As Iowa football (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) passes the midway point of its 2025-26 slate, Hawkeyes senior special teams star Kaden Wetjen has been named to the Jet Award Midseason Watch List.
The Jet Award has been given annually since 2011 by the Jet Award Foundation to the most outstanding return specialist in college football, which Wetjen claimed last season following his historic 2024 campaign with the Hawkeyes.
As of Oct. 20, Wetjen leads the nation in combined return yards (by 86 yards) for a second straight season, having accumulated 573 combined return yards (262 kickoff, 311 punt) through seven games. Wetjen is No. 1 in the NCAA in punt returns (25.9), and No. 3 in kickoff return touchdowns (1) and punt return touchdowns (1).
While Wetjen’s talents in the return game have been a treat for Hawkeyes fans over the past two seasons, he made history in Week 3 when he returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of the Hawkeyes’ dominant victory over UMass, which tied a Big Ten and Iowa program record and was the longest punt return in Kinnick Stadium history.
The native of Williamsburg, Iowa, added to that historic feat the very next week when he returned the opening kickoff 100 yards against Rutgers to tie an Iowa and Big Ten record.
Wetjen is believed to be the first player to score a rushing, receiving, punt return, and kickoff return touchdown as a Hawkeye, with both the rushing and receiving scores also occurring early this season. He is the only player in the nation to have both a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown this season, and was the only player to accomplish the same feat in 2024.
The winner of the 2025 Jet Award will be selected by a panel of voters, including media members from the Football Writers Association of America, former recipients of the Jet Award, and two of our founders, Johnny Rodgers and William Reed.
Iowa returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 25, against Minnesota (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) for the 119th all-time meeting between both storied rivals and the 91st battle for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy. While Minnesota leads the all-time series by a 63–53–2 margin, Iowa holds a narrow 45–43–2 advantage in regards to the Floyd of Rosedale.
Kickoff between the Hawkeyes and Golden Gophers is slated for 2:40 p.m. CT from another sold-out Kinnick Stadium, and will be televised on CBS.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football’s Kaden Wetjen Named To Jet Award Midseason List
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
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