The Glendale, Arizona native enters his redshirt sophomore season on Iowa's defensive line.
Welcome back to our countdown to the 2026 Iowa football season!
Since May 28, we've been counting down from 100 days until the Hawkeyes storm out of the tunnel to take on Northern Illinois on Sept. 5. Each article will either feature a piece discussing the player currently wearing the respective number from that day, a historical piece, or a piece relevant to the 2026 season.
Today marks 91 days until kickoff, so we're going to take a look at No. 91 - defensive lineman Devan Kennedy.
Bio
Hometown: Glendale, Arizona
High School: Brophy College Preparatory
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 275 pounds
Other players to wear No. 91: The most notable former Hawkeye to don No. 91 in recent years is standout defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness. Van Ness helped carry the load for a dominant defense during his Iowa career, recording 6.5 sacks during his senior season in 2022. Van Ness' strong campaign resulted in him being selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, where he has continued his dominance.
Kennedy's Iowa career so far
Kennedy hasn't played much during his time in a Hawkeye uniform so far. The Arizona native redshirted in 2024, but that didn't help him earn a spot on the field in 2025, as his only statistic during the season was a tackle late in Iowa's blowout loss over Minnesota in late October.
It's possible his playing time could increase in 2026 with the loss of key pass rushers Ethan Hurkett, Aaron Graves, Max Llewellyn, and Brian Allen to graduation/transfer portal, but Kennedy likely figures to be a depth option in his redshirt sophomore season.
But sitting and learning from some of the more experienced members of the room has benefited so many Hawkeye players over the years, so that's not a horrible thing for Kennedy. Plus, he comes from a great family pedigree at the position. His father, Jimmy, was a four-year starter for Joe Paterno at Penn State and later embarked on an eight-year NFL career with four different teams.
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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]
