The former walk-on has earned a scholarship as he enters his redshirt freshman season.
A former walk-on getting put on scholarship is one of the best stories in all of college football.
It's the culmination of years upon years of hard work, dedication, and devotion to your craft. It's a huge milestone for any college football player to accomplish. And one current Iowa tight end just got the thrill of that moment.
Rob Howe of Hawk Fanatic was the first to report that the Hawkeyes recently put redshirt freshman tight end DJ Vonnahme on scholarship. It's an amazing feat for the young tight end, who will have a chance to push for some real playing time in 2025.
Who is DJ Vonnahme?
Vonnahme walked on at Iowa and joined their 2024 recruiting class after a successful high school career at Kuemper Catholic in Breda, Iowa. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end appeared in four games last season, but didn't accrue any statistics. He was able to redshirt, which keeps him at four years of remaining eligibility entering 2025. And he could see an uptick in playing time this season.
The Iowa tight end room has two clear contributors at the top in Addison Ostrenga and Zach Ortwerth. While those two tight ends have experience in the Hawkeye system and are veterans of the program, they haven't exactly popped off the screen during their careers yet. They'll start in 2025, but any struggles out of the gate could be met with a decision to go with another option.
Vonnahme is in that next group of unestablished, but talented tight ends. He could be called upon for playing time in the case of an injury or underperformance from one of Ostrenga or Ortwerth. And the Iowa coaching staff believes in him, as seen by their placing him on scholarship. It's a great moment for Vonnahme and could be the start of a great career in the black and gold.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football rewards in-state, former walk-on TE with scholarship
Category: General Sports
