Detroit remains a hotbed for former Hawkeyes. The Detroit Lions announced Monday that they had signed former Iowa linebacker Ben Niemann to their roster. Niemann has appeared in 86 games with 21 starts over his six-year career, and had a career-high 70 tackles with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022.
DES MOINES, Iowa— Detroit remains a hotbed for former Hawkeyes. The Detroit Lions announced Monday that they had signed former Iowa linebacker Ben Niemann to their roster. Over his six-year career, Niemann has appeared in 86 games, starting 21 of them, and recorded a career-high 70 tackles with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022.
Niemann was another unheralded Iowa athlete who made it to the NFL. He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten as a senior after recording 80 tackles (six for loss), a sack, five passes broken up, and two forced fumbles. Throughout his career, Niemann recorded 201 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
After going undrafted in 2018, Niemann joined the Kansas City Chiefs and made an immediate impression as a rookie. According to Pro Football Focus, Niemann had the highest graded special teamer (kickoff coverage, punt coverage, kickoff blocking, punt blocking, field goal blocking) in the NFL without a missed tackle (86.2). Niemann played 307 of these snaps, including at least 30 in each of the five.
“Steaming Niemann was the truth,” linebacker Reggie Ragland told KansasCity.com early in his first year. “I love Ben. He’s one of those Iowans who is extremely brilliant. My position coach, Mark DeLeone, is from Iowa. Hitch, the linebacker next to me, is from Iowa. I suppose it’s something going on in Iowa.”
Since Dan Campbell was hired by the Lions, they have been obsessed with Hawkeye players. Campbell selected Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell and tight end Sam LaPorta in the recent NFL Draft to be part of its outstanding 2023 team. During their second season, the two are expected to make significant progress.
Campbell prioritizes toughness and principles above all else, which is why Niemann may be an excellent fit for the Lions. Detroit returns the majority of its off-ball linebackers to this year’s squad, but that isn’t why the Lions signed him.
Niemann is a guy who doesn’t mind not being the star of a defense. Throughout his NFL career, he has proven to be a knowledgeable, capable special teams player, which is something that many NFL coaches appreciate.
It all starts with Iowa, where the guys have genuinely embraced playing on special teams. It’s not often the most exciting component of the game, and it seldom makes headlines, but Iowa’s culture values excellent special teams performance. Special teams coordinator LeVar Woods has had a significant part in this.
“LeVar has really grown into that role, and embraced it,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz previously stated. “That’s how he got his living in the NFL: as a solid special teams player. So he can completely comprehend its value.”
Niemann will face a difficult challenge in Detroit, but Campbell is the type of coach who will provide him with an opportunity to succeed.
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Iowa Football Recruiting Buzz: An early look at Hawkeye Tailgater visitors, plus additional weekend tidbits
NBPA Top 100 Camp Tuesday: Analysis of top performers and which college coaches were present.
ORLANDO — For many years, the NBPA Top 100 Camp has been one of the most important grassroots activities in June. A few years ago, the NCAA allowed college coaches to attend the event for two days, increasing the prominence of the camp for the prospects that participated.
On Tuesday, college coaches came at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, which garnered additional media attention and increased competitiveness as prospects attempted to impress.
While numerous five-stars and highly-ranked players were unable to come this year owing to recent USA Basketball 18U responsibilities or preparation for the 17U team tryouts, which begin this weekend, there was no shortage of quality assembled.
“It means a lot to get the chance to play for them”: 2027 legacy prospect Jaxx DeJean earns Iowa offer
Over the weekend, the Iowa staff made an offer to a 2027 prospect with a similar last name.
The Hawkeyes extended an offer to OABCIG 2027 athlete Jaxx DeJean, the youngest brother of former Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean. Iowa is DeJean’s second offer, following UAB, and other power-five institutions have expressed serious interest.
100 first-year players who will impact the 2024 college football season.
True freshmen used to dominate offseason conversations in college football, but that was five years ago. They were the new, possible change agents on each roster. They signified hope.
That post is now reserved for transfers. They are the players that dominate summer discussions and frequently cover depth chart gaps that true freshmen did only a half-decade ago.
But it doesn’t mean true freshmen won’t have an influence. Consider last season, whether it was the College Football Playoff or the 2023 True Freshman All-American team: Where would Alabama have been without Caleb Downs? Will Texas win the Big 12 without Anthony Hill? In other circumstances, such as at Georgia Tech (wideout Eric Singleton) and Purdue (safety Dillon Thieneman), a true freshman emerged as probably the team’s greatest player.
Almost every roster features at least one true freshman who will contribute in Year 1. Many rosters will require multiple. The top true freshmen will always play. 247Sports wants to identify this group with its annual “100 True Freshmen to Watch” list. According to sources across the country and 247Sports’ extensive network of team site experts, these are the 100 true freshmen likely to have an influence on the 2024 season, ordered by school alphabetically.
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