Tag: Reece Vander Zee

Iowa provides encouraging injury update on pair of Hawkeyes

Iowa football’s Kirk Ferentz provides optimistic update on WR Reece Vander Zee, OL Gennings Dunker.

As the Iowa football team (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) prepares for their TransPerfect Music City Bowl matchup vs. Missouri (9-3, 5-3 SEC) from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., head coach Kirk Ferentz provided a few updates on Hawkeyes players with lingering injuries.

Ferentz discussed the recovery statuses of freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee and redshirt junior offensive lineman Gennings Dunker.

Vander Zee has not played since exiting Iowa’s Oct. 26 win vs. Northwestern and being spotted in a walking boot, while Dunker missed Iowa’s final two games of the regular season at Maryland and against Nebraska with an undisclosed injury.

Ferentz shared an optimistic outlook for the two Hawkeyes, indicating that they are tracking to return in Iowa’s bowl game against Missouri.

“Yeah, both those guys are on track right now,” Ferentz said. “Not sure where they’re going to be this week, but I think we are a lot closer.”

“Reece got to work—we worked a little bit on Friday—he was out there, so that looks really encouraging. Dunk’s probably a couple days away yet, but he’s doing really well, on a good path. Both those guys are eager to play.”

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Ferentz had indicated before the Nebraska game that Dunker was close to a return and likely would have played if the game had been the following week.

“He’ll be fine, yeah. He’s improving well. I don’t think he’s going to make it by Friday. It’s too bad. He’s worked so hard. He’s done a great job.

“He’ll be back for the bowl. I imagine if we were playing next week, he’d probably be ready for that one,” Ferentz said of Dunker’s status ahead of the Hawkeyes’ regular season finale against the Huskers.

It also sounds like substantial progress for Vander Zee who Ferentz said was a ways off before the Nebraska game.

“Still a ways away. Hopefully we’ll get him back for the bowl game. Starting to turn the corner a little bit there,” Ferentz said of Vander Zee before the Nebraska tilt.

With star junior running back Kaleb Johnson having declared for the 2025 NFL draft and out of the equation against Missouri, Iowa will need every ounce of the remainder of its offensive personnel. Both Dunker and Vander Zee tracking for returns is great news for the Hawkeyes.

The TransPerfect Music City Bowl is set to kick off at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN and will also be available on the radio through the Hawkeye Radio Network.

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Iowa football reveals game-day injury report vs. Nebraska

Six Iowa Hawkeyes were listed out in Iowa’s game day availability report vs. Nebraska.

As Iowa football (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) prepares for the Pioneer Heroes Classic game against Nebraska (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) at 6:30 p.m. CT from Kinnick Stadium, the Hawkeyes will be without six players.

According to the conference-mandated game-day availability report, Iowa will be without freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee, graduate defensive back Jermari Harris, junior linebacker Karson Sharar, junior offensive lineman Gennings Dunker, sophomore defensive end Brian Allen, and graduate quarterback Cade McNamara.

Iowa’s rivalry clash with the Nebraska Cornhuskers will be the 55th all-time meeting between the two historic programs. The Cornhuskers lead the series, 30-21-3.

Friday night’s game will be broadcast on NBC and it will stream on Peacock. Iowa fans can listen as well on the Hawkeye Radio Network.

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Trio of Hawkeyes expected to be unavailable vs. Nebraska

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz announced a trio of players that are expected to be out and unavailable on Friday versus Nebraska.

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz announced a trio of Hawkeyes aren’t expected to be available on Friday for Iowa’s regular-season finale against Nebraska.

Iowa freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee, redshirt junior offensive tackle Gennings Dunker and graduate cornerback Jermari Harris are sidelined.

“Definitely out will be Reece Vander Zee. Still a ways away. Hopefully we’ll get him back for the bowl game. Starting to turn the corner a little bit there. Jermari Harris won’t be able to go. Dunker, pretty sure that he won’t be able to go either. He’s improving, but I don’t think he’s going to make it.

“Everybody else is moving forward. I think we have a chance to have everybody else ready for game time. We’ll see how that goes,” Ferentz said on Tuesday.

Vander Zee has 14 catches for 176 yards with three touchdowns on the season, but he hasn’t played since exiting Iowa’s 40-14 win over Northwestern on Oct. 26. The 6-foot-4, 207 pound receiver has played in and started eight games this season.

Dunker has been a key cog in Iowa’s rushing attack as it morphed into one of the nation’s finest. The Hawkeyes rank 13th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 213.5 yards per game on the ground.

As a result of that unit’s hard work, junior running back Kaleb Johnson set a single-season school record with 21 rushing touchdowns and was named a Doak Walker Award finalist.

Dunker was listed as out ahead of Iowa’s 29-13 win over Maryland last week, though. Prior to the Hawkeyes’ win over the Terps, Dunker had started all 10 games at right tackle.

Lastly, Harris is once again expected to be out. Initial reports on Friday of last week indicated Harris was opting out of the remainder of the season to focus on the 2025 NFL draft, but Iowa clarified his status later that day.

“(Jermari Harris) will not play in Saturday’s game due to a medical issue. We hope all our student-athletes can play next week in our regular-season finale at Kinnick Stadium, however, a player’s health and well-being are always our top priority,” University of Iowa associate athletics director for strategic communications Matt Weitzel said in a statement.

The health of Iowa’s quarterbacks has been another key topic of discussion. Ferentz said on Tuesday that junior quarterback Brendan Sullivan and graduate quarterback Cade McNamara were both back practicing, but redshirt sophomore Jackson Stratton remains the Hawkeyes’ starting quarterback versus the Huskers.

Kickoff on Friday, Nov. 29, against Nebraska is 6:30 p.m. CT with the game televised on NBC from Kinnick Stadium.

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Iowa releases availability report prior to UCLA contest

Six Hawkeyes are listed out in Iowa’s availability report vs UCLA.

The Iowa Hawkeyes get the prime time treatment on Friday night in their Rose Bowl trip to take on the UCLA Bruins.

Iowa (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) looks to secure its longest winning streak of the season in its Friday night clash against UCLA.

After a 42-10 thrashing of Wisconsin last week, Iowa has now won back-to-back Big Ten games for the first time this season. The Hawkeyes have scored 40 or more points in three of their past four games, too.

In order to extend those streaks against UCLA (3-5, 2-4 Big Ten), Iowa will do so without several key contributors.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz discussed the Hawkeyes’ quarterback situation earlier this week during his Tuesday press conference. The Hawkeyes’ Week 11 availability report reaffirms what Ferentz shared on Tuesday.

Graduate quarterback Cade McNamara and sophomore quarterback Marco Lainez were both listed out.

McNamara has been sidelined since sustaining the concussion early in Iowa’s 40-14 win over Northwestern on Oct. 26. McNamara has thrown for 1,017 yards and six touchdowns against five interceptions thus far this season.

In addition to those two, freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee and junior tight end Addison Ostrenga are both listed as out. Defensively, sophomore defensive back John Nestor and junior linebacker Karson Sharar are also out.

Vander Zee has caught 14 passes for 176 yards with three touchdowns, while Ostrenga has reeled in 11 grabs for 63 yards and one score.

Nestor has appeared in seven games this season and has seen 92 defensive snaps per Pro Football Focus. The Marist High School product out of Chicago has nine tackles on the season.

Iowa kicks off against UCLA from inside the Rose Bowl at 8 p.m. CT with the game set to be televised on Fox.

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Iowa football ‘not surprised’ by Reece Vander Zee’s sensational Hawkeye debut

Iowa might have found a special one in Reece Vander Zee.

The Iowa Hawkeyes might have something special in true freshman wide receiver Reece Vander Zee.

The 6-foot-4, 207 pound wide receiver out of Central Lyon High School in Rock Rapids, Iowa, put on a show in his Hawkeye debut. Vander Zee reeled in five grabs for 66 yards, including a pair of touchdown catches of 7 and 19 yards.

Vander Zee’s 7-yard touchdown reception saw the frosh slide down to secure the low throw from graduate quarterback Cade McNamara in the end zone. Then, Vander Zee went up and high-pointed the football among a crowd of players and over Illinois State defensive back Mark Cannon Jr.

Afterwards, acting head coach and assistant head football coach Seth Wallace said he and the Hawkeyes aren’t shocked by Vander Zee’s impressive debut.

“No, not surprised. Reece, probably for the first two weeks of camp was a freshman and he was in a freshman role. Then, I think our offensive guys started to see some things that he was doing that gave them the confidence that let’s put him in there and see how he swims with some of these other guys. So, they put him in there and there were plays that were made, plays very similar to the ones you saw today.

“Not surprised, however, it is college football at its highest level and when you introduce somebody of that type of youth, you just really aren’t sure what’s going to unfold. I think the story is even much better considering what happened in the first half, because we were still trying to get our feet on the ground from an offensive standpoint. He goes out there and makes some of those plays. The one where we were headed to the North side that he caught over the middle. Those were impactful plays. Not surprised at all. However, just to do it in a college football environment, I think that says a lot about Reece,” Wallace said.

Vander Zee was Iowa’s first true freshman to start since 2022 and the first true freshman wide receiver start a game for the Hawkeyes since Keagan Johnson and Arland Bruce IV did so in 2021.

The Rock Rapids product became the first Hawkeye true freshman with a receiving touchdown in the season opener since Dominique Douglas versus Montana in 2006. Vander Zee is the first Hawkeye freshman wideout to have two receiving touchdowns in a game since Ihmir Smith-Marsette did so at Iowa State in 2017.

Wallace discussed what has allowed Vander Zee to jump into the equation and be dynamic so quickly.

“Yeah, I think opportunity comes in a lot of different ways. I’d start with he’s on a charter bus and not a yellow bus, so that’s a big difference in kind of how he’s probably viewing things. We have had our share of injuries when it’s come to that position. Historically that happens during camp. Camp is, it’s grueling in a lot of ways and those that are putting a lot of miles on their tires.

“From the second that he jumped in there, he hasn’t looked like a 17- or 18-year-old. He hasn’t looked like he just came to us on a yellow bus. It’s been pretty obvious that he can go out there, he can compete. We’re fortunate that his frame, his size…it’s not like we’re looking at this two years down the road trying to build this body. Obviously, he needs a lot of work when it comes to his physical development, but there’s already some that has taken place. I credit that to the state of Iowa, to the football here in the state and the players that play in the state and he’s tough-minded, too. He certainly didn’t flinch today and we haven’t seen any flinching out of him up to this point,” Wallace said.

And on that catch in the South end zone?

“Going back to Reece’s catch that he had in the South end zone, some things happen. Some guys, that’s the way they are. Desmond King, Cooper DeJean. You talk about guys that you’ve seen around here before that they make plays. Sometimes you’re just sitting there wondering, like, how the hell did that happen? It’s football and those guys are…yeah, it’s nice to see,” Wallace said.

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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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