IOWA CITY — The same player has been on the receiving end of Iowa football’s longest passing play in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
With a disastrous air attack last season and a less-than-stellar one this season, it’s not like there has been an abundance of competition for that title. Still, it’s noticeable.
Zach Ortwerth’s only reception as a true freshman last season went for 54 yards. Though there is still time for it to change this season, Ortwerth had a team-high again as a sophomore, notching a 52-yard reception from Brendan Sullivan in Iowa’s destruction of Wisconsin.
Ortwerth finished the game with three receptions and a career-high 66 receiving yards. He earned the fifth-highest receiving grade among power-four conference tight ends in Week 10 by Pro Football Focus.
“I can’t say enough about him, the way he’s stepped in,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “He just plays. He’s not a 4.4 guy or a 270-pound guy, but he’s a good football player, and he’s mentally tough. He has to be because he played last year as a freshman. This year, he’s all of a sudden now carrying a heavy load and it doesn’t seem to faze him at all. He’s been the same guy since he’s been here, which I think is impressive.”
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The trajectory of Ortwerth’s football career is not exactly orthodox. He didn’t play organized football until his freshman season at St. Louis University High School — a rule instituted by Ortwerth’s father Craig, who played on the gridiron at Drake.
Even then, his career was impeded by injuries. Ortwerth missed his entire sophomore season with a broken collarbone. He also later had to miss a few games as a senior. But his breakout as a junior, in which he was a standout on both sides of the ball, was enough to garner attention from Division I football programs.
Iowa got a tip from then-St. Louis University High School head football coach Gary Kornfeld about Ortwerth.
“(Kornfeld) said here’s a guy you ought to keep an eye on,” Ferentz recalled, “and he doesn’t call very often, so we appreciated that. We were able to get in early with Zach and our message resonated with he and his family.”
There wasn’t a lack of suitors. Ortwerth received offers from Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Pittsburgh, among others. But he landed with the Hawkeyes.
“It was a culture that I knew was going to help me be a better person and a better player and help me develop,” Ortwerth said. “In the end, that’s what my family and I thought was best. Because if you don’t enjoy the culture, you’re not going to enjoy your time here.”
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Opportunity at Iowa came early in 2023. The Hawkeyes’ tight end room was decimated by injuries, most notably season-ending injuries to Luke Lachey and Erick All. Ortwerth appeared in more than half of the Hawkeyes’ contests as a true freshman.
“Just taking advantage of when I was getting more reps and watching that film and comparing it to what older guys were doing,” Ortwerth said. “Like when you watch 1’s and 2’s reps — I was taking 2’s reps last year — how was the 1’s guys doing it compared to how I was doing it? It’s stuff like that that you just have to take advantage of the opportunity. I feel like I did it decently last year and it allowed me to play a little bit.”
Frustratingly for the Hawkeyes, Iowa’s tight ends room has been hit by injuries again this season. Addison Ostrenga has been out for an extended period. Lachey, who didn’t appear against Wisconsin, has been battling to get healthy, as well.
That’s opened the door for Ortwerth to get on the field again — and he has produced in that role. He is fourth on the team in receiving yards this season (125) and sixth in catches (nine).
What makes Ortwerth’s contributions over these two seasons even more impressive is simply that he has not played a lot of football — between starting the sport late and the time he missed in high school with to injuries.
“That’s the crazy thing — he’s still scratching the surface,” said Adam Cruz, current St. Louis University High School head football coach. “I was actually watching his game (from) Saturday this morning (Monday) with my offensive coordinator and we were just talking about how much he’s developed even since his senior year here… Of course I’m his high school coach I’m going to say this, but I do think he’s a guy that can play on Sundays.”
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Iowa football’s tight end tradition is no secret. George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson and Sam LaPorta are among the notable players the program has churned out to the NFL. When healthy, Iowa has some good ones on its current roster in Lachey and Ostrenga. But Ortwerth is giving reason to believe he can help spearhead the next generation.
“I think he has a huge upside,” Iowa tight ends and fullbacks coach Abdul Hodge said. “He’s got really great ball skills.”
Follow Tyler Tachman on X@Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
