The legacy of the Iowa Football program lives on through the numerous NFL tight ends the program has produced.
The Iowa program has been affectionately called "Tight End U" for its ability to produce some of the best tight ends the NFL has even seen.
A few of the most memorable tight ends to play for Iowa are Dallas Clark, George Kittle, Noah Fant, T.J. Hockenson, and Sam LaPorta.
Iowa has been blessed with highly productive tight ends who have helped the offense find footing. The Iowa offense has struggled for nearly a decade, but the tight ends have provided a safety net to all the quarterbacks who have taken snaps under center.
The program is lucky enough to have another solid duo of tight ends for the 2025-2026 season, and one of them has been named to an award watch list.
🏆 @ZOrtwerth ➡️ 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭@JohnMackeyAward x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/h6ypOjZuwv
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) August 8, 2025
Iowa tight end Zach Ortwerth, a six-foot-four, 245-pound junior from St. Louis, Missouri, was named to the John Mackey Award watch list.
The Mackey Award is given annually to the best tight end in college football, and two Hawkeyes have previously won the prestious award. Those Hawkeyes include Dallas Clark (2002) and T.J. Hockenson (2018).
Ortwerth has received minimal playing time since he joined the Hawkeyes in 2023. He has served as a backup or third-string tight end behind Luke Lachey and Addison Ostrenga, but could have a breakout year this season.
During his career with the Hawkeyes, Ortwerth has accumulated 187 receiving yards and no touchdowns on 12 receptions in 21 games.