Watching from the sidelines, James Pittman knew something was up.

It was an autumn day in 2016. His eighth-grade son, Jeremiah, was taking a while to emerge from the postgame handshake line. Jeremiah’s team, the Palatine Panthers – an amateur club team in the northwest Chicago suburbs – had just lost a heartbreaking decision to southern foe Wheaton. 

Once Jeremiah locked hands with the opposing coach, the pair shared a few words. 

James later asked his son what the coach told him. The answer took James aback, shocked at the coach’s prediction that his son would be playing professional football one day, trading Saturday morning games at local parks to nationally-televised Sunday contests in sold-out stadiums.  

James immediately advised his son not to pay attention to the comment. The last thing he wanted was for Jeremiah to become entitled, to feel as if a professional future was destined simply because of one impression. In James’ mind, Jeremiah had to rely on his work ethic, not the words of others. 

Seconds after recounting the story, James –  a senior pastor at New Hope Community Church – turned to his office computer to play a video for a reporter from The Daily Iowan. He clicked on a video of Jeremiah from earlier that same season. 

The hype surrounding his then 13-year-old son was immediately clear. Even while crouched down at the line of scrimmage, Jeremiah appeared larger than the other boys on the field. His right arm planted on the grass below him, he gazes at the opposition, intent on causing damage. 

It was the Panthers’ first game of the season in 2016, a duel against the Bartlett Raiders. It was late in the contest, and Palatine needed a defensive stop to ensure victory.

Donning a white jersey emblazoned with the number 75, Jeremiah took off at the snap and shed a block from the right tackle. Almost instantly, he redirected his attention to the quarterback, who was dashing towards the line of scrimmage. As soon as the QB took his third step, his right shoulder pad was tattooed by the front of Jeremiah’s helmet, the sudden force stopping him in his tracks. 

The quarterback’s feet kept trudging along the grass, but the movement was futile. Jeremiah slowly began to stand up, practically carrying the opposition four yards downfield before driving him into the ground to seal the game. 

“The reason why I think that play was pivotal was because that’s when his love of defense switched – it went from offense to defense,” James told the DI “He was a very good defensive player that year. He dominated the line inside.” 

Defense was no longer a sidekick in Jeremiah’s football career. Up until that point, he had alternated between offensive and defensive line. His size had always given him an edge, but that play provided a glimpse of what was possible.

“Athletic and using athleticism is different things on the football field,” James said. “The switch went on in eighth grade and it’s been on ever since.” 

After that season, Jeremiah knew no bounds, becoming a standout at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, IL, before accepting an offer from Iowa. Coupled with his physical gifts is a grounding sense of humility instilled from his upbringing. 

Ultimately, football isn’t everything for Jeremiah, but it’s still made an indelible mark on who he is — a leader not afraid to learn. 

Embracing physicality 

Down the hall from James’ office sits the sanctuary of New Hope Community Church, a room made vast by its tall ceiling and bright light emanating through side windows. Rows of wood paneling extend from above opposing sets of windows before finally meeting at a high apex. Below sits seven rows of pews split by a roll of red carpeting that leads to the altar. To the left of the altar sits a grand piano covered by a blanket. 

Jeremiah played this piano as a youth during services, having spent most of his life around the church since James became senior pastor in 2014. Across the road sits a two-story house, where the Pittman family — which includes Jeremiah’s older brothers, James and Josiah — have lived since 2011. 

“My father would have to make rules for us to not hurt each other and break out in an argument,” Jeremiah said. “Whether it was football in the backyard or anything physical, we loved doing it.” 

Those backyard moments have quite literally stuck with Jeremiah. Before his family made the move to Palatine, they lived in the village of Wheeling IL, where Josiah would hone his baseball skills by swinging a pink plastic bat in the front yard. Jeremiah, then only four or five years old, was sitting in the grass and stood up at just the wrong moment, receiving an accidental blow to the face by the bat. 

“That was just an example of how physical we were,” Jeremiah said, gesturing to a scar that still remains beneath his eye. 

Jeremiah’s elder siblings both played football in high school, with his brother James continuing on at Division III Crown College in Minnesota. After watching his brothers perform on the gridiron, it wasn’t a question as to whether or not Jeremiah would follow in their footsteps. 

Hanging above the red couch in the Pittmans’ living room is a collection of photographs. A family portrait is positioned front and center, while just up and to the left is an 8-by-10 frame of a second-grade Jeremiah. Decked out in a gray jersey and black sports goggles, he sits on one knee, gripping a football under his right arm. A helmet is nestled at his feet, bearing the logo of his first team – the Arlington Cowboys. It didn’t take long for Jeremiah’s backyard trials to come to the test. 

A sumo drill in football pits two players in a miniature circle. Taking each other on in blocks, the object is to force the opponent out of the ring. Once a second-grade Jeremiah won one of these practice battles, the excitement of his teammates and his own exhilaration told him he made the right athletic endeavor. 

“It was, like, ‘OK, maybe I’m onto something,’” Pittman recalled of the experience. “My older brothers played football too, so I kind of inherited the sport. But after that, it was like, ‘OK, we can go with this.’”

Accomplishments don’t come first   

Eventually, Jeremiah would compete in older age divisions due to his size. Once he arrived on campus at St. Viator High School, Jeremiah continued to be the youngest on his team, becoming the first freshman to make the varsity team during head coach Dave Archibald’s nine-year tenure at the school. 

“When he came into our camp as a freshman, after five days of practice I remember thinking, ‘OK, he’s at least going to play on JV,” Archibald said. “And then after three weeks of practice, he was in our top five linemen in the program.” 

Surrounded by seniors, Jeremiah wound up at center as the Lions made the state playoffs. The next season, he would move to left tackle and add on more responsibilities as an interior defensive lineman. In addition, he was also selected as a team captain by the coaching staff, a role typically reserved for upperclassmen.  

Archibald credits this promotion to Jeremiah’s family, who instilled values such as a strong work ethic and humility. Nowhere were his values on display more than in the weight room. 

Following the 2018-19 season, when the Lions managed one win in the East Suburban Catholic League, Archibald knew something had to change. In order to be competitive, the program had to make weightlifting a prerequisite. The head coach looked to Jeremiah to spark the shift. 

“We did it in part because of Jeremiah and some of his teammates who literally told guys, ‘We are lifting. Period,’” Archibald said. “And we haven’t looked back. Our weight room culture has been impacted by that moment ever since.” 

The head coach said Jeremiah made sure to work out with his teammates. The lineman still holds the team record for bench press with 23 reps of 225 pounds but never gave himself any glory. A teammate could be benching 135 pounds for the first time, and Jeremiah would give them his full attention. 

“Jeremiah would be making sure everyone was watching them and supporting them,” Archibald said. “He would be so excited for anybody who hit a personal record.” 

In Jeremiah’s case, it would have been tempting to see himself as something bigger than the team. In his junior season, the lineman amassed 31 tackles, including eight tackles for loss and four sacks as the Lions rebounded to a 4-5 campaign. Coupled with his high school play were head-turning performances at lineman showcases throughout the Midwest, where Pittman demonstrated his skills before college scouts in position drills. Soon enough, the offers flowed in.

Iowa State was the first school to offer Jeremiah a roster spot, followed by Northern Illinois in January 2020. Jeremiah and his family were on their way for an official visit to Ames when Northwestern called. For Jeremiah’s father, that first Big Ten offer “opened the floodgates,” as Michigan State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin appeared on the lineman’s radar. And then Iowa swooped in with an offer on March 24, 2020. 

With Division I teams seemingly at his doorstep, it would have been easy for Jeremiah to adopt an air of superiority. Yet despite the captainship, first-team all-state accolades, and weightlifting records, Jeremiah’s feet stayed firmly on the ground. 

“He sees himself not as a star football player first,” Archibald said of Jeremiah. “His accomplishments aren’t first … He starts as a son of God, and from there he’s a student and an incredibly competitive athlete.” 

This competitiveness is evident on the gridiron when Jeremiah, while oftentimes reserved, isn’t afraid to talk back to the opposition. In a game against local powerhouse Mount Carmel his senior season, Jeremiah received flak from Caravan players, decrying him as overrated. 

Jeremiah had recently accepted his offer to Iowa, and Mount Carmel’s game plan was simple: contain the soon-to-be collegiate player. After a snap where Jeremiah was triple-teamed, the lineman fired back to the taunting players. 

“[Jeremiah] said, [pointing], ‘One, two, three. You’re triple-teaming me but I ain’t that good,’” James said, letting out a laugh. “And I don’t think they said another word for the rest of the game, so I mean, he’s not going to back down if you come at him.” 

“I’m not the most outspoken guy, but in high school, you know, guys talk a little more too,” Jeremiah added. “I didn’t really bother with stuff like that, but if they tend to start stuff, I try to finish it during the whistle.” 

Jeremiah wouldn’t shy away from a challenge back in high school. In college, he would have to wage an uphill battle starting at the bottom of the depth chart. Yet having this opportunity to rise through the ranks was part of the reason he came to Iowa in the first place.

Honesty, patience, and potential 

The football recruiting class of 2021 was far from typical. While COVID-19 was in full swing, prospective players and their families met with the coaching staff over Zoom. Yet despite the lack of an in-person connection, Hawkeye defensive line coach Kelvin Bell’s message still stuck. 

“He wasn’t afraid to shoot straight, and I appreciate honesty in any coach,” Jeremiah said of Bell. “And that’s what he was, right off the bat, he was like, ‘You’re not gonna come in here and start playing … We work our guys to the best of their ability.’” 

Jeremiah redshirted his first season on campus but still took away valuable lessons on what it meant to be a college football player. The defensive line playbook wasn’t just “slant right” or “slant left,” but rather adjusting mid-play based on opposing formations and calls from linebackers. 

“At the end of 2021, I learned there was way more detail in football than I could ever imagine,” Jeremiah said. “Coming in as a freshman, I thought it was just trying to hit somebody.” 

The young lineman had plenty of people to lean on in Iowa, including former Hawkeye defensive tackle Noah Shanon and Logan Lee, who Jeremiah bonded with through their shared faith. The pair taught him to take advantage of his 6-foot-3 frame to gain leverage against offensive lineman. 

“They would give me advice, tell me what they think I’m capable of, and give me stuff to improve on,” Jeremiah said of his former teammates, both of whom signed with NFL teams last spring. “They were very good at not letting me give up. I was one of the younger guys, being in a very veteran room; to get to that level can take a lot of work. So they were really, really, empathetic.” 

After a year of learning under his teammates’ tutelage, Jeremiah saw action early in the 2022 season, posting two tackles in Iowa’s victory over Nevada: his first collegiate stats. Father James was there to see the game, at least at first. He can only count two games over the past three years where he didn’t watch his son in person, but lengthy lightning delays prompted him to make the three-hour trip back to Palatine. 

“I think it was 1:30 in the morning and I watched it live on television,” James remembered. 

Jeremiah saw action in two more games that season, and heading into 2023, sat behind Lee at right defensive tackle, recording six tackles and a fumble recovery. Despite a lack of starts, Jeremiah’s patience never wavered, a quality his teammates appreciate. 

“I think it says a lot, because a lot of guys coming into college, they’re not playing right away and they’re looking to move on and go somewhere else,” defensive lineman Deontae Craig said of Pittman. “Being able to soak in those lessons that they teach you –  I mean, we got stories on this every year of guys who wait their turn, and as soon as they get it, they take off and run with it.

“He’s obviously going to be expected to do a lot more this season, but I know he’s been putting in the work and he’ll be ready for it.” 

In Iowa’s 2024 season opener against Illinois State, Jeremiah contributed two tackles in the 40-0 victory. Head coach Kirk Ferentz said he wasn’t surprised to see the lineman make plays against the Redbirds, as Jeremiah’s made steady progress since he arrived on campus. Jeremiah sits behind senior Yahya Black at right defensive tackle, and Ferentz said Jeremiah’s potential has yet to be played out. 

“For him to start may not be realistic at this given point, but it’s all in front of him right now,” Ferentz said. “He’s working hard every single day, and he’s a much better player than he was a year ago at this time and it’s great to see.” 

James said his son has an “exacting” quality to him, always wanting a straightforward answer. Sometimes a byproduct of this trait is thinking too much, trying to make sense of every minute detail in Iowa’s defensive scheme. But James has seen the potential firsthand and knows that once Jeremiah flips the switch – like he did all those years ago on the Palatine Panthers – there’s no going back. 

“I’ve been watching Jeremiah since he was in second grade,” James said. “He hasn’t even started playing yet. Hasn’t even started.”