Some guys just bring the juice. Former Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Jay Higgins is one of those guys who is bringing it all the time. He did it for Iowa, and he is already showing it in the NFL.
Higgins, who was signed as an undrafted free agent after slipping out of the draft, has a mission to prove to 31 teams that they were wrong on him. He joined the Ravens as a free agent and is already showing out.
After a strong preseason in which he has been all over the field, Higgins has been graded as the best rookie linebacker in the NFL during the 2025 preseason. In three games, he registered 11 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble.
This sort of performance is no surprise to Iowa fans or anyone who watched Higgins throughout his five-year career with the Hawkeyes. While at Iowa, Higgins registered a whopping 341 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 1/2 sacks, three forced fumbles, five interceptions and nine pass deflections. Simply put, he was everywhere.
Higgins is etched in Iowa and Big Ten lore as well. He is a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, a 2024 unanimous All-American, and took home the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year award in 2024.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Former Iowa football LB tops NFL preseason linebacker grades
Reporting by Riley Donald, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
