30 college football players with the biggest shoes to fill in 2018
Shoes to Fill: Josey Jewell
Unanimous All-Americans are few and far between. Iowa has the unenviable task of trying to fill the shoes of Josey Jewell, who earned the honor in 2017 in addition to the Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Jack Lambert Award, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Linebacker of the Year honors.
Jewell amassed 136 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as a senior. He added 18 run stuffs, 11 pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble as well, giving him one of the best all-around seasons for a linebacker in recent memory. A three-time All-Big Ten selection, Jewell finished his career with 437 total tackles, including three seasons in which he surpassed 120 stops, 28.0 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and six interceptions.
However, the Hawkeyes losses go beyond their middle linebacker. Fellow starters Bo Bower and Ben Niemann, who ranked second and third on the team in tackles a year ago, are also out of eligibility, leaving a huge hole of experience on the roster.
Jack Hockaday and Kristian Welch might have the first opportunities to replace Jewell. Hockaday, who recorded three tackles in limited action in 2017, was Jewell’s primary backup early in the 2016 season. Welch, who overtook Hackaday for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Jewell in 2017, had six tackles and an interception.
Though lack of experience is a major talking point heading into the offseason, Iowa has often been able to develop linebackers, and Welch is a highly gifted athlete. In fact, the 6-foot-3, 232-pound rising junior was tagged as an athlete by recruiting services when he signed with the Hawkeyes out of Wisconsin in 2016 and ranked No. 419 overall and 27th among athletes nationally by 247Sports.