Kaden Wetjen had a simple message for every major college football program

It is rare to see a player who always electrifies the crowd on special teams, but that is exactly what Kaden Wetjen did every time he touched the ball.

Wetjen went from seeing no game action in his first season in Iowa City (2022) to breaking program records in his final season in the black and gold.

Wetjen started to pop up on everyone's radar during the 2023 season where he was primarily used as a kick returner.

During the 2023 season, he led the team with 14 kickoff returns for 335 total yards, which equaled an average of 23.9 yards per return (ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten).

The 2024 season is when he really took off, compiling 1,055 total return yards and two total touchdowns en route to earning the Jet Award.

Wetjen was even better this season, finishing with another season of over 1,000 total return yards (1,039) and four total return touchdowns.

After finishing the season with a victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl, Wetjen had a straightforward message for all college football programs.

According to KCRG TV-9 Sports, Wetjen said his success at Iowa proves that programs should never overlook junior college guys.

Before transferring to the Iowa program in 2022, Wetjen played one season for Iowa Western Community College, and had some history with Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.

Wetjen and the Iowa Western CC Reivers lost to Pavia in the JUCO National Championship when he played for New Mexico Military Institute.

NMMI is a junior college program that is located in Roswell, New Mexico.

Wetjen could not beat Pavia in their first meeting, but finished his career with a victory over Pavia and Vanderbilt.

Both Wetjen and Pavia paid their dues and worked hard to reach the Division I level with a Power Four conference team, proving programs should never overlook JUCO players.