With season tickets bought and renewed, tailgating spots secured, and fans eager to run through the gates of Kinnick Stadium, the 2025 Iowa football season is just 10 Saturdays away.
As Iowa fans scroll through the roster, new offensive weapons such as quarterback Mark Gronowski jump off the page, but perhaps the most overlooked part of this year’s team is the consistently reliable Phil Parker defense. Since 2018, the Hawkeye defense has ranked in the top 13 in points allowed each year and averaged 24 turnovers per season in that span.
While Iowa’s suffocating defense has been a staple of Hawkeye football for years, a roster shakeup could make things very interesting this season, as new faces step into key roles.
In 2024, linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson instilled fear into opposing offenses as two of the best tacklers in the Big Ten. Higgins ranked second in the conference with 124 tackles, while Jackson tallied 91 to rank in the top-20.
With both star second-level defenders departing for the NFL, some unfamiliar faces dive into uncharted territory. While fourth-years Jaden Harrell and Karson Sharar aren’t the typical household Iowa names, both players still bring valuable playing experience to their new roles.
Sharar has played in 35 games in his career, mostly on special teams. The Iowa Falls, Iowa native has racked up 21 total tackles in four years with the Hawkeyes. Hailing from Urbandale, Iowa, Harrell played in all 13 games last season and recorded eight total tackles as a special teams and goal line defender.
After Higgins went down with a hamstring injury in the first half against UCLA on Nov. 8, Harrell was tapped as his replacement. Though Iowa fell 20-17, Harrell recorded two tackles and recovered a fumble, an experience that has helped him prepare for the 2025 campaign.
“Just being ready,” Harrell said. “Like the UCLA game, I have to be ready any time the ball is inside the three, I have to be ready to get in for our package.” “When Jay [Higgins] went down, I was ready to go and hopped in there,” Harrell added. “ So hopefully that translates into this year.”
While the job of a starting linebacker is challenging enough, requiring preparation, attention to detail, and physical prowess, leadership is a key attribute that only a select few great linebackers possess.
The Hawkeyes have been blessed with star-studded backers like Jack Campbell and Jay Higgins in recent years, who also carried the important characteristic of being the voice of the defense.
Now, Harrell and the rest of the linebacker room look to carry on the Iowa legacy.
“Just by following the trend that’s been going on since Jack [Campbell] was here,” Harrell said about becoming a leader. “Jay followed his trend, and now, when Jay is gone, hopefully me, Karson [Sharar], Jaxon [Rexroth], and the rest of the room can follow their trend.”
As the offseason progresses, the Hawkeyes haven’t been able to throw players like Harrell into the fire just yet, but he is finding ways to improve the details of his game.
“Specifically right now, everyone’s just getting better,” Harrell said. “Right now, it’s summertime, so conditioning is a big thing, being game-ready. Everybody is looking pretty good in that aspect.” Speed is getting built. Everybody is getting stronger, everybody is conditioned well.”
Conditioning, competitiveness, and chemistry are three big keys to Iowa’s success, and all are built during the offseason. The Hawkeyes find ways to compete with each other through every aspect of the offseason, whether it’s lifting, conditioning drills, or one-on-one drills.
“Oh man, competing,” defensive back Deshaun Lee said about building team chemistry in the offseason. “That’s what builds it a lot. With the offensive guys, when we are out there competing during summer workouts, we’re giving them a hard time and they’re giving us a hard time.”
“We’re talking, we’re letting them know, ‘you aren’t going to beat me this rep,’” Lee added. “I just feel like that brings us closer, when you can compete with your brothers and also have fun while doing it, but at the same time, hate losing. That’s going to make you better at the end of the day.”
Harrell, Sharar, and Rexroth have already received high praise from their teammates.
“They’re confident in what they’ve done,” fourth-year safety Xavier Nwankpa said. “They’ve kind of taken the same path Jay took, he had to wait behind some really good guys, so they’ve done the same thing. They’re confident in what they’re doing, they’re flying around and making plays out there and making my life easy.”