While there's no Iowa football game for you to look forward to this weekend, the content is doing anything but slow down on HawkeyeRoundtable.com. 

After listening to the coordinator press conferences on Tuesday, it's time to start revealing our midseason grades for every Hawkeye. We began our midterm assessments with the offense (skill position leaders and the rest) so now it's time to turn our attention to the first half of the defense. 

Phil Parker's crew has been stout again this year, allowing just 14.5 points per game, but how do his players grade out individually at the midway point of the season?

Here's a brief note and grade for a few of the top players, with the rest coming on Saturday. 

NOTE: Players with under five tackles on the season will not be included in these grades 

Cam Buffington: A

You really can't ask for much more from Buffington. We listed him as a potential breakout star before the season began, but that probably was foolish because we all knew he was going to be a stud on this defense. His speed has allowed Parker to operate out of the 3-3-5 in certain situations, and Buffington has been incredibly effective. He leads Iowa with 52 tackles and two sacks. 

Jayden Montgomery: A 

The same can be said for Montgomery. While his 35 tackles are far behind Buffington's 52 (not that it matters much), Mongtomery's leadership and experience is so invaluable to this football team. He was the only returning linebacker with starting experience, and it's safe to say that's been a major benefit to the young linebacker corps. 

Zach Lutmer: B+ 

Lutmer was banged up during the early portion of the year, but he's been his stellar self otherwise. His versatility has allowed Parker to move him to safety this year, and though the secondary has struggled at times, Lutmer has done his job, tallying 34 tackles and two pass break-ups. It feels like that first interception is on the horizon. 

Landyn Van Kekerix: B

Van Kekerix earned his chance to start after being a productive special teams player the last few years, and the results have been good so far. There's been a few rough patches here and there, but there's nothing to be overly concerned about. He'll only get better as the season moves on. 

Jacob Wallace: B

Iowa made the bold move to insert Wallace at the CASH position this year, and the sophomore has performed well. Again, the secondary probably needs to tighten up on the explosive plays, but Wallace feels like a guy that will blossom with more experience. The bye week will only help, too. 

Bryce Hawthorne: A 

This defensive line took a minute to get going, but everything came together against Washington. It felt like everyone was getting to the quarterback, and Hawthorne was no exception. He's now tallied a sack in each of the last two games, something Iowa won't mind seeing the rest of the way. 

Deshaun Lee: B+

Lee has improved his game each year, and it's led to a successful senior campaign so far. He has a team-high two interceptions on the season, including a crucial one at Michigan that ultimately allowed Iowa to come back and win that game. He's undoubtedly one of the leaders of this secondary, and the Hawkeyes will need that to show up the rest of the way. 

Jaylen Watson: C+ 

It's been an up-and-down season for Watson, with his performance at Washington being a great example. With Lee playing well, Husky backup quarterback Elijah Brown often targeted Watson, which resulted in Brown recording 251 passing yards. 

But it's not all bad. Watson was Iowa's fourth-highest graded defensive player on Pro Football Focus for his performance at Michigan, and he's a guy that has a lot of good football in front of him. 

Xavier Styles: A 

It's a pretty small sample size, but the Robert Morris transfer was tapped to replace an injured Anthony Hawkins against Washington and responded by totaling a team-high nine tackles. Will it translate to the rest of the year? Who knows, but Styles deserves an A for his limited action in a big road spot. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]