The transfer portal giveth, and now, this year more than ever, the portal taketh away. In Iowa's eighth announced transfer from the program, LB Jestin Jacobs will reportedly enter the portal:
None of Iowa's @HawkeyeFootball portal losses were surprising until linebacker Jestin Jacobs joined the club. Big loss, especially with Campbell and Benson being seniors. But at least it's on defense where there is a strong foundation.https://t.co/IoOKZdmTwU
— Pat Harty (@PatHarty) December 6, 2022
This one stings, and it highlights how the likelihood of starting (and even starring!) at their current school may not be the dominant factor in transferring players' decisions these days. Jacobs was a serious NFL prospect coming into the 2022 season, and though a lingering leg injury derailed his year early and forced him into season-ending surgery, he was thought to be a centerpiece for the Hawkeyes' 2023 defense.
Jacobs, who was one of Kirk Ferentz's most ballyhooed out-of-state recruits ever as a 4-star signee from under Ohio State's nose, passes every measurable test; he's listed at 6'4", 238 pounds, has great speed and coverage skills, and can hit like an F-150. He's expected to be one of the highest-rated defenders available in the portal this season.
With the announcement, Jacobs' 2022 season with Iowa oh-fficially officially ends with just six total tackles in two games played, neither of which he finished healthy. It's a shame, as this should have been a breakout year for the LB who had logged 53 tackles in 2021 while playing his way into a bigger role in the defensive rotation.
Jacobs' departure, along with Jack Campbell's and Seth Benson's impending graduations, leaves a considerable dearth of experience for Iowa's linebacking corps in 2023, outside of rising senior (and rotation stalwart) Jay Higgins. Only perennial backups Kyler Fisher and Logan Klemp were the other players to log multiple tackles as linebackers in 2022, and Klemp is listed as a senior. Freshman Justice Sullivan had one tackle, but we're getting into the weeds.
As such, logic dictates that Kirk Ferentz will seek out experienced LB transfers in this season's portal, and given how quickly news has moved in the past week, we likely won't have to wait long to figure out if that turns out to be the case.
Iowa also took a hit on Monday when safety Reggie Bracy, known more for his special teams work in 2022, entered the portal as well. Bracy's playing time prospects were likely dicier than Jacobs with the sheer volume of young talent in the secondary, but anyone who's good enough to make one of LeVar Woods' ST units is assuredly good enough to see time on a whole lot of FBS (and probably Power 5) fields.
Iowa safety Reggie Bracy, a core special teamer and backup safety, has entered the transfer portal.
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) December 5, 2022
Bracy will likely have three seasons to play two years, as he completed a true-junior year at Iowa in 2022 and will have both a redshirt season and "free" COVID year at his disposal, if he so chooses.
As with every transfer, we at GIA wish both these young men the best of luck and health at their destinations, and we have been pleased that the vast majority of Iowa fans on social media have been extending them the same courtesy thus far. Any number of factors, both on- and off-field, professional and personal, public and private, can guide these young men's decisions to transfer; if they end up in a situation that suits them better, that's great for them. Iowa will always be able to fill 85 scholarships one way or another. The goal, for all parties involved, is to have those spots filled by guys who want to be there. And only they get to decide that.
Onward, upward. GO IOWA AWESOME.
