Iowa has been called by many as “Tight End U” or “Tight End University” because of the incredible talent the school has produced from that position. Minnesota Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson and Seattle Seahawks TE Noah Fant are some notable Hawkeye alumni in recent years.
Another notable name is San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle, who is considered one of the best at his position in the NFL. Kittle has high hopes for his alma mater in a new era for the Big Ten.
“I just think if the offense can score 10-14 points, the defense is going to score seven, or the special teams is,” Kittle said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show. “And so that’s an average of 21 points per game; you’re going to win a lot of football games doing that. Let’s just win the games we’re supposed to, upset one or two guys, and then let Kinnick {Stadium} get really loud.”
Iowa’s offense struggled last year, to say the least, ranking last in the Big Ten with an average of 15.4 points per game. Because of this, the Hawkeyes fired offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz and replaced him with former Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester.
Leading the Iowa offense this year will be quarterback Cade McNamara, who was named the starter by head coach Kirk Ferentz in a press conference last Thursday. McNamara threw for 505 yards and four touchdowns before a knee injury against Michigan State kept him out for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz will be suspended for the Hawkeyes’ week one matchup against Illinois State for a recruiting violation. However, he will return the following week when Iowa hosts in-state rival Iowa State.