Tag: Luke Lachey

Iowa football provides injury update before Week 11 vs. UCLA

Kirk Ferentz updated Iowa’s injury situation ahead of UCLA.

During his weekly media availability, Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz provided updates on injuries that have been ailing a few of the Hawkeyes lately. 

Starting with tight end Luke Lachey, Ferentz told the media that Lachey has a chance to play at UCLA even though the senior has been a bit limited recently.

“Luke, I think, has a chance. He’s a little bit limited right now, but practicing, and we’ll see how it goes this week. I think he’s close,” Ferentz said.

“But we have to plan to go without him, and the guys have stepped in working in his spot have done a nice job, so we’ll see what the week looks like on that front.”

Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Ferentz also updated graduate quarterback Cade McNamara’s status, who has been inactive while recovering from a concussion sustained during Iowa’s 40-14 victory over Northwestern in Week 9. 

He informed the media that McNamara would not be able to play for a second consecutive week but added that Iowa’s Week 12 bye week could allow the quarterback time to re-engage with football activities. 

“Cade will not make the game. He will not be ready to go,” Ferentz said. “Hopefully, during the bye week, we can get him back and running a little bit. Otherwise, pretty much things are status quo.”

The Hawkeyes (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) will travel West to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., where they will take on the UCLA Bruins (3-5, 2-4 Big Ten) on Nov. 8. Game time is set for 8:05 p.m. CT and will air on Fox.

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Chiefs scouting report: Iowa Hawkeyes TE Luke Lachey

Could Iowa #Hawkeyes TE Luke Lachey be the heir to Travis Kelce’s throne with the Kansas City #Chiefs?

The Kansas City Chiefs could be in the market for a blocking tight end as Noah Gray steps into a larger role as a pass catcher. Adding more depth and talent to the tight end room is a reasonable next step for the Chiefs as Travis Kelce enters the twilight of his career.

Iowa Hawkeyes tight end Luke Lachey is the son of a former All-Pro left tackle. He’s put together a quality college career despite suffering a season-ending leg injury in 2023 and playing in Iowa’s archaic passing offense. Lachey’s frame is thick and has room to add more mass and round into a full-time in-line option.

Lachey releases off the line with enough speed to pull linebackers up the seam. His understanding of route concepts and leverage mimics past Hawkeye tight ends. Lachey knows how to stem his routes to manipulate defenders and create openings to break into. He finds and sits in the soft holes versus zone coverage.

Lachey lacks the speed and elusiveness to create much after the catch but moves the chains at a high rate. He’s a natural hands catcher who makes adjustments for poor throws that require him to elevate or get low. Lachey is comfortable making catches with defenders in his face because of his impressive concentration at the catch point.

Lachey blocks with a stout base and good contact balance to hold his ground against power rushes. He displaces outside linebackers with his leg drive and opens run lanes through the C-gap. Linebackers struggle to anchor against his power. Lachey projects as a mid-Day 3 prospect.

The Hawkeyes welcome Northwestern to Kinnick Stadium on October 26 at 2:30 p.m. Lachey matches up well against the Wildcats and could author his most productive game of the season.

Three Iowa Hawkeyes in CBS Sports’ top 151 college football players for 2024

The Hawkeyes once again have top-end talent.

Everyone knows that the Iowa Hawkeyes are often a deep, experienced, veteran roster. It is a huge part of what makes the program so successful. But, like any great program, that requires top-end talent.

Iowa has top-end talent on both sides of the ball and has a few guys that they can count on to make big plays and show up when it matters. That is why they have three players among CBS Sports’ top 151 college football players for 2024.

Those three stars are Sebastian Castro, Luke Lachey, and Jay Higgins. Coming in at No. 104 on the list, which is a bit underrated, is Iowa defensive back Sebastian Castro.

104. Iowa DB Sebastian Castro

One of the top returning corners in the country on a Hawkeye defense that’s always stifling and suffocating. Excellent coverage skills and rarely allows much space before or after the catch, Castro is also a physical presence in run support. c

Castro does it all for Iowa and he proved so last year. He has the ability to cover in the slot and take the ball away but one of his most promising traits is his ability to tackle in the open field, which is often lost among defensive backs.

Coming in at No. 69 and set up for a big year coming off of an injury is tight end Luke Lachey.

69. Iowa TE Luke Lachey

Lachey is one of the better in-line tight ends in the game, we just haven’t seen much of it as he’s coming off a shortened season where an injury held him to three contests. Lachey is a plus-blocker who can hold his own in the zone and gap schemes and is a large target to work the middle of the field in the passing game. Tight End U needs Lachey healthy. If he is, he will be a huge part of Iowa’s success. – Brockermeyer, CBS Sports

Another year, another great tight end for the Hawkeyes. When healthy and playing, Lachey has flashed his brilliance. He has unfortunately been behind Sam LaPorta who is an NFL star and was off to a great start in 2023 before a lower leg injury.

If Lachey can stay healthy, he completely changes this offense and opens things up in the middle.

Coming in highest on the list for the Hawkeyes is returning linebacker Jay Higgins at No. 21.

21. Iowa LB Jay Higgins

Higgins is an extremely productive player who has a nose for the ball and seems to be involved on almost every tackle. He led the country last season with 171 tackles in his first season as a true starter, including 18 against Penn State.

A good athlete who seems to always be in the right spot and is a sure tackler, Higgins only missed seven attempts on the season. He is solid in coverage as well. My hunch is the NFL takes notice in 2025. – Brockermeyer, CBS Sports

Choosing to forego the NFL draft last offseason and return to Iowa has bolstered this defense to another level. Higgins is the center of Phil Parker’s unit and does everything right.

Jay Higgins is primed for another massive year and could skyrocket himself up NFL scouts’ draft boards.

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Kirk Ferentz updates Iowa football injuries after Kids’ Day at Kinnick

TJ Hall exited Kids’ Day at Kinnick with an injury, but Kirk Ferentz indicated it isn’t serious.

Fans got an extended look at the Hawkeyes during Iowa’s 2024 Kids’ Day at Kinnick.

In the open practice, the biggest microscope was on graduate quarterback Cade McNamara’s health and effectiveness and on junior transfer quarterback Brendan Sullivan from Northwestern. That duo’s performance generated the most takeaways and the most social media reaction from the open practice.

Still, there was plenty else to take in, too. The starting cornerback position opposite graduate Jermari Harris is being hotly contested by junior TJ Hall and sophomores Deshaun Lee and John Nestor.

Hall got the first look on Saturday and performed well. The 6-foot-1, 187 pound defensive back from Fresno, Calif., broke up a pass intended for senior wide receiver Kaden Wetjen.

Hall was shaken up on the play, though, and exited the Hawkeyes’ Kids’ Day at Kinnick scrimmage.

Afterwards, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said the early prognosis was that it was a minor injury for Hall.

“Sounds like an ankle. It doesn’t sound like a big one, so that’s good news. So far, so good,” Ferentz said.

Iowa was also without starting safety Xavier Nwankpa and starting tight end Luke Lachey in the scrimmage. It didn’t sound like those injuries for Nwankpa and Lachey were deemed as serious ones either.

“Yeah, Xavier’s had, he’s been nursing an injury not the whole camp but part of camp. Luke came up a little sore the other day, yesterday, so we just held him out, but he’s fine. He’s doing good. He’s gotten a lot of work obviously,” Ferentz said.

Ferentz said on Friday during Iowa Media Day that senior running back Leshon Williams was working his way back from a soft tissue injury.

“So we’ve got four or five guys that have been out with soft tissue injuries and stuff like that, and unfortunately Leshon is one of them, so you triggered a thought there.

“We know who he is, and we’ve got total confidence in him, but he hasn’t been able to go. Hopefully we’ll get him moving here pretty quickly. But he’s working through some stuff. Nothing long-term,” Ferentz said of Williams.

The 5-foot-10, 214 pound running back was the Hawkeyes’ leading rusher last season with 170 carries for 821 yards.

Sophomore defensive back Koen Entringer was listed as Iowa’s backup strong safety behind Nwankpa on the Hawkeyes’ defensive depth chart prior to Big Ten Media Days.

Ferentz noted on Friday that Entringer has been back practicing with Iowa after sustaining a knee injury in the Citrus Bowl versus Tennessee that required offseason surgery. But, Entringer tweaked his ankle on Friday morning and was held out of the Kids’ Day at Kinnick scrimmage and seen with a boot on his left foot.

“One thing I’m pretty sure of, everybody is different in terms of their healing capacities, pace, all that stuff. He’s broken every record. He’s practicing. We’re not letting him tackle anybody or anything like that. But he’s practicing. He did tweak his ankle this morning, so I don’t know if he’ll practice tomorrow or not, but doing a really good job.

“We’re going to try to be really smart because it takes—what I also know or have learned, when guys get cleared, it takes a while for them to get their confidence back. He’s really kind of running around like there’s no problem, but try to protect him from himself a little bit,” Ferentz said of Entringer.

Other notable names that sat out during Kids’ Day at Kinnick included junior wide receiver Seth Anderson, redshirt freshman wide receiver Dayton Howard, redshirt freshman defensive back Kahlil Tate and freshman defensive back Jaylen Watson.

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Luke Lachey named to John Mackey Award Watch List

Tight End University.

Tight End University is alive and well with their next top-end talent manning the position.

Luke Lachey is back from a lower leg injury and is entering the 2024 college football season fully healthy for the Iowa Hawkeyes as a top pass-catching target.

Lachey, also a candidate for the Comeback Player of the Year with quarterback Cade McNamara, has been named to the John Mackey Award watch list ahead of the season.

The award is given out annually to the most outstanding tight end in FBS college football.

The John Mackey Award distinctively celebrates excellence without prejudice or discrimination. Dedicated to the life of John Mackey himself, the award seeks to keep on driving true passion, dedication and at the same time raise health awareness for the Game of football in schools, especially in colleges and among the youth generally. – John Mackey Award

Luke Lachey, a native of Columbus, Ohio, and a product of Grandview High School, is back for his fifth season with the Hawkeyes. After his 2023 season was cut short to three games with a leg injury, he returned to Iowa rather than enter the NFL draft.

Lachey has flashed brilliance in his time on the field and really came into his own in the 2022 season playing alongside Sam LaPorta and filling in when LaPorta was forced to miss time with injury.

Lachey has appeared in 30 games with 13 starts. He has registered 46 career receptions for 662 yards and four touchdowns.

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Kirk Ferentz compares Luke Lachey to past Iowa football TE greats

Kirk Ferentz shared what makes Luke Lachey special.

Iowa football has a long lineage of great tight end play.

The latest examples in the NFL include the Minnesota Vikings‘ T.J. Hockenson, the Detroit Lions‘ Sam LaPorta and the San Francisco 49ers George Kittle.

Each of those players are among the league’s best at the tight end position. All three were standouts with the Hawkeyes, too.

Now, senior tight end Luke Lachey gets to uphold the mantel of Tight End U with the Hawkeyes.

Lachey was off to a terrific start last season before suffering a season-ending injury to his right ankle early in the Hawkeyes’ 41-10 win over Western Michigan. The 6-foot-6, 247 pound tight end reeled in 10 catches for 131 yards across his three games played in the 2023 season.

As Lachey returns to 100 percent, the expectation is that he will be one of the Big Ten’s best. At Big Ten Media Days, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said Lachey’s response to his injury is the latest example of his star tight end’s character.

“Two things about Luke. You know him, so this will resonate. He’s just one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He’s unbelievably just a nice human being, a really first-class guy.

“I think we all suspect and know that he’s a really good football player, but I think maybe as impressive as anything I saw was the way he handled a very disappointing injury last year. He was fully engaged, fully immersed, and did a great job working with the other guys that were playing where he was supposed to be playing. That’s as high a compliment, and that’s why he’s here right now, the team selected him as one of our leaders. It’s not even close. He’s up there at the top. So he’s just a great, quality young guy, and he’s all about the team. He’s an outstanding football player,” Ferentz said.

Ferentz was asked to compare and contrast Lachey to past Hawkeye great tight ends and to share some thoughts on Lachey’s potential upside in 2024.

“One thing, we’ve had a lot of great tight ends come through our place. You look at a guy like George Kittle, who really has continued to improve, and he’s playing at a much higher level, was starting to play at a much higher level at age 25 than he was at age 21. That’s what good players do, they just keep getting better.

“One common takeaway, if you look at all the tight ends we’ve had, they come in different sizes, speeds, makeups, but they’ve all found ways to really impact the game. Luke certainly fits that. He’s more of a conventional tight end, can block in line, but also be a real threat in the passing game,” Ferentz said.

Lachey will be one of the most important pieces of Iowa’s offense in 2024. The senior tight end has tallied 46 receptions for 662 yards and four touchdowns over the course of his Iowa career.

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Iowa football announces three players attending Big Ten Media Days

Sending the veterans.

The Iowa Hawkeyes successes are built upon veterans showing up on the field and their offseason presence is going to be felt in the same manner.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have announced their three members attending Big Ten Media Days later this month and it is a trio of seasoned Hawkeye veterans.

Heading to Indianapolis to represent the Hawkeyes is a trio of tight end Luke Lachey, linebacker Jay Higgins, and safety Quinn Schulte. The group exudes experience and will all play a considerable part in Iowa’s 2024 season.

Between the three players, they carry a whopping 12 years of collegiate experience with the Hawkeyes and are all entering their fifth year with the program.

The three have appeared in a combined 116 games with 56 starts to their names. They are anchors on the offensive and defensive side of the ball and have high expectations to be top performers this year.

Luke Lachey is returning from a lower leg injury that limited last season to just three games but is still viewed among Iowa’s top pass-catching targets for Cade McNamara in Tim Lester’s new offense.

Defensively, Schulte fortifies the back end as a safety manning the passing game with Higgins in front of him stopping anything in the run game coming off a 171-tackle season in 2023.

Iowa’s session at Big Ten Media Days is set for Wednesday, July 24th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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2025 NFL Draft: Should Vikings keep eyes on another Iowa tight end?

Pro Football Focus believes the Vikings should unleash two tight ends and explore drafting Luke Lachey in 2025.

Pro Football Focus put together a list of offensive players each NFL team should watch ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. To some surprise, PFF has the Vikings keeping tabs on Iowa Hawkeyes tight end Luke Lachey. Even though Minnesota has TJ Hockenson—a former Iowa tight end—PFF believes the Vikings could unleash a true two-tight end set with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at receiver.

Yes, the Vikings have T.J. Hockenson. No, this isn’t a move to replace him; we’re setting up an impressive and impactful two-tight end offense that can complement wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

Adding Lachey, who would have likely been a top-100 pick in 2023 had he not broken his ankle early in the season, would make for a legit heavy personnel group from which Minnesota could run or pass.

Lachey has been at Iowa since 2020 and was in store for a big year in 2023, but was forced out of action after just three games due to injuries. Lachey chose to go back to the Hawkeyes for a fifth season.

The Iowa passing game has been terrible, but with quarterback Cade McNamara back after suffering an injury in ’23, the Hawkeyes are hoping to see their passing game take a big step forward with gaining Lachey back.

Pro Football Focus calls Luke Lachey ‘the next great Iowa TE’

TEU.

It is Tight End University. The Iowa Hawkeyes are truly pumping them out one after another at this point. George Kittle, Sam LaPorta, Erick All, and next in line is Luke Lachey.

The tight end was off to a strong start in 2023 before a lower leg injury robbed him of the rest of the season. An NFL hopeful, Lachey chose to come back for the 2024 season and his decision has him garnering huge expectations to be Iowa’s go-to target.

Lachey will be the top dog in the tight end room and likely among all pass catchers. With his return, Pro Football Focus believes he is set up to be Iowa’s next great tight end.

“He’s really physical, he’s got really good hands. I think the big thing for me is he’s just a competitor, man. You see him running through two, three, four guys at times after the catch to get in the endzone, things like that. He just has that, it’s weird to say because it’s kind of a joke, but not really, he’s got that Iowa tight end thing about him that Kittle and LaPorta and all these other guys, Erick All, we’ve seen all of these guys have it. And he’s an excellent receiver,” said Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus.

Lachey will be entering his fifth year with the Hawkeyes. In his previous four seasons, he has tallied 46 receptions for 662 yards and four touchdowns. He averages an astounding 14.4 yards per catch.

“It’s a shame that we didn’t get to see him for a whole year as the lead dog in that tight end room. But, we’re going to see it this year and I would fully expect him to bounce back from the injury and have a big time year,” Chadwick finished with.

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Iowa Hawkeyes’ Jay Higgins and Luke Lachey crack CBS Sports’ Top 100 Players for 2024

As they always do, Iowa is reloading with talent once again. Jay Higgins and Luke Lachey are among CBS Sports’ Top 100 Players for 2024.

Talent seems to always find a way to shows its head for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Sometimes it is highly-recruited talent that comes in and delivers upon the expectations. But, for Iowa, it is often under-recruited talents that develop and thrive with the Hawkeyes.

Two Hawkeyes happen to fall into the latter category as they are continuing to blossom into high-level talent and producers for this team. Those two are linebacker Jay Higgins and tight end Luke Lachey. Each are at two positions that the Hawkeyes are known for producing at.

The two of them find themselves among CBS Sports’ Top 100 Players for 2024 across college football. Higgins cracks the top 25 and finds himself ranked as the No. 21 player in America while Luke Lachey, who will return from a leg injury, is heralded as an incredibly talented player as he comes in as the No. 69 player in the nation.

21. Iowa LB Jay Higgins

Higgins is an extremely productive player who has a nose for the ball and seems to be involved on almost every tackle. He led the country last season with 171 tackles in his first season as a true starter, including 18 against Penn State.

A good athlete who seems to always be in the right spot and is a sure tackler, Higgins only missed seven attempts on the season. He is solid in coverage as well. My hunch is the NFL takes notice in 2025. – Blake Brockermeyer, CBS Sports

As CBS mentions, Higgins was a tackling machine for the Hawkeyes. He seemed to be in the mix on almost every play. Jay Higgins could have went to the NFL but joins seven other starters that are returning to one of college football’s top units. It is only a matter of time before Jay Higgins is playing on Sunday.

69. Iowa TE Luke Lachey

Lachey is one of the better in-line tight ends in the game, we just haven’t seen much of it as he’s coming off a shortened season where an injury held him to three contests. Lachey is a plus-blocker who can hold his own in the zone and gap schemes and is a large target to work the middle of the field in the passing game. Tight End U needs Lachey healthy. If he is, he will be a huge part of Iowa’s success. – Brockermeyer, CBS Sports

One of the highest compliments to a player and showing how much a team needs him is what happens when they aren’t on the field. Iowa struggled mightily in the passing game when Lachey went down last year. The Hawkeyes are going to utilize him as one of the top target in their passing attack this year and could have Lachey as the next Iowa tight end heading to the NFL.

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