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Iowa football: Which Hawks are setting themselves up for national awards?

By Andrew Wade

EVANSTON, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 26: Ihmir Smith-Marsette #6 of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs the ball after a catch in the game against the Northwestern Wildcats during the third quarter at Ryan Field on October 26, 2019 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 26: Ihmir Smith-Marsette #6 of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs the ball after a catch in the game against the Northwestern Wildcats during the third quarter at Ryan Field on October 26, 2019 in Evanston, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Last season was quite a year with the Iowa football team claiming numerous national and big Ten awards. Which Hawks could follow suit after 2019?

Prior to the season, award watch lists are flooding the news everywhere and honestly, just about everyone makes the watch list as long as you are a starter. This year was no different for the Iowa football team with Nate Stanley, Nate Wieting, Alaric Jackson, Tristan Wirfs, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and AJ Epenesa all finding their names on watch lists.

We are now eight games into the season though, and we are starting to get a much clearer picture of where each of these guys stands in terms of chances to claim a national award, and if there are any risers that weren’t on the initial list.

Let’s start off with some of the easier lists. Mekhi Sargent isn’t winning the Doak Walker Award and Nate Wieting isn’t adding another Mackey Award to the trophy closet of the Iowa football team.

Unfortunately, Ihmir Smith-Marsette isn’t going to be taking home the Paul Hornung Award either. He just hasn’t put up the numbers in the return game and his receiver numbers, while better, have been pedestrian compared to some of the guys he is competing against.

Nate Stanley is still surviving the initial cut of some watch lists, but the quarterback play has been great this season by both underclassmen and seniors like Joe Burrow so he isn’t taking home anything either.

The one guy who has the best chance to win a national award this year is kicker Keith Duncan who leads the nation in field goals made and is hitting them at 86.4% clip. If he doesn’t win the Lou Groza award, I’ll be rioting. Outside of him, just two others give us a shot at a national award (I would love to think Geno Stone could win an award, but it just won’t happen).

Alaric Jackson and Tristan Wirfs are up for the Outland Trophy still, and while Jackson has no chance after missing several games and looking pretty rusty against Michigan, Wirfs certainly has a shot. He’s been dominant throughout the season at both right and left tackle and has basically solidified his spot in the top-10 of the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.

The only other guy who could win a national award is AJ Epenesa, but that’s only if the voters can see past his limited statistical production (and history tells us they can’t). Also, basically any list he is on with Ohio State’s Chase Young is not even worth mentioning. The one award list that he doesn’t share with Young is the Lott IMPACT Award. Epenesa made the list as a quarterfinalist, and with a strong push to finish the season, he could play his way into contention to win the award and become the second Iowa football player to claim the award.

Next. Iowa's standings in resume-based rankings after week 10. dark

From a Big Ten standpoint, I think Wirfs has a good shot at winning the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award and Duncan should easily take home the Bakken-Anderson Kicker of the Year Award, but I expect no more awards to come the Hawkeye’s way a year after the Hawks claimed three Big Ten Awards.

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