Aaron Graves making it a priority to anchor Iowa’s defensive line
Iowa defensive lineman Aaron Graves (95) pressures Washington quarterback Will Rogers (7) during a passing play Saturday October 12, 2024 at Kinnick Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
IOWA CITY, Ia. — With spring ball officially in the books for the Hawkeyes, their senior defensive tackle is approaching the month of May with more confidence and leadership.
After all, Aaron Graves has been a key contributor along the defensive line for the past three seasons. With 85 tackles, including 19 for loss and 11.5 sacks during that span, there’s no denying that Graves is due for an All-Big Ten campaign this fall.
His experience, production and leadership is exactly what Iowa needs on defense for the 2025 season. The six-foot-four, 300-pound Graves always sets the tone up front, is extremely physical and eats ball carriers for breakfast in the trenches. Not to mention he has played alongside former Hawkeye defensive linemen like Lukas Van Ness, Logan Lee and Yahya Black, who were all taken in each of the last three NFL Draft classes.
Graves understands there’s going to be a lot of responsibility on his shoulders with guiding the younger defensive linemen, considering he and edge rusher Ethan Hurkett are the veterans of the bunch. The unit lost Black and Deontae Craig up front, who combined for 77 stops, including 14 for loss and four sacks last season. Those are big shoes to fill, but Graves has embraced his leadership role, and took that approach throughout spring practice. In return, everyone soaked up his knowledge like a sponge.
“I think me and Hurkett returning is obviously big, but we have a lot of guys that are ready to step into that role,” Graves said. “With Yahya and Craig being gone, I think we have a bunch of guys that are eager to show what they can do next season, so I’m excited to watch them.”
With roster limitations in the works, Graves took more of a backseat role over the past four weeks in practice, as the youngsters gained valuable reps. Graves knows rotating bodies around helps with overall depth, and keeping everyone fresh will be critical when the Hawkeyes navigate through the Big Ten gauntlet.
“Having fewer guys on the team in general, which is why I haven’t taken quite as many reps,” he said. “So just trying to coach the young guys when they’re getting all of their reps in, and bringing them along has been a point of emphasis for sure.”
Graves also realizes that going up against a stout offensive line everyday in practice is turning out to be very beneficial. Sophomore offensive lineman Kade Pieper really stood out to Graves with his work ethic and physicality. On top of that, Logan Jones and Gennings Dunker are All-Big Ten performers. They bring out the best in the defensive line, and Graves always enjoys the intensity at the line of scrimmage.
After finishing second on the Hawkeyes in tackles for loss and sacks in 2024, the former four-star prospect hasn’t set any individual goals for his senior campaign. Graves definitely had draft value after his junior year, but knew there was unfinished business at Iowa.
“It’s just basically getting feedback from the coaches on what I need to work on, and try to get better at that,” the 21-year old said. “Kind of finding my groove in different situations, different scenarios and what works for me the best.”
Iowa finished eighth in the Big Ten, and 25th in the FBS against the run last season. The interior of the defensive line is going to play an integral part if the Hawkeyes plan on improving those numbers, and having success in 2025. Regardless of the matter, Graves is up for the challenge, and has a plan set in place to stay on the grind as summer approaches.
“Just working everyday, trying to get better, because you can’t look too far into the future, or else you’ll lose sight of what got you there in the first place.”
