IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior return specialist Kaden Wetjen has been recognized as a midseason first-team All-American by The Sporting News, it was announced Wednesday by the publication.

The Williamsburg, Iowa, native leads the nation in combined return yards (by 59 yards) for a second straight season. He has 522 combined return yards (236 kickoff, 286 punt) through six games. Wetjen is No. 1 in the NCAA in punt returns (26.0), second in kickoff return touchdowns (1) and third in punt return touchdowns (1).

Wetjen made history in Week 3 when he returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of the Hawkeyes’ dominant victory over UMass. The return tied a Big Ten and Iowa record (Michigan State’s Al Brenner at Illinois, 1966 and Iowa’s Bill Happel vs. Minnesota, 1984) and was the longest punt return in Kinnick Stadium history. Wetjen finished the contest against UMass with a career-high 216 return yards (182 punt and 34 kickoff) and a career-high 236 all-purpose yards. The 182 punt return yards are the fourth-most in a single game in Big Ten history.

The following week, Wetjen returned the opening kickoff 100 yards against Rutgers to tie an Iowa and Big Ten record. Wetjen earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors following the performances against UMass and Rutgers.

Wetjen is believed to be the first player to score a rushing, receiving, punt return and kickoff return touchdown as a Hawkeye. Both the rushing and receiving scores occurred this season.

Wetjen, who was the recipient of the 2024 Jet Award, is the only player in the nation to have both a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown this season and he was the only player to accomplish the same feat in 2024.

Iowa (4-2, 2-1) hosts Penn State (3-3, 0-3) on Saturday on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City (6:08 p.m. CT). The game will be streamed on Peacock and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.