Following No. 15 Iowa's (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) 24-10 road win over Northwestern (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) at the new Ryan Field on Saturday, head coach Kirk Ferentz said former Hawkeyes and current Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell would be getting a game ball.
Campbell was carted off the field with a neck injury in the Lions' Week 8 win over the Vikings after making a tackle against another former Hawkeye and current Minnesota tight end, T.J. Hockenson, on Nov. 1. The Hawkeye great has been on Iowa fans' hearts and minds since.
"All the feedback has been really positive," Ferentz said in his postgame media availability. "Hearing some encouraging news, it's going to be an – I don't know how long road – but it's moving in the right direction. Thought
that was really fitting certainly to give him a ball and we'll get that to him."
Kirk Ferentz said Jack Campbell will be getting a game ball from the #Hawkeyes win over Northwestern.
— Joel Kellar (@KellarJoel) November 8, 2026
Class. pic.twitter.com/c2RbTAfSnM
Campbell has been hospitalized with his neck injury, but released a statement last week saying that he has "full movement" in his lower body and he's "continuing to make progress with movement in my upper body."
“I think all of you know just how impactful Jack was in our program, what a tremendous person he is, what a tremendous player he’s been for us, and then now he’s moved on and done the same exact thing in Detroit,” Ferentz said last Tuesday. “Not only playing really well, but just a tremendous leader and tremendous addition. So we’re all keeping him in our thoughts, and certainly, you know, hope everybody that’s a Hawkeye fan does the same.”
Like his Lions teammates, the Hawkeyes will look to honor Campbell's Iowa legacy as he continues to recover with their play down the stretch of the 2026 regular season. Iowa hosts Purdue (3-6, 2-4 Big Ten) on Saturday, Nov. 14. That matchup against the Boilermakers is set for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on NBC and Peacock.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football to gift Northwestern game ball to Jack Campbell
