Keith Duncan becomes Iowa football's 26th consensus all-American

IOWA CITY, Ia. — Keith Duncan had the Lou Groza Award slip away, but he arguably answered with an even more prestigious honor.

The junior placekicker on Thursday became the 26th consensus all-American in Iowa football history, after he was named a first-teamer by the Football Writers Association of America.

What that means: Duncan's portrait will be made and placed below that of Josey Jewell's and to the right of Josh Jackson's inside the All-American Room at the Hansen Football Performance Center. Jewell and Jackson were Iowa's most recent consensus all-Americans, in 2017.

Duncan is the 11th consensus all-American under 21st-year coach Kirk Ferentz. Among notable names that never achieved this honor: Brad Banks, Bob Sanders, Matt Roth, Chad Greenway, Bryan Bulaga and T.J. Hockenson.

To become a consensus all-American, a player must be named a first-teamer by a majority of five selected postseason honor teams: the FWAA, American Football Coaches Association, The Associated Press, the Sporting News, and the Walter Camp Foundation.

Duncan was named a first-teamer on three: AP, Sporting News and now the FWAA.

Duncan was disappointed to be boxed out for the Lou Groza Award a week ago in Atlanta, when Georgia's Rodrigo Blankenship — who had inferior numbers and two big missed field goals in the SEC Championship Game against LSU — was announced as the winner.

But Duncan got the ultimate honor Thursday after a stellar regular season in which he converted a Big Ten Conference-record 29 field goals on 34 attempts, including 14-of-18 accuracy from 40 yards and beyond.

"I was fortunate enough to have a ton of kicks this year," Duncan told the Register recently on the Hawk Central radio show. "A lot of fans weren’t too happy about that. But you know, that’s the way it goes sometimes. Putting points on the board. If I’m getting booed and still making field goals, it’s OK.”

Duncan needs two field goals in Iowa's Holiday Bowl game against USC to tie the FBS single-season record of 31.

Also on Thursday, Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs was named a first-team all-American by the FWAA.