Steven Stilianos was Iowa football’s fourth-string tight end one month ago. Now, he has embraced the “next man up” mentality as tight end injuries have pushed him into a bigger role.
Stilianos has embarked on a path culminating in his listing as starting tight end on the Iowa depth chart ahead of the Hawkeyes’ matchup with Minnesota on Oct. 21 — a path that has been paved by a Hawkeye tight end room plagued by injuries this season.
Starting tight end Luke Lachey — Stilianos’ roommate and groomsman in his wedding — went down with a right ankle injury against Western Michigan on Sept. 16, and backup tight end Erick All filled his role until he suffered a torn ACL against Wisconsin on Oct. 14, which effectively ended both of their seasons.
Third-string tight end Addison Ostrenga came back from an injury of his own against Minnesota, but Stilianos is still primed to carry a lot of the weight going forward.
“You always have to be ready to go,” Stilianos said. “You always have to prepare like you’re going to be that guy playing, so I feel like I approach every week like that. I’m ready to go. I’m 23 years old [and have played] quite a bit of football, so I’m ready to roll.”
To succeed, the Hayes, Virginia, native embraced taking each play one at a time, trusting his coaches, and executing the plan they have laid out for him.
“I think … confidence has been built,” Stilianos said. “[I’m] getting more comfortable out there, but I’m just trying to keep learning and keep improving every day and be in a spot to be able to do my job well enough to keep this team moving forward.”
Both Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and tight ends coach Abdul Hoge have recognized Stilianos’ improvement from last year to the beginning of this season.
“Last year was a transition year for him, and in the spring, you could see him operating [as] a guy who can help us play and help us be successful,” Ferentz said. “He’s going to be called upon to do more now as we move forward.”
Stilianos played four seasons for Lafayette, earning All-Patriot League First Team honors twice and playing a big role in the team’s run offense. The offense averaged 82 rushing yards per game without him but 129 with him on the field.
After graduating and transferring to Iowa with two years of eligibility remaining in the fall of 2022 — unable to enroll early due to his graduation — Stilianos spent the Iowa offseason camps adjusting to the way Hawkeye tight ends play and learning from the likes of Lachey and current Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta.
In that adjustment, Stilianos has even seen his blocking game improve. He believes he is more active on the line and thus better equipped to block opposing defenders off the line of scrimmage.
“I think it’s just a level of [every player] knows what they’re supposed to do,” Stilianos said. “Everybody’s getting out there and working hard every single time since the offseason. That’s been the biggest thing, is everybody’s got it ready to go.”
Indeed, Stilianos credited his adjustment from Lafayette football to the Hawkeye way to the coaching staff’s encouragement of resilience.
“[The coaches push us to] where if we get into a dogfight, you’ve got to keep pushing, and so I’d give that to our coaching staff,” he said.
With Stilianos in replacement of the injured tight ends before him, he will be yet another passing target option for Hawkeye quarterback Deacon Hill.
The pass-thrower had nothing but praise for Stilianos.
“I have all the faith in the world in him,” Hill said. “He’s a tremendous run blocker and tremendous route runner. He’s got great hands. I think he’s just one guy [who is the] next man up, but it’s not that big of a drop-off.”
Hill’s praise for Stilianos went beyond the tight end’s ability to block and receive.
“He’s one of those leaders who leads by example,” Hill said. “He’s always a guy you can depend on. I depend on him a lot now. He’s just a guy who’s always going to get the job done.”
