Kaden Wetjen, Player | Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Football
Kaden Wetjen, Player | Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Football
University of Iowa senior Kaden Wetjen has been named a midseason first-team All-American by The Sporting News, according to an announcement from the publication on Wednesday.
Wetjen, who is from Williamsburg, Iowa, currently leads the nation in combined return yards for the second consecutive season. He has accumulated 522 combined return yards—236 from kickoffs and 286 from punts—over six games. Wetjen ranks first in the NCAA in punt returns with an average of 26.0 yards, is second in kickoff return touchdowns with one, and third in punt return touchdowns with one.
In Week 3, Wetjen returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown during the third quarter of Iowa’s win over UMass. This play tied both a Big Ten and Iowa record, matching performances by Michigan State’s Al Brenner in 1966 and Iowa’s Bill Happel in 1984. It also set a new record for the longest punt return in Kinnick Stadium history. Wetjen ended that game with a personal best of 216 return yards—182 on punts and 34 on kickoffs—and a career-high 236 all-purpose yards. His 182 punt return yards are the fourth-highest single-game total in Big Ten history.
The following week, Wetjen returned the opening kickoff 100 yards against Rutgers, tying both an Iowa and Big Ten record. He was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after his performances against UMass and Rutgers.
Wetjen is believed to be the first player in Iowa history to score touchdowns via rushing, receiving, punt return, and kickoff return. Both his rushing and receiving touchdowns occurred this season.
He previously received the 2024 Jet Award and is currently the only player in the country to have both a kickoff and punt return touchdown this season. He was also the only player to achieve that distinction in 2024.
Iowa holds a 4-2 overall record and is 2-1 in conference play. The team will host Penn State (3-3, 0-3) on Saturday at Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. The game will be available on Peacock and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.
"Kaden Wetjen has been recognized as a midseason first-team All-American by The Sporting News," according to the publication.
###
Alerts Sign-up