Iowa football: Hawks trying to pluck 3-star TE from Columbus

The Iowa football coaching staff is always working behind the scenes. They are set to bring in three-star tight end Luke Lachey for a visit.

With 10 recruits already verbally committed, the 2020 Iowa football recruiting class is rounding into form. Overall, the class is currently ranked 22nd in the country and 5th in the Big Ten. Kirk Ferentz already has three-star tight end Elijah Yelverton as part of this class but Iowa loves to use tight ends in their offense.

Enter Luke Lachey.

The 6-6, 220 tight end is from Columbus, Ohio but 247Sports Crystal Ball’s prediction has Lachey going to Michigan State. That being said, the Hawkeyes could still have a chance to land him. He holds approximately two dozen offers from schools including Cincinnati, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Minnesota, and Iowa to name a few.

He will be visiting Michigan State on June 18th and has his official visit in Iowa City three days later. When I watch Lachey’s film, the first thing that stands out to me is his size. He looks like a man among boys out there.

The next thing I notice is how much he lined up to the outside. In a way, he reminds me a lot of Noah Fant. Not as fast, but certainly has the jump skills to go up and get it. His route running looks unpolished as his quarterback solely relies on Lachey’s size and I have not seen any running blocking from him.

He might fit better as a wide receiver if he plans to line up out wide that much but he lacks the necessary speed, so it will be interesting to see how his college team utilizes him. He’s already had an unofficial visit with Michigan State back in February and is doing taking his official with the Spartans.

They sure look like the front runners so you hope the Hawkeyes aren’t getting into the game too late here. With that size and being properly used, he would be a red zone nightmare and a valuable weapon for the Hawkeyes offense.