By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – A year ago at this time, DJ Vonnahme was an unheralded tight end for the Iowa football team, and who had just recently been put on scholarship.

He had good size and athleticism and had been a multi-sport star at Carroll Kuemper High School.

But Vonnahme still came to Iowa without a scholarship in 2024, but also with a dream, which is now playing out in spectacular fashion.

While quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski has received most of the credit and attention for how well the Iowa passing game performed in the Kids Day practice this past Saturday; Vonnahme also gave further notice that he’s special.

His ability to get open was on display again, much like it was this past season when he led Iowa with 29 catches for 434 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games.

Vonnahme was almost un-guardable in the Kids Day practice, constantly beating man coverage with his size, speed and finesse.

He played multiple positions in high school, including quarterback and receiver, and those same diverse skills are now helping to turn Vonnahme into a standout tight end.

And though it’s still too early to call him a star, you were reminded just from watching the Kids Day practice of how talented and reliable the 6-foot-4, 241-pound Vonnahme is as a tight end.

He makes getting open look easy, and then he almost always makes the catch.

Vonnahme had a few drops early last season, but he became more sure-handed as the season progressed.

He saved his best for last by leading Iowa with a career-high seven catches for a career-high 146 yards and one touchdown in a 34-27 win over then 14th-ranked Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Vonnahme looked in mid-season form during the Kids Day practice, and apparently it was just more of the same from an effort and performance standpoint.

“He’s just a pretty good player,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said after the Kids Day practice. “What you saw last year in season is, I think, indicative of the way his trajectory is going right now.

“He’s a really good player, and he’s learning every day. It’s hardly like he’s a veteran guy. But he’s doing a lot of good things.”

That’s quite an endorsement from the 71-year-old head Hawk, who rarely, if ever, takes part in hyperbole or gets carried away with his superlatives.

Ferentz knows a star-in-the-making when he sees one, and he apparently sees one in Vonnhame, who played like a star this past Saturday.

Vonnhame seems to be taking his improbable and sudden ascent in stride.

He acknowledges that his life as a student-athlete has changed due to his success on the field, and the attention that comes with it, but he doesn’t seem overwhelmed by it, or full of himself.

When asked where his game has improved the most since last season Vonnhame spoke like somebody who’s still just scratching the surface.

“I’d say definitely the speed at which I play,” Vonnhame said. “Last year, I was little hesitant, just kind out there just to be out there. But now this year that I’m starting to conceptualize a little bit better, I’m really trying to take that step forward, just playing faster.”

Ferentz is correct in saying that Vonnahme is hardly a veteran at this stage. He appeared briefly in four games in 2024, but had no statistics.

Iowa was then dealt a big blow when veteran tight end Addison Ostrenga suffered a season-ending Achilles injury against Iowa State in the second game of last season.

However, one player’s adversity is another player’s opportunity, and Vonnahme would go on to seize his opportunity.

But now Ostrenga is healthy again, and back for a fifth season, so together, he and Vonnahme should form a potent one-two punch, assuming they stay healthy.

Tight end is one of the deepest positions on the team, along with running back.

Of course, Iowa wants to keep Vonnahme on the field as much as possible, but he also should be able to pace himself, given the depth behind him.

Iowa will have a new starting quarterback this season, and that could make Vonnahme and the other tight ends even more valuable if they were to provide a security blanket, perhaps on shorter routes.

Vonnahme is dangerous after making the catch, so he could turn easy and safe throws into long gains after the catch.

“I’ll just do whatever they’re asking, really,” Vonnahme said of his role. “It doesn’t matter if the play is drawn up for me or not drawn up for me. If I’m out there, I’m just trying to do whatever I’m told to do.”

With how he played in the bowl game, Vonnahme had momentum going into the offseason, and he now seems to be feeding off that momentum as the 2026 season approaches with the Sept. 5 season opener against Northern Illinois in less than three weeks.

“It was really important, just to build that momentum,” Vonnahme said. “Even from freshman year when I wasn’t playing, I understood the importance of momentum.

“I was on the scout team. And then I just had one good play, and that one good play turned into another good play and then so on. I’m just riding that momentum.”

Vonnahme is the latest in a long and distinguished list of tight ends who have thrived at Iowa under Kirk Ferentz.

Some of the former star tight ends for Iowa were heralded recruits, but some weren’t.

A player’s background doesn’t really matter once they become a Hawkeye. What matters is how they perform in practice, and in games, and that’s where DJ Vonnahme really stands out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I want to sincerely thank the University of Iowa, the coaching staff, the support staff, my teammates, and the Hawkeye fans for the opportunity to represent this program. Wearing the Black and Gold and running out of the tunnel at Kinnick Stadium is something I will cherish forever.

“The relationships built, lessons learned, and memories made over the past four years have shaped me not only as a football player, but as a man. I am forever grateful for the people who poured into me, believed in me, and pushed me to be better every single day…

“Forever thankful. Forever a Hawkeye,” Entringer wrote.

 

 

Koen Entringer earned recognition this past season as an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention from the coaches while posting a career-best 73 total tackles, with 3.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and four pass breakups. During his time at Iowa, he appeared in 43 games, tallying 100 total tackles and an interception.