5 Hawkeyes Poised for '23 BreakOut

An Iowa Football Quintet Ready to Rise

Iowa's Xavier Nwankpa covers a kickoff during a game against Michigan on Oct. 1, 2022 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Every season, Hawkeyes who are relatively unknown coming into the campaign emerge with more popularity. They become household names within the fanbase and beyond. 

Cooper DeJean, Luke Lachey, Deontae Craig, Drew Stevens and Quinn Schulte took big steps forward in 2022. They came into camp last week as known commodities who expect to be heavily relied upon in this year. 

I combed the roster for five guys I could see on a similar trajectory in the coming months. Like most years, it wasn't an easy exercise. It was fun, however. 

HN is rolling out a lot of preseason content this month. You can read about my game-by-game predictions HERE. A ranking of position groups can be viewed HERE.  

Now let's dive into the breakouts: 

Xavier Nwankpa, Strong Safety

A preview of his upside was on display during December's Music City Bowl victory. Nwankpa (6-2, 210) made his first start, contributing a 52-yard Pick-6 and seven solo tackles. 

The Pleasant Hill (IA) Southeast Polk High product came to Iowa as one of its most highly-ranked recruits ever. The 247 composite rankings had him as the No. 5 safety nationally in the '22 Class. 

Similar to DeJean becoming All-Big Ten last year, Nwankpa is poised to go from special teams' standout to a force on this defense in his second year on campus. He tops the depth chart at strong safety following a season developing behind starter Kaevon Merriweather, now with the Tampa Bay Bucs. 

Nwankpa added needed strength last year. That along with a greater understanding of the defense added to his natural ability made him a prime breakout candidate in '23. 

With plenty of star power coming back from a dominant '22 defense, Nwankpa won't have to carry too much responsibility. That should allow him to thrive. 

Logan Jones, Center 

Jones' baptism under fire last fall came with bumps in the road. The first-year starting center was inconsistent in snapping and carrying out blocking assignments. 

The hiccups were expected when you consider he was playing defensive line as a true freshman a season earlier. He also was put in a tough spot replacing Tyler Linderbaum, considered among the best to ever play the position at Iowa. 

Those growing pains should pay off this fall. Jones is more equipped physically and mentally this time around. 

Jones (6-3, 283) works his butt off and wants to be great. He's a nominee to make the biggest jump forward from last season to this one. 

Kaleb Johnson, Running Back 

It's gotta be a good sign that we have another offensive player listed here. The Hawkeyes need to make the biggest growth in that phase. The defense and special teams should be salty again. 

One could argue that Johnson (6-0, 212) broke out last year with an Iowa freshman record 779 rushing yards. Still, there's a chance this kid is Iowa's best at the position since Shonn Greene in '08, when he won the Doak Walker. 

Johnson boasts a rare combination of size and speed to go with good vision and feel for running the ball. If the game keeps slowing down for him and the offensive line improves, look out. He has all-conference potential. 

Aaron Graves, Defensive Line

Graves (6-4, 271) might be the the closest thing the Hawkeyes have to the departed Lukas Van Ness, a first-round NFL Draft pick in April. They're both unusually athletic, strong guys on the defensive front. 

Iowa eased in Graves last season as a true freshman. He saw action in the team's final 12 games as a rotational piece at tackle. He registered 3.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss in limited duty. 

The ceiling his very high here. He'll make a big move toward reaching it this fall. 

Sebastian Castro, Safety/Cash

A suburban Chicago product, Castro (5-11, 207) entered the lineup last season after injuries struck the secondary. He never looked back, taking hold of the starting hybrid safety/linebacker position in the defense, known as Cash. He especially shined in the Music City Bowl with a career-high five tackles, two pass breakups and a sack. 

In all, Castro started seven games last season. He accumulated 33.0 tackles (22 solo, 3.0 for loss) with two forced fumbles and five passes defended. 

Castro plays with a great deal of physicality. Time will tell how well he stacks up in coverage against his predecessors at the position, Amani Hooker and Dane Belton. Though, he may already be better against the run at this stage than those guys, both of whom are in the NFL.