Iowa football tight end Erick All suffered a torn ACL against Wisconsin and will be out for the remainder of the season, first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed the news on Tuesday.
“We were worried about that on Saturday, and tests confirmed that he’s going to miss the rest of the season,” Ferentz said. “It’s really unfortunate, and he’s done a great job. Such a positive hardworking guy. He certainly added a lot to our football team.”
On the Hawkeyes’ second offensive drive of the day against the Badgers, All caught the ball and was hit hard in the right knee by Badger defensive end Cade McDonald. The tight end was helped off the field by trainers and entered the medical tent for several minutes. He then left the medical tent on crutches and was carted off.
“It’s obviously tough, seeing him go down. But even on the sidelines, he still had a smile on his face. That just kind of speaks to who he is,” Iowa tight end Steven Stilianos said of All. “He’s kind of the glue guy in our room, always making everyone laugh, always having a positive spirit. He’s just like the best dude.”
All leads the Hawkeyes with 299 yards on 21 receptions. The next receiving leader is tight end Luke Lachey, who suffered an ankle injury against Western Michigan in Week 3 and is “most likely” out for the season, according to Ferentz. Lachey has 131 yards on 10 catches.
Ferentz said on Tuesday that there is a “window open” for Lachey to return for the bowl game.
Backup tight end Addison Ostregna has missed the last two games and is not listed on the depth chart for Saturday’s contest. However, according to QB Deacon Hill and Ferentz, Ostrenga did a partial practice on Tuesday.
Stilianos and second-year tight end Johnny Pascuzzi are expected to take on a heavier load moving forward. Stilianos is listed as the first-string TE heading into Saturday’s matchup. Freshman tight end Zach Ortwerth has also earned snaps in the last two games.
Ferentz said that graduate transfer and fullback Hayden Large could also get some snaps at TE. Large played tight end at Dordt University for three seasons, recording 62 receptions for 950 yards and 12 touchdowns.
