Iowa football: Mid-season MVP awards for the Hawkeyes

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IOWA CITY, IOWA- SEPTEMBER 01: Tight end T.J. Hockenson #38 of the Iowa Hawkeyes is brought down during the first half by linebacker Kyle Pugh #57 of the Northern Illinois Huskies on September 1, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /

Offensive MVP: TJ Hockenson

This might cause the most controversy considering the recognition junior quarterback Nate Stanley is getting including my article earlier this week on why I think Stanley could make a run for the Heisman. This MVP award though isn’t about who is most likely to be consider a Heisman candidate on the Iowa football team, but rather who has been the most valuable player thus far this season.

With that in mind, it has to be TJ Hockenson. He is a chain mover on third-down and is quickly developing into Nate Stanley’s favorite target, and the best part is, he’s just a sophomore. Hockenson combined with Noah Fant forms the best tight end duo in the nation. Unlike Fant though, Hockenson doesn’t just perform in the passing game, he is a key contributor in the run game, which makes him more valuable than the future first-round draft pick Fant.

When he’s not pancaking players (just search for TJ Hockenson blocking), Hockenson is a major threat in the receiving game. He is the team leader in catches, receiving yards, and yard per catch average. He has 22 catches for 394 yards and three touchdowns. This equates to a 17.9 yard per catch average.

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Hockenson’s production accounts for 20% of Stanley’s passing yards, and it’s not likely that that’s going to go down anytime soon. The sophomore tight end from Chariton, Iowa is on pace to have the eight most receiving yards in the Kirk Ferentz era (including wide receivers), and the most ever for a Kirk Ferentz tight end.

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