Iowa football envisioned LB Cam Buffington's rapid rise

Every great Iowa defense in the Kirk Ferentz era seems to have a linebacker in the middle of everything leading the way.

From Chad Greenway to Josey Jewell to Jay Higgins, the Hawkeyes have been blessed with some great linebacker play over the years. Most of those great linebackers followed a similar trajectory. They sat for a year or two, learning the system. Then they entered the starting lineup and became instant high-level contributors. And it’s happening again in 2026.

After a middling year from the linebackers in 2025, Iowa seems to have found its next stud: third-year Cam Buffington. The Winfield, Iowa, native is off to a fantastic start this season. Through two games, he has 21 total tackles, tied for the eighth-most in all of college football. Last Saturday in the Cy-Hawk game, Buffington was a true difference-maker.

He had 15 total tackles in that game alone, helping lead the Hawkeyes to a 16-13 victory. He was the main spy on Iowa State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, limiting the dual-threat signal caller to just 18 rushing yards. That performance earned Buffington some praise from his head coach.

At his weekly Tuesday press conference, Kirk Ferentz was asked about how well Buffington has adjusted to being a starting linebacker at Iowa and on the jump from 8-man football at Winfield-Mount Union High School in southeastern Iowa.

"Certain guys are good football players. We thought we saw that during the recruiting process, tremendous kid, tremendous family, and he's an impressive young guy," Ferentz said. "I guess maybe I didn't say it last Tuesday, but I think it was on the radio show on Wednesday and I was talking about a play Wednesday in practice that he made, and there's certain guys that see things a little easier and quicker, and then he has the ability to accelerate on top of it.

"It starts with seeing things and recognition, thinking about Abdul (Hodge) out there. These fields used to be out there 25 years ago, and the first time you saw him on the field in person, like boy, he gets where he's got to get real quickly.

"I'm not saying guys are born with that, but some people do it a little quicker than others. Then when he gets here, he knows what to do, too. He's a good young prospect and a great young person. I think he's going to be a really good football player for us. He's off to a good start for sure."

Ferentz has seen a lot of great linebacker play over the years. His excitement about Buffington's potential should have fans ecstatic to see how the young linebacker develops this season. Iowa relies so heavily on its linebackers to lead the way defensively. Buffington did that in the Cy-Hawk game and looks primed to continue doing so into Big Ten play.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football envisioned LB Cam Buffington's rapid rise