IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior linebacker Jay Higgins has been named to the 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, the Wuerffel Foundation announced Thursday.

Higgins (6-foot-2, 232-pounds) recorded 171 tackles (79 solo, 92 assists) during the 2023 season, which led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally. The total tied the program record for tackles in a single season.

The Indianapolis native is a preseason All-American and Phil Steele Preseason National Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List earlier this week.

Now in its 20th season, the Allstate Wuerfel Trophy is college football’s premier award for community service. The trophy is named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida who parlayed his success on the football field into a lifetime of service and humanitarianism.

Higgins volunteered more than 50 combined hours last year with groups such as Safe Haven Animal Shelter in South Amana, Iowa, the Community Crisis Services and Food Bank, Special Olympics, Dream City and University of Iowa Student-Athlete Academic Services.

The 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy finalists and recipient will be selected by a national voting committee along with a fan vote component. The winner will be announced on ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 12th. The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Presentation Gala will take place February 1, 2025, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

The award recipient will be invited to join Danny Wuerffel in New York City to attend the Heisman Trophy ceremonies, including the press conference, televised announcement show and gala.

The Hawkeyes open the season Aug. 31, hosting Illinois State inside Kinnick Stadium beginning at 11 a.m. (CT).