Tag: Reece Vander Zee

Iowa true frosh WR Reece Vander Zee expected to garner early playing time

Kirk Ferentz said expect to see true freshman Reece Vander Zee play come Saturday.

It isn’t often that true freshmen grace the two-deep at Iowa.

When it happens, it means an individual has been incredibly impressive early on. It can also indicate that the situation presented an opportunity.

Both are true in the case of true freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee. The 6-foot-4, 207 pound freshman out of Central Lyon High School has been making a strong impression throughout fall camp in particular.

On Tuesday, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz shared why Vander Zee has made his way into the season’s initial two-deep.

“Two things with Reece. There’s opportunity at the position and then, secondly, more importantly, he’s done a good job. It was kind of frustrating because he had some stuff he was dealing with through the summer time medically.

“But, that cleared up right before camp I guess it would have been. He’s done a really good job. He’s learning quickly. Has done some really good things out there on the field. He’ll be on the field for sure Saturday,” Ferentz said.

Iowa is in need of young playmakers emerging at wide receiver. Joining Vander Zee on the initial two-deep are redshirt freshmen wide receivers Jarriett Buie and TJ Washington. Buie is listed as a starter alongside senior Kaden Wetjen and junior Jacob Gill.

Ferentz said he wasn’t definitively planning to play any other true freshmen on Saturday in the Hawkeyes’ season opener versus Illinois State.

“Nobody firmly I don’t think. I think I’m correct in saying that. I probably should know, but nobody firmly and I think we’ll be able to protect a lot of guys in that redshirt mode with the four-game rule. But, we’ll see. We’ll see how that all goes,” Ferentz said.

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Iowa football lands another top 2024 in-state target

Boom! Another in-state commit for the Hawkeyes. Central Lyon wide receiver Reece Vander Zee announced his pledge to Iowa.

Iowa continues to dominate the Hawkeye State in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The Hawkeyes picked up a commitment from one of its top in-state and wide receiver targets in Central Lyon’s Reece Vander Zee.

The 6-foot-5, 190 pound wide receiver announced his pledge to the Hawkeyes after taking part in Iowa’s big recruiting weekend. A first-team All-State wide receiver with Central Lyon, Vander Zee helped lead the Lions to a state championship. He reeled in 32 grabs for 768 yards with 10 touchdowns.

“This is only the beginning and I can’t wait to make Hawkeye nation proud! This is truly a dream come true. Thank you to the entire Iowa staff for believing in me and blessing me with this amazing opportunity! Let’s work! GO HAWKS,” Vander Zee wrote in his social media announcement.

A consensus three-star commit across 247Sports, On3 and Rivals, Vander Zee chose Iowa over offers from Iowa State and Nebraska. He was also receiving interest from both Kansas State and Minnesota. Vander Zee also received offers from Air Force, Eastern Michigan, Furman, Montana State, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Western Michigan and Yale.

247Sports ranked Vander Zee as the nation’s No. 117 wide receiver and the No. 8 player from Iowa. On3 rates Vander Zee as the country’s No. 132 wide receiver and as the No. 9 player from Iowa. Lastly, Rivals lists Vander Zee as the No. 7 player from Iowa.

With Vander Zee’s pledge, Iowa now owns commitments from seven of the top eight players from the Hawkeye State in the 2024 class per 247Sports. A pair of Vander Zee’s teammates have recently chosen Iowa as well.

Central Lyon’s Graham Eben just committed to a preferred walk-on opportunity with the Hawkeyes in the 2024 class. In the 2023 class, Central Lyon’s Zach Lutmer signed as a defensive back.

Here’s a look at Vander Zee’s junior season Hudl tape. Plus, his full recruiting profile below.

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