Kirk Ferentz raves about Iowa tight end Luke Lachey

Iowa is set debut a new offense under first-year OC Tim Lester, who has been tasked with reviving the Hawkeyes offensive unit after the team’s struggles in recent seasons.

Keeping the agressive, hard-nosed tradition of Iowa football to heart, Lester and head coach Kirk Ferentz see senior tight end Luke Lachey as someone who will be a major contributor to their efforts this season.

Returning from injury, Ferentz noted of Lachey’s infectious personality and how it aided the moral of his position group during a frustrating season for everyone involved.

“He’s just one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” Ferentz said. “He’s unbelievably just a nice human being, a really first-class guy. I think we all suspect and know that he’s a really good football player, but I think maybe as impressive as anything I saw was the way he handled a very disappointing injury last year.

“He was fully engaged, fully immersed, and did a great job working with the other guys that were playing where he was supposed to be playing. That’s as high a compliment, and that’s why he’s here right now, the team selected him as one of our leaders. It’s not even close. He’s up there at the top.”

Lachey, who suffered a leg injury last season against Iowa State that ended his year two games into the season, caught 10 passes for 131 yards during his brief on-field appearance in 2023.

He was well on his way to surpassing his career highs from 2023 (28 catches, 398 yards, 4 touchdowns) before ending his season prematurely. In 2024, he’s supposed to be one of the key pieces of the Hawkeyes offense.

Ferentz noted to the long line of tight ends enjoying success in Iowa City. Could Lachey be next on that list? His head coach pointed toward San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle as someone who has steadily improved throughout his career. In that sense, Ferentz sees a similar potential. After all, good players just keep getting better, the Iowa headman said.

“One common takeaway, if you look at all the tight ends we’ve had, they come in different sizes, speeds, makeups, but they’ve all found ways to really impact the game,” Ferentz said. “Luke certainly fits that. He’s more of a conventional tight end, can block in line, but also be a real threat in the passing game.”

The 6-foot-6, 247-pound Lachey has appeared on multiple preseason lists for players to watch out for at the tight end position. With his size and abilities, if Lachey can remain healthy in 2024, he could pique the interests of NFL scouts by the time the 2025 draft cycle rolls around.