Iowa linebackers coach Seth Wallace alluded to injured linebacker Jestin Jacobs potentially returning to the school for the 2023 season.

In September, Jacobs underwent season-ending surgery and will need to recover for the immediate future. This was an unfortunate injury for Jacobs and Iowa’s defense. Jacobs appeared in 2 games this season against South Dakota State and Rutgers.

The Rutgers game ended up being the final game of his season. Jacobs, a redshirt junior, has eligibility remaining at Iowa and could return to the program. Wallace provided his take on Jacobs’ injury situation and believed that Jacob could come back for 1 more season:

“I don’t want to speak for Jestin (Jacobs), but I do expect him to stick around for another year and to double down on his opportunities to lead this team,” Wallace said.

In 2 games in 2022, Jacobs recorded 5 tackles. All of those tackles came in the season opener vs. South Dakota State. He was not as productive in his final game against Rutgers.

If Jacobs returns next season, he will have another year of recovery and experience under his belt for the Hawkeyes. Jacobs will be able to use the time to get healthy and be a contributor on defense. It will be interesting to see if Wallace’s expectations turn out to be true.

Iowa will be on the road at Illinois in Week 6.