By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Sam LaPorta has only started three games for Iowa and has yet to catch a touchdown pass, but the sophomore is already catching people’s attention as a potential difference maker.

In fact, head coach Kirk Ferentz went as far as to compare LaPorta to former Iowa tight end George Kittle, who went from lightly recruited out of high school to being widely regarded as one of the top tight ends in the NFL.

Like Kittle, LaPorta’s only Power Five scholarship offer in high school was from Iowa.

“Some players are really easy to identify,” Ferentz said. “There are others that just are a little more hidden, or they develop and improve as they go along. And you do see that in pro football, and George is a great example of that. He’s a much better player now than he was three years ago. But that’s because he’s worked hard. He’s got a great attitude and he worked hard, and he’s also got a pretty good skill set.

“So, it all came together for him. You just can’t predict that. No one else was really recruiting Sam either. I’m just really thankful that we figured it out, late in the game at least, and it’s turned out pretty well for us.”

LaPorta, a native of Highland, Ill., came on strong on the second half of last season, recording 15 receptions for 188 yards in Iowa’s final six games.

The 6-foot-4, 249-pound LaPorta said that special teams coordinator LeVar Woods was in frequent contact with him during the summer leading up to his senior year of high school.

But if it wasn’t for a last-minute visit from offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz during his senior year, LaPorta may not have become a Hawkeye.

“Probably a week before the Dec. 19 signing day of my senior year, coach Woods actually reached out to me and said that Brian Ferentz would be stopping my school today to talk with me and then he would be at my basketball game that night,” LaPorta said. “And from there, me and Brian kind of took off. He loved the way I competed playing basketball and he has seen all of my tape from my senior year playing football in high school. And from there, here I am, I guess.”

Kirk Ferentz, who typically isn’t one to fuel the proverbial hype train, went on to compare LaPorta to former Iowa tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Dallas Clark, both of whom went from virtually unknown to  first-round NFL Draft picks.

“The common denominator is that he loves football,” Ferentz said. “He loves playing, he loves being out there on the field, he enjoys getting his ankles taped. He just kind of likes everything about this and he’s got a real good energy, good vibe.

“In that way, a little bit, Dallas Clark-ish almost. Dallas made you feel good when you stand in the same room as him. There’s just something about him, the guy just really enjoys this environment. Clearly likes playing. We would all like to take credit for teaching him this, teaching him that, but a lot of that stuff, guys have it or they don’t sometimes.”

LaPorta said that he has had multiple conversations, and received invaluable advice, from the three aforementioned players.

“They just tell me to be my own person,” LaPorta said. “They never tell me to try and be somebody that I’m not. And they always say, play the Iowa way. Play physical and play tough and do everything right, the little things. It’s awesome to have a lot of great mentors like that to kind of lead you along the path that you want to go down, if I want to pursue a career in the NFL, those guys are a great support system for me.”

Clark, who retired from the NFL in 2013, recently told the Daily Iowan that he doesn’t think LaPorta knows how good he can be, a statement that LaPorta does not take lightly.

“I think it’s a great compliment, but I think there’s a lot of holes left in my game that I can still really work on, just starting with the fundamentals and the little details,” LaPorta said. “But it’s really cool to get compliments like that and have Dallas reach out to me and have that support system.”