The Iowa football program lost two tight ends to the NFL after the 2018-19 season concluded. Make it three if defensive-end-turned-tight-end Parker Hesse counts toward the total.

However, in the Kirk Ferentz era, it is not always about who Iowa loses at tight end but instead about finding the next great one.

The self-proclaimed “Tight End University” has two commitments in the 2020 class at the position. Elijah Yelverton, who committed to the Hawkeyes in April, is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports.

Just last week, Yelverton got paired with another tight end in his recruiting class. On July 10, Luke Lachey committed to Iowa in a move that continued to bolster the recruiting ranking. Lachey has spent time as both a three-star and four-star recruit on 247Sports, but either way, he was a huge catch for Iowa.

Add in Theo Johnson, another 2020 tight end commitment who has the Hawkeyes in mind, and Iowa could be looking at one of the best positional recruiting classes in recent memory. Johnson is a four-star recruit and had 29 offers such schools as Alabama, Georgia, and Penn State.

Recruiting tight end should come easier for Iowa than for most other schools. The Hawkeyes have an undoubted ability to take prospects at that position and prepare them for the NFL.

The last year alone should be all the Hawkeyes need as fuel in the recruiting battles. T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant were both first-round NFL Draft picks, and each player went in the top 20.

If that was not enough, former Hawkeye George Kittle lit the NFL on fire and broke the single-season receiving yards record by a tight end with 1,336.

During the NFL Combine, the NFL Network played a graphic that showed three former Iowa tight ends — Fant, Hockenson, and Kittle — running the 40-yard dash at the Combine simultaneously. The graphic should get serious air time in the Iowa football facility, just as it should get the attention of any tight-end prospect with the intention of playing professionally.

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The Ferentz era at Iowa has boasted a history of successful tight ends who go on to the NFL

All the way back to Dallas Clark, one of two Mackey Award winners under Ferentz (Hockenson being the other), tight end has been a key position to the Iowa offense. Clark is and may always be the best example of a Hawkeye tight end succeeding in both college and the NFL.

A finalist for the College Football Hall of Fame, Clark also turned into an All-Pro in the NFL, catching 505 passes in his career, 53 of which were touchdowns. He also owns a Super Bowl ring for his run with the 2006 Indianapolis Colts.

Continuing down the line, Iowa has seen Scott Chandler, Brandon Myers, Tony Moeaki, Allen Reisner, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Henry Krieger-Coble, Kittle, Fant, Hockeson, and others make significant plays in the Black and Gold. In many cases, that impact translated to the pros in one way or another.

It’s likely more names will be added to the list above, whether it be Yelverton, Lachey, or a walk-on such as Clark.

Whoever it is, when a tight end comes to Iowa, he will have the opportunity to be the next great at “Tight End U.”