Iowa City Today

Former University of Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell will serve as honorary captain when the Hawkeyes face Minnesota at Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:40 p.m. Central Time and will be broadcast on CBS.

Jewell had a notable college career, being recognized as a unanimous consensus All-American and winning the Lott IMPACT Trophy in 2017. He also received several Big Ten honors, including the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year awards. Additionally, he was presented with the Jack Lambert Award by the Touchdown Club of Columbus after his senior season.

A native of Decorah, Iowa, Jewell led the Hawkeyes in tackles for three consecutive seasons from 2015 to 2017 and is fourth on Iowa’s all-time list with 436 career tackles. He served as team captain for three years and is one of only three players in program history to record more than 115 tackles in three different seasons. In his senior year, he ranked fourth nationally in tackles per game with an average of 11.3. Over his college career, Jewell accumulated 28 tackles for loss—including 9.5 sacks—six interceptions, 26 pass break-ups, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

Jewell started 43 games for Iowa, including appearances in four bowl games: the TaxSlayer Bowl (2015), Rose Bowl (2016), Outback Bowl (2017), and Pinstripe Bowl (2017).

After completing his college eligibility, Jewell was drafted by Denver in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. He went on to start 58 games over six seasons with the Broncos from 2018 to 2023, making 453 tackles along with 15 pass break-ups and two interceptions. In 2024, while playing for the Carolina Panthers, he recorded 97 tackles and seven pass break-ups in 12 starts.

As honorary captain this weekend, Jewell will join Iowa’s captains at midfield for the pregame coin toss and will be present with the team in the locker room before and after the game.