The Iowa football program has had multiple players added to award watch lists ahead of the 2025-2026 season.
Six Iowa players have been named to award watch lists, including Rhys Dakin (Ray Guy Award), Gennings Dunker (Outland Trophy and Wuerffel Award), Aaron Graves (Nagurski Trophy), Mark Gronowski (Maxwell Award), Logan Jones (Outland Trophy), and Drew Stevens (Lou Groza Award).
The Iowa special teams unit is well-represented on award watch lists with Dakin and Stevens, and on Friday, another member of the special teams unit was added to an award watch list.
🏆 @WetjenKaden ➡️ 𝐉𝐞𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭@TheJet_Award x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/rCT9F9DZe4
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) August 1, 2025
Iowa receiver and return specialist Kaden Wetjen was named to the Jet Award watch list. The Jet Award is given annually to the most outstanding return specialist in college football.
Wetjen was the 2024 recipient of the award and hopes to become a multi-year Jet Award winner.
The Jet Award is named after Heisman Trophy winner and college football Hall of Famer Johnny "The Jet" Rogers, and will be presented at the annual Jet Award Gala on April 2.
The Jet Award preseason watch list contains 16 of the nation's top return specialists who have displayed tremendous skill in the return game.
Wetjen was dynamic on special teams during his junior season, tallying 1,055 total return yards (328 punt return yards and 727 kick return yards) and two total touchdowns.
His 1,055 combined return yards ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten and nationally.
Wetjen also had 100-plus return yards in three straight games, which was a first for a Hawkeye player since 1978.