The Broyles Award, which is given to the best defensive coordinator in the country, was finally won by Phil Parker of Iowa this past season. By keeping several players who may have gone to the NFL this summer, the Hawkeyes emerged as one of the conference’s biggest winners.
In the secondary, Iowa will still have junior safety Xavier Nwankpa, sixth-year safety Quinn Schulte, sixth-year corner Jermari Harris, and Sebastian Castro despite losing Cooper DeJean. While there isn’t a player with the potential that DeJean has, the team as a whole has a chance to rank among the top in the nation.
This spring, Parker stated, “I just thought that the connection that they all had and saw the opportunities here.” “I think there’s a pretty solid connection with these players because of how long they’ve been playing together and what they could accomplish this year to improve upon last year’s performance. It is difficult to go since there is no turning back once you are gone.
Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports recently power-ranked college football’s top secondaries. Iowa was ranked third by him, after Notre Dame and Ohio State.
“Phil Parker, the current winner of the Broyles Award and regarded as one of the top defensive coordinators in the nation, is the cornerstone of Iowa’s defense. Sebastian Castro, the best slot cornerback in the country, will be the group’s leader under Parker’s coaching. Castro leads a team that finished No. 4 in scoring defense (13.2) and No. 15 in passing yards allowed (172.2) in 2023 with DeJean heading to the NFL.”
During the previous season, Castro had 67 tackles, 11 pass breakups, 8 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions with 1 score, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. Pro Football Focus said that Castro was Iowa’s finest overall defender this year.
Pro Football Focus ranked Harris as Iowa’s third-best cornerback overall this season, but he still had a strong overall rating of 70.8 and a second-best coverage grade of 71.0 among cornerbacks, behind DeJean. This previous season, the Illinois native recorded 42 tackles, one interception, and eight pass deflections.
Nwankpa tied for fourth place in the nation with a coverage grade of 88.4. His athleticism and NFL-caliber build will make him a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
At free safety, Schulte has started 27 games for the Hawkeyes in the previous two seasons. According to Pro Football Focus, he was Iowa’s third-best starter this season in terms of total defensive grade. During the Hawkeyes’ 2023 campaign, Schulte had 62.5 tackles, two tackles for a loss, four pass deflections, and one interception.
The Hawkeyes will visit Illinois State on August 31 to kick out their regular season, which is now in the midst of summer practices.
