Ever since Kirk Ferentz took over the Iowa Football program in 1999, the strength of the Iowa offense has been in the running game and utilizing multi-skilled tight ends.
Iowa has been affectionately dubbed "Tight End U" by media members, fans, and former players as the Iowa program continues to develop NFL-caliber tight ends.
George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, Noah Fant, and Dallas Clark have been successful NFL tight ends, with the newest member of Tight End U, Luke Lachey, hoping to make an impact for the Houston Texans after they selected him with the No. 255 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Another one of the NFL's top tight ends, an Iowa graduate, made the NFL Top 100 Players for 2025 list.
In a countdown of the @NFL Top 100 Players of 2025, @Samlaporta
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) July 3, 2025
came in at No. 94.
Stay tuned this week to see the rest of the #Lions who made the list! pic.twitter.com/5VrjNIo6iD
Former Iowa star and current Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta snuck into the top 100 list for 2025 at No. 94 overall.
Before becoming a critical part of the Lions' offense, LaPorta was turning heads at the University of Iowa.
During his four-year career (2019-2022) in Iowa City, LaPorta accumulated 1,786 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 153 receptions.
LaPorta was dynamic as a rookie for the Lions, tallying 889 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on 86 receptions.
LaPorta's numbers dipped in his second year due to offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's focus on the running game and spreading the football around, but he still had a solid sophomore campaign.
LaPorta had 726 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 60 receptions in 16 games for the Lions last season.
After offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left the organization to take the head coaching vacancy with the Chicago Bears, it will be interesting to see if LaPorta's numbers alongside the rest of the offense dip next season.