There may be no better example of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ recruiting and developmental success and than the story of San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. He epitomizes the Iowa way of being under-recruited and overlooked but developing into a star.
He is one of the stars of the NFL as Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce pointed out. While he is a star, it didn’t come easy to Kittle. CBS Sports looked at the starters for the Chiefs and 49ers ahead of Super Bowl LVIII and how they were valued as recruits coming out of high school.
CBS utilized the 247Sports composite rankings to view each starter. George Kittle was not even ranked or recruited per those rankings as a tight end. Per the 247Sports composite, Kittle was the No. 1,519 overall recruit and the No. 199 ranked wide receiver in the class of 2012.
At 6-foot-4 and just 205 pounds, Kittle only had offers from Iowa, Air Force, Navy, and Weber State. The Hawkeyes took a chance on the Norman, Okla., native and it paid massive dividends for both sides.
While at Iowa, Kittle appeared in 25 games. He totaled 48 receptions, 737 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns. A hidden gem, he wasn’t drafted until the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft when the 49ers took him with the No. 146 pick.
In the NFL, Kittle has produced massively for the 49ers. He has tallied 460 receptions, 6,742 yards, and 37 touchdowns. Kittle has been a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time first-team All-Pro.
No one likes the bright lights more than George Kittle and he constantly brings his best in those moments. Expect no different on Super Bowl Sunday.
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