ORLANDO, Fla. — The biggest news for Iowa on Friday didn’t come from inside a news conference or a side interview session, but from a tight end who won’t even play in the Citrus Bowl.
Luke Lachey, arguably the Mackey Award favorite for next year, chose to return next fall rather than go through the NFL Draft process. Lachey missed the last 10 games since breaking his leg in the first quarter of Iowa’s third game. But he has remained a team captain for nearly every contest, save for the Hawkeyes’ trip to Penn State the week following his surgery.
“I think it’s really just about leaving a legacy,” Lachey said Friday night. “That’s something that I’ve always dreamed about. I felt like if I came back, I could have a big impact there. And it’s also being able to play with your brothers for another season.”
Lachey said he leaned on several people, including his father, Jim, who was a three-time All-Pro with San Diego, and former teammate and Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta. His father told him if he could play one more game at any level, it would be in college.
“I just love it here,” Lachey said. “There’s no other place for me to be. I felt like I could use another year to develop and hone my skills.”
Back For More.@luke_lachey x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/qzrwHAIELQ
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) December 29, 2023
In nine quarters, Lachey (6-feet-6, 253 pounds) caught 10 passes for 131 yards this year. His production came one year after leading the Hawkeyes with four touchdown receptions competing alongside LaPorta, who leads NFL tight ends with nine touchdown catches this year.
Of Iowa’s NFL prowess at that position group — T.J. Hockenson sits second in catches (95) and yards (960), while George Kittle has the most yards per reception (16.0) and ranks second in touchdown receptions (six) — Lachey might have the greatest upside. He’s taller and heavier than Iowa’s four NFL starting tight ends (LaPorta, Hockenson, Kittle and Noah Fant), and Lachey matches their athletic ability. Lachey’s speed is close to his predecessors, and he has made similar strides as the others as a blocker.
Lachey worked toward playing in the Citrus Bowl and conducted side workouts at Celebration High School. But coach Kirk Ferentz ruled him out before making the trip.
“He might be close, but it just didn’t make any sense right now,” Ferentz said.
With Lachey’s return, Iowa’s tight end unit appears as a strength for 2024. Sophomore Addison Ostrenga has filled in for the injured Lachey and Erick All (torn ACL), and is tied for the team lead in receptions (29). That combination could rank among the nation’s best next season.
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Scholarship count, more returnees
As of Friday afternoon, the Hawkeyes now stand at 88 scholarships for 2024 with five more players set to decide in the coming days. All-American defensive back Cooper DeJean, a junior, is a possible first-round pick. Fellow defensive backs Sebastian Castro, Quinn Schulte and Jermari Harris are debating about returning for an extra season, as is linebacker Nick Jackson. Castro, Schulte and Jackson all said this week they haven’t finalized their choices.
Harris said he’ll make his announcement, “For sure after the bowl game.”
“I’ve got to attack this challenge right in front of me,” he said.
Iowa already has offensive lineman Nick DeJong, quarterback Cade McNamara and linebacker Jay Higgins returning for an extra season. Higgins, who earned first and second-team All-America honors and leads Power 5 football with 155 tackles, said staying at Iowa was geared toward improving in every phase.
“Over the last four years, I built a great relationship with obviously my teammates, and obviously the coaching staff that the University of Iowa has,” Higgins said. “Just the environment that puts the players first; I felt like if I came back another year, I could be a better football player. Having Coach (Phil) Parker, having Coach (Seth) Wallace being the two guys I spend most of my time with, I felt like that was an easy decision for me.”
The only defenders guaranteed not to return are defensive end Joe Evans and defensive tackle Logan Lee. On offense, only three starters are set to leave, and all three were rotational players. All still has a year available but is likely to move to the NFL. Guard Rusty Feth and receiver Nico Ragaini are out of eligibility.
Keeping those athletes at Iowa serves in the staff’s best interest, but Ferentz cautions the players must remain invested if they return.
“Ultimately, it’s about them doing what they need to do, what they feel is in their heart,” Ferentz said. “It does us no good for a guy to come back if he’s not fully invested. (Cornerback) Riley Moss chose to come back (in 2022). It surprised all of us. He was fully invested and played unbelievably well, practiced out of sight. So that’s an example of a guy who made the right decision. Hopefully, they’re enthused either way.”
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Remember that tackle?
In one play during the Big Ten Championship Game, backup safety Koen Entringer put on a display of effort that football coaches everywhere will use as an example for years.
Entringer, a redshirt freshman, missed a tackle at the 8-yard line on a punt against Michigan, then got up off the turf inside Michigan’s 5-yard line and chased Wolverines returnee Semaj Morgan down 87 yards later at the Iowa 5-yard line. It didn’t prevent Michigan from scoring a touchdown two plays later, but it sent football coaches abuzz on social media about never giving up on a play.
“That entire game, I was really mad that I missed the tackle. And I’m still mad and upset,” Entringer said. “It’s cool that I got all the recognition. But I’m more focused on trying to make that tackle next time that opportunity comes at the 5 instead of at the opposite end.”
Still not over this hustle from Koen Entringer 👏👏@HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/Z2ixrxX85a
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 3, 2023
Special teams coordinator LeVar Woods and defensive coordinator Phil Parker highlighted the missed tackle as critical but also praised Entringer for getting up and never giving up on the play.
“It’s definitely a teachable moment, I think for all levels of football, but it’s also a metaphor for life,” Woods said. “When you screw something up or you mess something up, you get yourself up, you bust your tail and you finish. And that’s what that play is.
“As the years go by, we’ll go back and look at those plays; it’s a little fresh for me right now to be overly excited about that play because I also feel like we could have made it the front end. But I think long term that’s definitely a great play. It’s a play that people should show often when you’re talking about effort.”
No Marco … at least right now
True freshman quarterback Marco Lainez III moved up to No. 2 for the season’s final month, but offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz shrugged off any suggestion that his young pupil will see any pre-planned action on Monday against Tennessee. For the ninth time this season, sophomore Deacon Hill will start for Iowa.
“Deacon is the starting quarterback,” Brian Ferentz said. “Deacon has played really good football for us. Deacon has led this football team to a lot of wins, and we expect Deacon to go the distance on Monday.”
Although Lainez is considered a pro-style quarterback, he has dual-threat capability. As a senior at The Hun School in Princeton, N.J. in 2022, Lainez threw for 2,182 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 78 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 573 yards and five touchdowns. In 2021, Lainez completed 80.2 percent of passes for 1,761 yards, 21 touchdowns and two interceptions.
“One thing that stands out to me about him is how good of an athlete he is,” Ragaini said. “When he scrambles with the ball, he like looks like a running back running the ball, which is impressive. So I’m excited to see that style of play with this offense and what it could do.”
(Photo: Jeffrey Becker / USA Today)
