After a week of spring practices, the Iowa Football roster is still taking shape. The Hawkeyes ended last week with full pads and had light-contact drills.
Iowa aims to improve on an average 2024-2025 season. The Hawkeyes finished 8-5 and lost in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl to end the season.
The Hawkeyes have multiple holes this season, including at the linebacker position. Over the past few seasons, Jay Higgins was a staple in the center of the Hawkeyes' defense. Higgins racked up 341 total tackles, including 17 career games with 10-plus tackles.
Higgins is the first Hawkeye with back-to-back seasons with 100-plus tackles (171 in 2023, 118 in 2024) since Jack Campbell in 2021 and 2022.
The Hawkeyes must replace Higgins' production after he moved on to the NFL Draft. On Saturday, the Hawkeyes lost linebacker depth to the transfer portal.
— Devan Van Ness (@Devan_VanNess) April 5, 2025
Redshirt freshman Devan Van Ness announced he is entering the transfer portal after one season in Iowa City. Van Ness did not see game action in 2024, and used his redshirt.
Van Ness is the younger brother of former Hawkeye football star Lukas Van Ness, who is in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers.
Before joining the Hawkeyes, Van Ness was rated as a two-star recruit and the No. 310 overall linebacker in the 2024 class, according to 247 Sports. He played high school football at Barrington High School in Barrington, Illinois.
During his senior year, Van Ness was voted a team captain and was the conference's defensive MVP. He tallied 78 total tackles (30 for loss) and 16 sacks. His 16 sacks broke the Barrington High School and Illinois state record for sacks in a season.
Van Ness will have four years of eligibility remaining.