22-year-old has one year of eligibility remaining.
A walk-on transfer from Iowa Western Community College, Wetjen said he’s not on scholarship yet and doesn’t know if it would happen over the offseason. As the Hawkeyes prepare for the Music City Bowl against the Missouri Tigers, Wetjen faces multiple futures, ranging from another year at his home state school or a shot in the NFL.
Hailing from Williamsburg, Iowa, Wetjen received only one FBS offer out of high school and opted to take his talents to the junior college ranks. Three years and one All-American status later, a professional prospect doesn’t seem as remote as it once was.
Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods said he and Wetjen looked back on the times when Woods “ripped him pretty good” with criticism during the specialist’s first two seasons in the Black and Gold.
“Then finally he started to come around and he’s proven to be a really good player, a really good asset to our football team,” Woods said. “It’s fun to watch.”
Wetjen said Iowa coaches told him he would be better off staying for another season, but also gave him some advice on what an NFL future would look like.
Wetjen said he wants to play as a gunner at the next level. He’s practiced at the special teams position during bowl prep for Missouri, but has stuck to return duties during games.
“[Woods] still wants me returning right now,” Wetjen said. “That’s the main focus. But next year, we’ll see, hopefully get a little bit more.”
“I’m excited for Wetjen,” Woods added. “I think there’s more for him to prove and I think there’s more for him to improve upon as well. I’m excited to have him back.”
Another 2025 possibility for Wetjen would be an expanded role in the offense. After posting 18 receptions for 304 yards and a touchdown in his lone season at Iowa Western, Wetjen has just one grab for 33 yards with Iowa, including eight rushing attempts for 53 yards.
“Hopefully that will be a big part of next year,” Wetjen said.
While “Next year” was brought up more often than not by Wetjen and Woods, there’s still a slim – for Wetjen, a two percent, chance that it doesn’t materialize in an Iowa uniform. After the final whistle sounds in the Music City, there’s still thinking to do. January 15 serves as the hard deadline to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.