Iowa Hawkeyes Josey Jewell, Sean Welsh named preseason all-Americans

Hawkeye seniors Josey Jewell and Sean Welsh were named to Sports Illustrated’s preseason all-America second team list Wednesday.

Jewell (6-foot-2, 236 pounds), a native of Decorah, started all 13 games at middle linebacker in 2016, leading the team with 124 tackles, which was second in the Big Ten. Jewell was a team captain in each of the past two seasons and was named Iowa's Most Valuable Player on defense in 2016. Jewell was named to five preseason award watch lists, including the Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bednarik Award, Butkus Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Wuerffel Trophy.

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Welsh (6-3, 295 pounds), an offensive lineman from Ohio, started all 12 games he played in during the 2016 season and was named second team All-America by USA Today and an Outland Trophy "player to watch." 

Earlier:Sean Welsh bravely goes public with his three-year battle with depression

Most recently, former Hawkeyes Desmond King and Brandon Scherff were named to SI’s first team and second team in 2016 and 2014, respectively, and both went on to be selected in the subsequent NFL Draft.