Another former Iowa Hawkeye has found their transfer portal landing spot.
Former Iowa fullback Rusty VanWetzinga shared that he has committed to Northern Illinois. VanWetzinga departs Iowa after two seasons where he played minimally.
The 6-foot, 235 pound fullback saw his first game action with Iowa during the Hawkeyes’ Citrus Bowl loss versus Tennessee to cap the 2023 season. Then, VanWetzinga played in four games this season but did not record any statistics.
Now, VanWetzinga joins an NIU program that put together a 7-5 (4-4 MAC) campaign during the 2024 season. The Huskies will face Fresno State (6-6, 4-3 Mountain West) on Monday, Dec. 23 at 1:30 p.m. CT in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
𝒞𝑜𝓂𝓂𝒾𝓉𝓉𝑒𝒹🐾🐾🐾@NIUCoachHammock @NIU_Football pic.twitter.com/GvfJM0x2yD
— Rusty VanWetzinga IV (@rusty_j_van) December 16, 2024
“Thank you Iowa for a great two years,” VanWetzinga said in his post on X to announce his departure. “After a coaching/system change over the past year on offense, I have decided it is in my best interest to enter the transfer portal with three years of eligibility left as a linebacker/fullback.”
VanWetzinga’s younger brother, Joey VanWetzinga, just inked as part of Iowa’s 2025 signing class.
Like his older brother, Joey VanWetzinga comes to Iowa out of Pleasant Valley High School. A 6-foot-2, 260 pound offensive lineman, Joey VanWetzinga was ranked by ESPN as the No. 10 center in the 2025 signing class.
With Rusty VanWetzinga moving on and Hayden Large exhausting his eligibility, Eli Miller is the lone fullback currently projected to be on Iowa’s 2025 roster.
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