Iowa football: TE legacy lands Nate Wieting on Mackey Award watch list

The Iowa football team landed another player on a preseason award watch list. This time it was senior tight end, Nate Wieting.

Preseason award watch lists are in full swing. Just this week we’ve seen Iowa football players Nate Stanley named to the Davey O’Brien Award watch list, Mekhi Sargent named to the Doak Walker Award watch list, and AJ Epenesa named to the Bednarik Award watch list. Now, it’s senior tight end Nate Wieting being named to the 2019 Mackey Award watch list.

Unlike the other guys on watch lists though, Wieting has little production to give any indication he will be an effective tight end for the Iowa football team. To be fair, he is listed as the starter, and it’s tough to get on the field when you are backing up two All-American tight ends, but two catches is not a lot to work with when filling out these watch lists.

So to me, his inclusion on this watch list says as much about the Iowa football team’s reputation as being Tight End U as it does about Nate Wieting the football player.

It’s sort of like picking the New England Patriots or the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the Super Bowl or the National Title every year. Sure, they won’t win every year, but if you had to bet money on someone, you’re going to win more often betting on those guys.

Since the John Mackey Award was created in 2000, there have been only two schools to win the award more than one, Arkansas and Iowa. And Arkansas isn’t exactly known for producing top-level tight end talent regularly so picking the Iowa football team makes sense.

Winning the Mackey Award in 2019 would put the Iowa football team in the lead, which would be really cool and give the Hawks another stat to back up their declaration of being Tight End U, but it’s unlikely. Wieting seems like he could be a solid replacement, maybe get 20-25 catches for 300-400 yards, but I don’t believe we’re going to see TJ Hockenson level production out of the former walk-on anytime soon.