It’s no question the Iowa football team has had some great tight ends during Kirk’s tenure so we did the impossible and ranked the top five.
It seems fitting that after a year where the Iowa football team made history by having not one but two tight ends named AP All-Americans, we took a look at each and every great tight end in the Kirk Ferentz’s twenty years at the helm and ranked our top five. It certainly wasn’t easy, and it’s likely going to cause some disagreement, but it had to be done.
The criterion was simply looking at the body of work within the Iowa football program and what it meant to the university at the time, but we didn’t take into account what each player did at the next level. So that means that George Kittle, who is tearing it up this year, will likely not be found anywhere on our top five and for good reason, his Iowa career was just not as good as some of the guys on the list. It’s by no means a knock on him, if anything it’s just a further indication of why the University of Iowa football program is the new tight end university.
That being said, here is our top five tight ends in the history of the Iowa football program.
5. Scott Chandler
Scott Chandler certainly didn’t have the wow factor, but he was able to carve out quite an effective role in the Iowa football offense considering he came to the Hawkeyes as a 6’7” 212 pound wide receiver who was just a two-star recruit from Texas.
Chandler put on 50 pounds and became the security blanket that gunslinger Drew Tate needed. In his three seasons in Iowa City, all with Tate as the starting quarterback, Chandler finished 4th, 1st, and 2nd on the team in catches. His 117 catches are second all-time among tight ends in Iowa football history (behind Marv Cook) as are his 1,467 receiving yards. In fact, his 117 catches are 12th best in school history, regardless of position.
Stats aren’t everything though, and as we said above, Chandler lacked the wow factor. He was more of a check down option in his time with the Hawks. He did, however, manage to snag Second Team All-Big Ten honors his senior season and parlayed his success with the Hawks into a mildly successful nine-year NFL career which included stints with five different teams.
4. Tony Moeaki
First, I want to start off by saying putting Moeaki at the fourth spot was difficult. There was significant back and forth between spots 2-4 and ultimately when you look at the body of work, Moeaki’s reputation was greater than what he actually did on the field, in large part due to injuries which hampered his career throughout his time in Iowa City.
If that doesn’t tell you great of tight ends Kirk has had, than I don’t know what does because Moeaki was named Honorable Mention All-American in his senior season in addition to being a First Team All-Big Ten selection.
To be honest, had this former five-star recruit managed to stay healthy, we very well could be talking about him as a candidate for a higher spot, but he just couldn’t stay on the field. In his final three seasons, Moeaki played in just 23 games. Even in his best season statistically, he played just ten games.
Despite missing so many games, Moeaki’s number were still respectable. He finished his career with 76 catches for 953 yards and 11 touchdowns. In his best season, he had 30 catches, 387 yards, and four touchdowns. His catch total places him 38th on the all-time list while his 11 touchdowns were good for 3rd best by a Hawkeye tight end.
3. TJ Hockenson
If we had made this list last year, Hockenson wouldn’t have even been in the top-15. As a redshirt freshman he had 24 catches for 320 yards and three touchdowns so his most recent surprise could be considered somewhat of a shock. Moreover, he may not have Moeaki or Chandler beat in terms of overall catches, yards, or touchdowns, but this season was one for the history books and cannot be ignored.
It was arguably one of the top three seasons in the history of Iowa football for the tight end position. That’s how good it was.
He took him First Team All-Big Ten honors. He was the recipient of the 2018 Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year, and more impressively, the recipient of the 2018 John Mackey Award. To top it off, he was named a Second Team All-American this season. Literally, the only thing that could have made this season better was being named First Team All-American, and that’s getting a little greedy.
This season’s stat line of 46 catches, 717 yards and six touchdowns rivals that of any of the other guys on the list. His catches and yards are more than Fant has had in any season. His yards and touchdowns are more tied or greater than anything Scott Chandler did, and he is just 25 yards shy of topping every single major stat in Dallas Clark’s legendary 2002 season.
If he decides to return to Iowa City next year, we could very well be talking about Hockenson in the same conversation as Marv Cook as the greatest tight end in Iowa football history.
2. Noah Fant
Imagine the type of statistical production Fant would have had if he actually played the majority of the offensive snaps. Unfortunately, we will never know as he quickly declared for the NFL Draft at the conclusion of Iowa’s regular season.
I absolutely wish him the best, but selfishly I would have loved to see him play another season in the black and gold. His athleticism at the tight end position is truly revolutionary and unmatched by any Hawkeye tight end ever. It’s not wonder that he is one of the most coveted tight end prospects in recent history, and he is projected to be a high first round pick.
He finished his Iowa football career with a modest 78 catches and 1,082 yards good for 36th and 33rd all-time respectively. What stands out, however, is his goal line production. His 19 touchdowns are the best ever in a career for a tight end at Iowa and fourth best all time. For context purposes, it’s important to realize that the three guys in front of him (Marvin McNutt, Danan Hughes, and Tim Dwight) all played in much more games than Fant did too.
While Hockenson received much of the buzz this season and used that as a catalyst to reach number three, Fant’s body of work over two seasons and what he brought to the position is what got him the number two spot.
1. Dallas Clark
Picking Dallas Clark at number one was easy. Hell, the guy has the Big Ten Tight End of the Year Award named after him. If that’s not saying something, I don’t know what is. His catches might not be as gaudy as Scott Chandler’s and his touchdowns aren’t as much as Fants, but what he did for the program goes above stats.
He was a key catalyst in the Iowa football team’s 2002 run to the Orange Bowl. His 43 catches and 742 yards were second best on the team, and it led to him being named a Unanimous All-American, John Mackey Award winner, and First Team All-Big Ten. Sounds pretty familiar to another small-town Iowa guy am I right?
During the 2002 season, he also averaged a ridiculous 17.3 yards per catch which is nearly two yards better than Hockenson’s high of 15.6 and nearly one yard better than Fant’s high 16.5.
Dallas Clark’s two-year run with the University of Iowa football team led to his selection in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, which is the first team in school history a tight end was drafted in the first round.
It’s not hyperbole to say Dallas Clark paved the way for the success of tight ends with the Iowa Hawkeyes, and for that, he is named the best tight end in Kirk Ferentz’s career.