Hawkeye’s Starting Tight End Lost for the Season

The Iowa Hawkeye football team is trying to forget a close loss to Iowa State and gear up for a Saturday showdown against UMass. But now the team will have to deal with losing its starting tight end for the season.

Hawk Central reports that Iowa tight end Addison Ostrenga will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an Achilles injury against Iowa State. Head coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed the news on Tuesday, adding that Ostrenga had already undergone surgery on the injury.

Ostrenga was injured during the first quarter last Saturday in Ames. He ends his senior season with just one catch for 8 yards against Albany, according to Hawk Central. 

Who Will Start at Tight End for Iowa Going Forward?

With Ostrenga done for the year, junior Zach Ortwerth is listed as the starter on Saturday against UMass. Hawk Central reports Ortwerth has 13 catches for 192 yards in his Hawkeye career. Hayden Large is listed as Iowa's second-string tight end, followed by redshirt freshman DJ Vonnahme.

READ MORE: How Will Iowa Fare the Rest of the Year?

Iowa Tight Ends in the NFL

Iowa is called Tight End University for a reason. Many former Hawkeyes continue to star in the NFL. On3 reports former Iowa star Noah Fant had a great week one for Cincinnati, hauling in three catches, including a touchdown. Detroit tight end Sam Laporta was busy for the Lions, catching six passes for 79 yards.

On3 reports former Hawkeye and 49er star George Kittle also found the endzone in week one. However, CBS Sports reports the Niners have put Kittle on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He'll miss the next four games for San Francisco.