Kirk Ferentz confirms Erick All injury, details impact

Iowa suffered a significant season-ending injury when tight end Erick All learned he had a torn ACL following last weekend’s game against Wisconsin.

Coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed the injury on Tuesday during a news conference.

“On a sad note, unfortunately Erick All, looks like his season is over,” Ferentz said. “We were worried about that on Saturday. And tests confirmed that. He’s going to miss the rest of the year. Really unfortunate.”

All transferred in from Michigan this offseason and quickly developed a strong rapport with fellow Wolverines transfer Cade McNamara. McNamara has also been lost for the year.

In seven games this season, All had logged team-leading numbers in receptions, yards and touchdowns. He had 21 catches for 299 yards and three touchdowns, one of the few threats in a struggling Iowa passing attack.

All went down with just over four minutes left in the first quarter on Saturday. After hauling in a five-yard reception, he was sandwiched by two Wisconsin defenders. In the collision, his right knee bent backward.

“He’s done a great job, newcomer to the team, a great addition,” Ferentz said. “Such a positive guy, hardworking, great personality and loves the game. Loves everything about the game, not just the game itself. And I hate to lose anybody, and certainly feel badly for Erick in that regard. He was certainly adding a lot to our football team. It’s a tough deal. We’ll all support him in his recovery, his road back, and certainly hope all goes well.”

Ferentz provided a loose timeline for recovery, but suffice it to say All is out for the rest of the season.

“It takes a while,” the Iowa coach said. “Whatever, six, eight, 10 months, somewhere. It’s significant and unfortunate.”

All is the second Iowa tight end to go down for the season, joining Luke Lachey. That Lachey remains the second-leading receiver on the team despite being out says a lot; Iowa’s passing game isn’t very good.

Iowa ranks third-to-last nationally in passing offense, ahead of only service academies Navy and Air Force. The team averages 116.0 yards per game through the air.

Despite that, Iowa sits at 6-1 and is in position to win the Big Ten West this season.

Next up in that question is a home date with Minnesota this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on NBC.