Logan Lee is no stranger to life-changing moments.

When he arrived at the University of Iowa in 2019, Lee was a 6-foot-5, 239-pound tight end from Orion, Illinois. Now, he’s 277-pounds defensive tackle.

“In high school, I was able to play tight end and defensive line,” Lee told The Daily Iowan on April 5. “So, I was fairly experienced in both. So, I felt pretty comfortable with the transition. I had no hesitation when they asked me to do it.”

Lee went to Orion High School before he came to the UI. OHS is a 2A school situated in a town of about 2,000 people. The Illinois High School Association has eight different classes for football that are determined via enrollment.

“It’s definitely been a big adjustment,” Lee said at an Iowa football media availability session on Oct. 5. “The developmental system has definitely been the biggest thing for me. I’ve put on 30-some-odd pounds in just a couple years.”

Lee was a two-time Illinois state champion wrestler. He won one title at 220 pounds and another at heavyweight — though he didn’t put much consideration into wrestling in college.

“I’m really in love with football, and that is unquestionably my favorite sport,” Lee told Illinois Matmen’s Jared Bell in 2018. “I really do enjoy the competition of wrestling, but I’m not looking to wrestle in college. To me, wrestling is a secondary to football.”

Lee didn’t see much action in his first two years at the UI. He didn’t take a single non-practice snap during his redshirt season in 2019. In 2020, Lee recorded just one solo tackle in two games.

Lee’s breakout season was 2021. The now-junior recorded 17 solo and 48 total tackles, three sacks, and one fumble recovered. On special teams, Lee blocked a field goal during Iowa’s 27-22 win over Minnesota on Nov. 13.

“Now that I have a couple years under my belt and a full season of play, I’ve seen my progress,” Lee said. “I’ve also seen the things I need to work on in the upcoming future because there’s always a lot you can improve on.”

With defensive end Zach VanValkenburg now working toward an NFL career, Lee’s role both on and off the field may change. VanValkenburg was one of Iowa’s leading pass rushers in 2021, racking up 58 tackles and 5.5 sacks. The Hillsdale College transfer was also one of the Hawkeyes’ most vocal leaders.

“Logan Lee’s a football guy,” Iowa defensive line coach Kelvin Bell said at an April 6 press conference inside the Hansen Football Performance Center. “He’s a football guy. From the moment he became a defensive lineman, he put both feet in. Obviously, he’s got a unique skill set too in terms of being a tight end. There’s an athletic ability there. He’s got some traits, some size.

“He’s a really studious guy,” Bell added. “He’s really dove into playing defensive line. It really helps the young guys out a lot. I think him teaching the young guys and helping the young guys has really only helped his overall knowledge of the defense. Without a doubt, he’s an unquestioned leader in our room just by the way he carries himself and the expectations he has for other guys.”

Even with VanValkenburg in its lineup, Iowa ranked 68th nationally and sixth in the Big Ten Conference in sacks in 2021. This spring, Lee and the Hawkeyes have been doing drills to improve their pass rushing metrics in 2022.

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“Some of the biggest things we are working on are our pass rush transitions,” Lee said. “So, once we realize that it is a play action pass or some sort of draw, we’re able to transition to the quarterback, get off the block, and affect him — whether it be a tip of the ball, whether it be causing pressure and forcing an incomplete pass. The biggest goal we’re working on as a unit is just to impact the quarterback as much as we can. That’s not always a sack, but it’s just finding a way to disrupt him.”

While Lee has worked on more advanced techniques, much of his individual focus this offseason has been on the basics like pad level, leverage, and hand fighting.

“There’s always room to improve fundamentals, pad level, inside hands, leverage on the quarterback,” Lee said. “Fundamentals will never be perfect. So, I always find a way to make minute changes each and every day … Along with that is offensive play recognition. Like trying to find the probability of what plays are being run based off the formation in the backfield.”

Alongside spring football, Lee has been preparing for a wedding. He proposed to his girlfriend of more than five years, Tori Verbeck, during the Hawkeyes’ Citrus Bowl trip to Orlando. The pair will get married on July 3 with a destination reception to follow a year later.

Lee will play the first game of his junior season on Sept. 3 at Kinnick Stadium when the Hawkeyes welcome the South Dakota jackrabbits to Iowa City.