By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Some people might describe what Iowa tight end DJ Vonnahme put himself through this past year as sort of living the dream.

In order to gain weight, Vonnahme was told to eat large amounts of food throughout each day, barely taking enough time to digest one meal before consuming another.

“It was pretty tough at the beginning, just a lot of food constantly, every two hours,” Vonnahme said Tuesday at Iowa’s weekly press gathering.

When told that it sounded great, Vonnahme chuckled and said:

“Yeah. Until it becomes a chore it feels like.”

The strategy worked, though, as Vonnahme has gone from weighing just 210 pounds when he arrived at Iowa as a walk-on in 2024 to now weighing 240 pounds on a 6-foot-4 frame.

The graduate of Carroll Kuemper also has climbed up the depth chart and is listed as the third tight end heading into Saturday’s game against No. 11 Indiana at Kinnick Stadium.

The season-ending achilles injury to starting tight end Addison Ostrenga, which occurred against Iowa State in game two, has put Vonnahme on an accelerated learning curve.

But with more than a year of experience and under his belt, Vonnahme has come a long way since the day he arrived on campus as a naive walk-on, both physically and mentally.

“At first, everything was just so fast,” Vonnahme said of making the transition to college. “I didn’t even know what to think. I was just trying to get lined up to start.

“But ever since I’ve gotten more reps, it’s definitely helped me just kind of play more fast. The game has really slowed down. It’s still fast, but it’s definitely slowed down a bunch.”

As a redshirt freshman Vonnahme earned a scholarship in less than a year.

He was told the good news at the conclusion of spring practice, although, Vonnahme at first didn’t think it would be good news.

“I didn’t expect it when he pulled me into the office,” Vonnahme said of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. “I though I was in trouble at first. But then he gave me the good new news and I just kept going from there.”

Vonnahme’s first call after being told he was on scholarship was to his mother .

“It was definitely really humbling just because of having to pay for college and then just having the security of knowing that you don’t have to anymore,” Vonnahme said.

Vonnahme also takes pride in being an Iowa tight end, a position that is rich in history.

“It’s definitely a lot to uphold because of how good the people were in the past,” said Vonnahme, who has three catches for 35 yards while appearing in all four games this season. “Just trying to uphold that standard, and just kind of keep raising that bar.

“It’s definitely a lot. But it’s definitely a good feeling.”

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Family Ties: To say that this coming Saturday is a big day for Iowa left tackle and Indianapolis native Trevor Lauck is putting it mildly.

In addition to facing his home state Indiana Hoosiers in front of about 30 family members at Kinnick Stadium, Lauck also turns 21 on Saturday.

“It’s a big one, it’s a big one,” Lauck said Tuesday. ”

Indiana is one of the hottest teams in college football right now under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti.

The Hoosiers are coming off a stunning 63-10 demolition of then-ninth-ranked Illinois last Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana.

Lauck, a former four-star recruit, was recruited by the previous Indiana coaching staff, but he signed with Iowa in 2023, and a year before Cignetti was hired at Indiana.

“I visited there a couple times, but Iowa is the place for me,” Lauck said.

Lauck picked Iowa over his home-state Hoosiers, even though his mother attended Indiana. Lauck’s younger brother is also a freshman at Indiana and will be at Kinnick Stadium for Saturday’s game.

Asked where his brother’s loyalty lies, Lauck said:

“I hope Iowa. He’ll be sitting in the family section, so if he’s wearing some Indiana stuff I won’t be happy. But he’ll be wearing Iowa, I’m pretty sure.

“So, it’s going to be a pretty big day. I’m pretty excited. I’ve got about 30 or so family members making the trip, so it’ll be a big day. I’m pretty excited to see my family.”

Lauck is fully aware of what he and the other Iowa offensive linemen will be up against on Saturday in a Hoosier defense that had seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss against Illinois.

“Just playing together as a line,” Lauck said of the key to slowing down the Indiana defensive line. “We can’t be on a different page. I think as long as we’re on the same page, we’ll have a decent shot.

“They’re a great defensive line. They do a lot of cool things. So it’ll be pretty important that we stick to the same plan and stay together.”

Indiana is 4-0, but all of its wins have come at home.

The Hoosiers will face their first hostile road environment this season on Saturday. And when Kinnick Stadium is rocking, it can be a major distraction for the visiting team.

“It is their first road game and we know our fans are going to be there and they’re going to be excited and ready,” Lauck said. “So it’s really just our job to make sure we’re ready, too. We can’t count on the fans to get us points and make blocks. We’ve got be the ones who do that. We know they’re going to be ready. We’ve got to do the same.”

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No Jazz: Kirk Ferentz said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday that junior running back Jaziun Patterson will not play against Indiana due to an injury.

Patterson left the Rutgers game about midway through last Friday with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

The Pompano Beach, Florida native leads Iowa with 198 rushing yards and is averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

Sophomore Kamari Moulton is listed as the starter for the Indiana game. Moulton led Iowa with 68 rushing in the 38-28 win over Rutgers.

Moulton started the season opener against UAlbany, but injured his shoulder early in the first quarter. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida native  then missed the Iowa State and UMass games before returning against Rutgers.

Moulton rushed for 473 yards and scored three touchdown last season as a backup to 2024 Big Ten rushing leader Kaleb Johnson, who now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sophomore Terrell Washington Jr. and true freshman Nathan McNeil will be the two backup running backs for the Indiana game.