Jay Higgins
_(cropped).jpg) Higgins with Iowa in 2023 | |
| No. 49 – Baltimore Ravens | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Roster status | Active |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 14, 2002 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Brebeuf Jesuit Prep (Indianapolis) |
| College | Iowa (2020–2024) |
| NFL draft | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Roy Jebaz "Jay" Higgins IV[1] (born February 14, 2002) is an American professional football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Early life
[edit]Higgins was born on February 14, 2002, and attended Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School. He committed to play college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes.[2][3]
College career
[edit]As a freshman at the University of Iowa in 2020, Higgins notched just two tackles.[4] In 2021, he totaled five tackles and a fumble recovery.[5] In week 9 of the 2022 season, Higgins recorded a career-high 11 tackles versus Northwestern.[6] He finished the season with 39 tackles with one and half going for a loss, and half a sack.[7] Higgins tallied 16 tackles in the 2023 season opener against Utah State.[8] In week 4, he notched a career-high 18 tackles versus Penn State.[9] Higgins was a semifinalist for the 2023 Butkus Award and a first-team all-Big Ten Conference selection by both the coaches and the media.[10][11] In 2024, Higgins was again named first team all-Big Ten and won the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year.[12]
College statistics
[edit]| Year | Team | Tackles | Sacks | Fumbles | INT | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Total | TFL | Total | FF | FR | INT | PD | ||
| 2020 | Iowa | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Iowa | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Iowa | 20 | 19 | 39 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Iowa | 79 | 92 | 171 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 2024 | Iowa | 53 | 71 | 124 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Totals | 157 | 184 | 341 | 10.0 | 3.5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 9 | |
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄8 in (1.83 m) | 224 lb (102 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 4.82 s | 1.64 s | 2.79 s | 4.35 s | 7.01 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 2 in (2.79 m) | 20 reps |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[13][14] | ||||||||||||
Higgins signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2025.[15] Higgins survived the final round of cuts and made the Ravens' initial 53-man roster.[16] After suffering a knee injury in Baltimore's Week 10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, he was placed on injured reserve on November 16.[17] Higgins was activated on December 27, ahead of the team's Week 17 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.[18]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Hawkeyes' Jay Higgins was destined for greatness from birth". WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. November 28, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
- ↑ Tachman, Tyler. "Jay Higgins is forging his own Iowa football legacy in Hawkeyes' improbable season". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ Dochterman, Scott. "'It doesn't get better than this': Why tackling machine Jay Higgins chose Iowa". The Athletic. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ Votzmeyer, Colin. "Iowa football middle linebacker Jay Higgins is ready to shine and continue the Hawkeye standard". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Jay Higgins 2021 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ Thomas, Nathan. "College Football: Linebackers Jackson and Higgins ready to continue Iowa's defensive standard". Globe Gazette. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Jay Higgins 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ Steppe, John. "Jay Higgins continues Iowa football's trend of stellar middle linebackers". The Gazette. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ Reister, Scott. "Iowa LB Jay Higgins leading the Hawkeye defense". KCCI. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Jay Higgins Butkus Semifinalist". Iowa Hawkeyes on SI. SI.com. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ Tachman, Tyler. "Iowa football's Cooper DeJean, Tory Taylor among Hawkeyes to earn All-Big Ten honors". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ↑ Binder, Ross. "Jay Higgins Named Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten". Hawkeye Beacon. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
- ↑ "Jay Higgins Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
- ↑ "Jay Higgins College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
- ↑ Mink, Ryan (May 4, 2025). "Ravens Sign 17 Undrafted Rookie Free Agents". BaltimoreRavens.com.
- ↑ Worth, Cooper. "See the moment ex-Iowa football star Jay Higgins was told he made the Baltimore Ravens". Hawk Central. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
- ↑ Mehta, Nikhil (November 16, 2025). "Baltimore Ravens place LB Jay Higgins on IR, promote DT Taven Bryan". Baltimore Beatdown. SB Nation. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- ↑ Gersh, AJ (December 27, 2025). "Ravens activate rookie linebacker Jay Higgins from I.R. ahead of Saturday's game". foxbaltimore.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026.