IOWA CITY — When Iowa’s first-team defense trotted out to Duke Slater Field in the season opener against Albany at Kinnick Stadium, seven of the starters were home-grown Hawkeyes.

Count ’em up, seven, from Northwest Iowa to Eastern Iowa: defensive ends Max Llewellyn of Urbandale and Ethan Hurkett of Cedar Rapids; defensive tackle Aaron Graves of Dayton; linebackers Karson Sharar of Iowa Falls and Jaden Harrell of Urbandale; and defensive backs Zach Lutmer of Rock Rapids and Xavier Nwankpa of Pleasant Hill.

Outside linebacker Jaxon Rexroth of Cedar Rapids is technically an eighth Iowa-native starter if the Hawkeyes start in a 4-3 defense.

When realizing that, it’s no wonder the annual Iowa vs. Iowa State football game means so much, both to players and fans in a small state with two ex

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