"Tight End U" had a great stretch from 2012 to 2018 when two of the current top NFL tight ends were members of the Iowa Football program.
George Kittle (2012-2016), Noah Fant (2016-2018), and T.J. Hockenson (2016-2018) were all members of the Iowa program, with Fant and Hockenson both being drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Iowa program is known for developing star tight ends, and two of those former star tight ends are a part of a new venture that is far from the football field.
Hockenson and Kittle are backing a potential new pro curling league
Kittle does not shy away from the spotlight, having been seen doing everything from chugging beer at a WWE event to calling out a former Nebraska player before the Iowa-Nebraska game to playing a round of golf right after surgery to repair his torn Achilles.
Now, Kittle and Hockenson are throwing their star power behind a completely different potential pro league that has people talking.
Backed by NFL stars George Kittle and T.J. Hockenson and Hall of Famer Jared Allen, a new professional curling league is in the works. @BenSteiner00 on how Rock League plans to use starpower and Olympic momentum to push curling to the masses https://t.co/dxrdjLvlhM pic.twitter.com/YD1W3jMQ8t
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 28, 2026
According to Sports Illustrated, Hockenson and Kittle, along with NFL Hall of Famer Jared Alen, are backing a potential new professional curling league called "Rock League."
The goal is to bring curling to the masses by capitalizing on the massive interest in curling during the Olympics.
Funded by Canadian entrepreneur Nic Sulsky, the CEO of The Curling Group (TGC), the group is attempting to modernize curling to make it more appealing to a bigger audience.
The "Rock League" will feature six global teams, with five men and five women on each, including mixed play.
The league is slated to start in April, two months after the Winter Olympics. It will begin with a seven-day launch event in Toronto, expanding to a five-stop 2027 season.
The league has the financial backing and star power behind it, so what could go wrong?