30 college football players with the biggest shoes to fill in 2018
Shoes to Fill: Joshua Jackson
The Iowa linebacker corps is facing a complete rebuild, but even though the Hawkeyes must replace early NFL Draft entry Joshua Jackson at cornerback, who like Jewell was a unanimous All-American, the secondary is in much better shape.
Matt Hankins started opposite Jackson in the final two games of the season, and he will compete with Manny Rugamba and Michael Ojemudia for the right to be Iowa’s shutdown corner next season. Hankins made 21 total tackles and broke up one pass as a true freshman, and at 6-foot-1, has the size to cover bigger receivers in the Big Ten. Another name to watch is Josh Turner, a highly recruited corner from the 2017 class. A Top 100 recruit, Turner came to Iowa City ranked No. 7 nationally among cornerback prospects in the 2017 recruiting class, but was redshirted.
Jackson was one of the best defensive playmakers in the nation last season, so he will not be easy to replace. He picked off eight passes, which led the nation and returned two of them for touchdowns. However, it’s worth noting Jackson was not highly recruited coming out of high school. In fact, he was ranked No. 1,807 overall in the 2014 recruiting class, and 149th among cornerback prospects. Now, he’s a potential first round NFL Draft pick.
Given Jackson’s background and Desmond King before him, we know teams can find diamonds in the rough and develop them into primetime players. The Hawkeyes have done a particularly good job of it, especially on defense. Hankins, a former three-star prospect, fits that mold – and like King and Jackson, he moved quickly up the depth chart.