By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Back when he was in the fifth grade, Iowa tight end DJ Vonnahme apparently had big plans for himself as a “You Tuber.”

His life has since taken a different course with Vonnahme now showing signs of being Iowa’s next star at tight end.

But Vonnahme’s past as a You Tuber has resurfaced thanks to a couple of his Iowa teammates, who dug up a video of Vonnahme on You Tube from back when he was in the fifth grade.

Iowa quarterback Jeremly Hecklinski, according to Vonnahme, found the video, and then offensive lineman Trevor Lauck posted the video on X, and it’s been gaining viewers ever since.

Vonnahme is heard on the video proudly introducing himself.

“If you don’t remember me, I’m DJ Vonnahme. Remember that. DJ Vonnahme.”

Vonnahme’s video was without question the hottest topic following Iowa’s final spring practice on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

The 90-minute practice itself was a typical Iowa spring practice; a mix of conditioning, drills and some scrimmaging, but not enough time to form any real opinions.

Multiple players were also withheld from Saturday’s practice for health reasons, including new wide receiver Tony Diaz, who when healthy has stood out in spring practice.

Wide receiver KJ Parker made a a couple nice catches in Saturday’s practice, while Hecklinksi and fellow quarterback Hank Brown made some nice throws.

But there wasn’t anything that really stood out until afterwards when Vonnahme was asked over and over by the media to explain the history of the video.

Vonnahme, as a rising star, would have been a popular interview on Saturday, even without the video.

The video just made it more fun, at least for the media.

“When I was in the fifth grade, I thought I was going to be a You Tuber. So I made a You Tube channel,” Vonnahme said. “Those videos have since been delete, but actually Jeremy Hecklinski got a hold of them. So he decided to make an edit about it. I didn’t think he was going to post anything because he’s had it for a while. But just one random, I don’t even know like a Tuesday, he just decided to post it and everyone else has reposted it.

“So I guess it is what it is.”

Vonnahme said isn’t sure why his teammates posted the video, though it seems pretty apparent that they did it for a laugh at his expense, you know, the kind of thing teammates do for fun.

What’s interesting about the video, though, is that Vonnahme was saying way back in fifth grade to remember his name, and now his rise as a tight end is making it easier to do that.

In just one year, Vonnhame has gone from being a walk-on tight end who was buried on the depth chart to now being the leader of the pack as a third-year sophomore.

He had a breakout season last fall as a redshirt freshman, leading Iowa with 29 catches, 434 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

He saved his best for last as he had 146 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 34-27 win over Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Vonnahme started his ascent last spring.

He was then put on scholarship shortly after 2025 spring practice and would go on to establish himself as Iowa’s go-to tight end during the 2025 season.

Vonnahme was asked after Saturday’s practice if he could have envisioned himself being in this position a year ago.

“No, no,” he said. “Last year at this time I’m still paying for school and thinking just try to get on special teams. But every single day I prepared like I was a starter and it showed down the line.

“I feel like the biggest thing I had to do was just prepare every single day like I was going to be the starter, and then eventually, one day it came true.”

It came true because Vonnahme started performing like a starter, first in practice and then it carried to the games.

When starting tight end Addison Ostrenga suffered a season-ending achilles injury in the second game against Iowa State last season, Vonnahme seized the opportunity.

Ostrenga’s injury left a huge void that Vonnhame would go on to fill, sometimes in spectacular fashion.

“I’d say the biggest thing was just getting the trust of not only my teammates, but the coaches as well,” Vonnhame said. “For them to trust me in certain spots, third down, at the end of the game.”

Vonnahme was a multi-sport star in high school at Carroll Kuemper where he played a variety of positions in football, including quarterback and safety.

Since focusing solely on playing tight end as a Hawkeye, Vonnahme has shown a knack for gaining yards after the catch.

“I’d say it’s kind of just natural,” Vonnahme said. “I don’t really think about,. It just try to find open space and just run too it.”

With 27 new players added to the roster in January; 14 from the transfer portal and 13 early entrees from high school, Vonnahme is trying to do more than just play like a veteran.

“You definitely have to take a little bity more responsibility now because with the team being so young,” he said. “Even though I’m just going into my third year, I feel a responsibility to step up and be more of a leader to the younger guys and to the guys that just came in.”