By Hawk Fanatic

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Life comes at us fast. Joey VanWetzinga now understands that’s especially the case for student-athletes competing in major college football.

The true freshman lineman thought he’d be playing with his older brother when he decided to enroll early at the University of Iowa. Joey dreamed of being reunited with Rusty VanWetzinga IV while finishing up high school at Pleasant Valley last fall. It was a big deal for the whole family.

Then, life happened. Rusty entered the transfer portal in early December and ended up at Central Michigan. His decision coincided with his younger sibling officially becoming a Hawkeye.

“My brother entered the portal the same day I signed,” Joey said. “So, I didn’t get a lot of time to process it. It was hard to feel the same about Iowa after that.”

Joey followed through with his commitment and joined the team in January. He took on grueling winter-conditioning workouts and emerged for spring practice. He just couldn’t settle in and announced Thursday that he was entering the portal.

“It was still a hard decision because I enjoyed being around (Iowa offensive line) coach (George) Barnett a lot,” Joey said.

The Hawkeyes recruited Joey as a center. He embraced the challenge but didn’t realize how much he would miss playing defense. The Iowa Football Coaches Association named him its 2024 Class 5A Player of the Year for his performance at defensive tackle.

While VanWetzinga is looking to get back on the D-Line, he’s otherwise seeking a change of scenery.

“Somewhere out of Iowa and preferably somewhere for defensive line,” he said when asked what he was hoping to find in the portal.

VanWetzinga was the first verbal commitment in Iowa’s 2025 recruiting class. He pledged to the Hawkeyes on July 1, 2023 and encouraged others to join him. Many of them did.

Power 4 and Group of 5 programs have expressed interest in VanWetzinga, he said. Having not fully gone through the recruiting process before committing to Iowa, he’s being deliberate this time.

“As of now, I’m talking with my family and narrowing down to the best fit for me,” he said.