Iowa football TE D.J. Vonnahme blossoming from walk-on into expanded role

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It may not always be the best circumstances for when a player is thrust into action, but the Iowa Hawkeyes have the next man up always ready. This year, tight end D.J. Vonnahme was thrown into action after some other injuries at the tight end position, and he has run with the opportunity.

Kirk Ferentz was asked about Vonnahme's new, expanded role in the offense and how he has gone from being a walk-on to a scholarship player contributing as much as he is.

"I'll start with that one. Yeah, we felt like maybe he had a chance. We really did. He had come to camp. He's an athlete playing quarterback, which if I was a high school coach, he'd either be playing quarterback or running back, one of the two, the best guy on your team. So that's usually a good tip.

"He impressed us in camp, just a snapshot. I mean that's all you get. Since he's been here, everything about him is easy to like. He's a really good learner, probably above — well above his — for what you'd expect out of a guy that young.

"Then I think the biggest thing, I've said this before, there's no question he's a good athlete. You never know about how he's going to respond in game conditions. I guess you can't predict that necessarily. And everything we've seen so far has been very positive.

"The other thing I'm really surprised about is you have to project a guy trying to block. We've done that with Hockenson. We did it with Ike Boettger. He was a quarterback when we first started getting to know him a little bit. And D.J. has a real rare ability to get in the right position, and then he has the right temperament, where he's trying to finish. That's not always true with all tight ends. So he has a really good mix of things, and the best thing is he has a lot of time in front of him, and his attitude is just unbelievable.

"So, yeah, nobody would have predicted him being this far at this point, but it's been pretty good, and I don't see it changing, just because of the way he works and the way he approaches the game," Kirk Ferentz said about Vonnahme growing into his role.

D.J. Vonnahme appeared in just four games last year, but has registered action in nine of the Hawkeyes' games in 2025. He has reeled in 16 receptions for 166 yards and a touchdown. His connection with quarterback Mark Gronowski has grown over the last six weeks, as evidenced by six catches, 102 yards, and a score in games against Oregon and USC.

Vonnahme is another example of Iowa's development. The tight end joined Iowa as a walk-on who was given a two-star rating from 247Sports as part of the 2024 class. He has since turned into a key contributor for Iowa.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football TE D.J. Vonnahme going from walk-on to key cog on offense

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