One last ride: Riley Moss returning to Iowa for a fifth season

Giving flowers to his parents on senior day and accepting a Senior Bowl invite. With an NFL decision looming for Iowa senior corner Riley Moss this offseason, one could have assumed the all-American was making the jump to pro football. But you know what they say about assuming. Wednesday, Moss announced he will use his fifth year of eligibility and return to Iowa City in 2022.

“I have more goals I would like to achieve and this team has more goals to achieve as well,” he said in a tweet. “This has been the hardest decision I have ever had to make, and I am confident that I have made the right one.”

Moss entertained the idea of going to the NFL, following a season in which he won Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and was named an AP third-team All-American.

“I’m excited for senior day and mentally prepared for it to be my last time,” he said before Iowa’s game against Illinois in November. “But if it isn’t, it isn’t, and I’ll get another shot. At the end of the season, I’ll get a feeling of if I’m going to go or stay.”

The Ankeny native has mentioned on several occasions that playing for the Hawkeyes is a dream he’s had since he was a kid. In high school he was committed to FCS power North Dakota State before signing with Iowa.

“I have always dreamed of being a Hawkeye and being able to live out this dream everyday has been incredibly special for both me and my family,” he said on Twitter.

It’s a big boost for a Hawkeyes secondary, which is already losing fellow seniors Matt Hankins and Jack Koerner, the latter announcing his intentions to enter the NFL Draft earlier this week.

The decision was met with excitement from fans. His teammates seem pretty excited too.

Iowa junior center and projected first round draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft Tyler Linderbaum responded with a “👀” to the announcement tweet.

Despite missing three games due to an injury, Moss finished second on the team in interceptions in 2021 with four. Two those were returned for touchdowns in Iowa’s season-opening 34-6 win over No. 17 Indiana.

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