Iowa injury updates: Kirk Ferentz provides latest on Luke Lachey, Reece Vander Zee

The Iowa Hawkeyes battled a few injuries during their win over Northwestern on Saturday. Following the game, head coach Kirk Ferentz shared an injury upgrade on a couple of those players.

In a game that the Hawkeyes ended up scoring 40 points in, Iowa got banged up on the offensive side of the ball. That included losing tight end Luke Lachey and wide receiver Reece Vander Zee during the game.

“Both those guys came out and couldn’t go back in,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Luke was available for like emergency. So, I think he’ll be okay. Fingers crossed.”

Lachey came to Iowa as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2020, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the 20th-ranked tight in that recruiting cycle. Coming into the 2024 season, he was on both the Mackey Award and Comeback Player of the Year Award watchlists. That’s after he was only able to play in three games in 2023 due to injury.

For his career, Lachey has played in 38 games and has 70 receptions for 871 yards and four touchdowns. All four of those touchdowns came in 2022, his most productive season statistically.

While Kirk Ferentz had an overall positive update about Luke Lachey, he gave a more vague update on Reece Vander Zee, noting he has a lower leg injury.

“Then, we’ll have to see with Reece,” Ferentz said. “I don’t know. He’s got a lower leg deal. So, I don’t know how many snaps he got but it was painful. So, he backed out of there.”

Reece Vander Zee came to Iowa as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2024. An Iowa native, he was the 140th-ranked wide receiver in that recruiting cycle. To this point in his freshman season, he has 14 receptions for 176 yards and three touchdowns.

Kirk Ferentz addresses benching Cade McNamara for Brendan Sullivan

Kirk Ferentz made a major decision to bench quarterback Cade McNamara for Brendan Sullivan in a move to spark the Iowa offense. It seemed to work but Ferentz didn’t commit to a permanent change.

“‘Permanent’ is a strong word, right? We made the decision during the week we were going to rotate Brendan in a little bit on the third or fourth series. It just worked out that way. He did a really nice job. Cade was shaken up also after the hit he took,” Ferentz said.

“That’s a clear contrast. I think that’s one of Brendan’s strengths. He’s a really good athlete, really good at that. The other thing is he commanded the game. No matter what your style is as a quarterback, you have to do that. It was a good outing. I think we got into a little flow in the second half. That was certainly encouraging. There’s give-and-take with everything you do. Happy with the way he stepped in. Played with great poise. Didn’t think about it too much. Playing against his former team, you always worry about emotions a little bit. Didn’t worry too much about it. Didn’t seem to be a factor either.”

Iowa is back in action next week when the Hawkeyes host the Wisconsin Badgers.