While 6-foot-4, 207-pound Iowa wide receiver Reece Vander Zee towers over those lining up against him, he prioritizes respect around others.

Hailing from Rock Rapids, Iowa, Vander Zee is a reflection of his environment. A small town of less than 3,000 people nestled in the state’s far northwest corner, Rock Rapids is home to a loyal citizenry. Everyone wants everyone to succeed.

“Reece came from a very organically connected community,” his mom Meredith told The Daily Iowan. “I think that shows in his settled assurance. I think it shows in his competence and confidence in who he is. It’s because we have a really great support system here.”

As the oldest son of five younger siblings growing up in a Christian household, family and faith are dear to who Vander Zee is today.

“He just really cares about people not for what they can do for him but just for who they are, and so he really loves his siblings well that way,” Meredith said. “He’s very intentional with connecting with them and asking things about them and cheering them on.”

Before diving into any question from the media after his breakout game against Illinois State, he started with a thank you to “my lord and savior Jesus Christ.”

“Seeing him be able to be an ambassador for Christ in that avenue — I’m not surprised,” Meredith said, citing his faith originates from both of his parents’ involvement in ministry. “He is … humble enough … and so his ability to speak from the heart is pretty [impressive] for a kid his age.”

Meredith noted her son’s respectful character. She said she’ll never forget when, in high school, he took the responsibility for a mistake that wasn’t quite his own, telling the media it was his own fault. 

Vander Zee was then a senior quarterback for Central Lyon/George-Little Rock High School. The 12-0 Lions were trailing by three with less than five minutes to go in the 2A state title game against undefeated Van Meter. 

Vander Zee led his squad down to the three-yard line, and on fourth down, called a play change after the huddle. His center misinterpreted him as calling for a snap and fired the ball past the unaware quarterback. As the pigskin bounded down the turf, the Lions saw their state championship hopes go down the drain, but Vander Zee didn’t let the calamity of the moment disrupt his character. He took accountability for the error rather than throwing his teammates under the bus. 

“He knows his role, so I’m not surprised, going into Iowa, that he is going to do everything he can to do what’s best for the team and stay really humble,” she said. “He reads the room really well, and so he’s going to come in wanting to learn and not wanting to lead right away.”

As a coach herself, Meredith noticed her son’s hand-eye coordination from a very young age. His athleticism continued all the way up to pitching a perfect game for the high school’s baseball team in July of 2023 against Western Christian High School — the first in his school’s history. So, she naturally felt that baseball would be his path to the next level.

“He had a special gift that way,” she said. “[There are] definitely some God-given abilities there.”

But as Vander Zee continued to grow and gain size, his hand-eye coordination translated even better to the gridiron.

Just watching Vander Zee play football for Iowa, it would be difficult to tell he’s a true freshman — and even harder to tell he’s only been playing wide receiver for two months.

Vander Zee was as surprised as anyone else to emerge as the starting wide receiver for Iowa’s season opener against Illinois State on Aug. 31. But Kaleb Brown had been suspended for an OWI, and Seth Anderson was sidelined with an injury. So, the 18-year-old without an ounce of college football experience suddenly felt the big brunt of a desperate offense on his back.

And where many didn’t expect much, not much was received in the first two quarters of play, as the Hawkeyes were dependent on a run offense that stalled as it neared the red zone. Such an inefficiency bore the impression of last year’s anemic offense, which notched just three passing touchdowns to receivers last year.

But things were heating up under the surface.

Iowa and its new offensive coordinator Tim Lester flipped into a fast-paced scheme in the second half, the results of which permanently cemented the name Vander Zee into Hawkeye fandom: The young wideout brought home five receptions, 66 receiving yards, and two touchdowns in the 40-0 win.

The first touchdown came when quarterback Cade McNamara rolled right, slinging a cross-body dart at Vander Zee’s hip, who slid onto his back for the catch and a seven-yard score. The stadium erupted into roars — the Iowa offense was back.

Dating back to last season, the touchdown was the Hawkeyes’ first in more than eight quarters of play. The sound of 69,000-plus black-and-gold-clad fans screaming his name was hard to soak in as Vander Zee was quickly swarmed by his teammates in celebration.

Afterward, Vander Zee said he never really expected to be put in that situation in his first game. 

“I just kind of trust my preparation and go out there and have fun,” Vander Zee said.

Vander Zee’s second touchdown came on a play fake on the other end of the field. McNamara was blitzed by two Redbirds and opted to heave a prayer that resembled something like, “Reece must be down there somewhere.” 

Engaged with three other Hawkeye receivers and a handful of Redbird defensive backs, Vander Zee turned his back to the end zone and rose up to snag the football up and away from anyone else, ripping it over the heads below him and into his chest as he moved into the end zone. 

“It was amazing,” Vander Zee said. “The atmosphere is crazy. At first, it was a little daunting, I guess, but I got over that, and I went out there.”

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, watching from home due to a self-imposed one-game suspension for a recruiting violation, was impressed with the sight of No. 15 flashing across his television. 

“I thought, again, just watching it on TV, it looked like he performed well the other day,” Ferentz said. “He just seemed to handle things in stride … It’s not too big for him, and he certainly likes to compete, and it was good to see him go up with his hands and catch balls and make some plays for us.”

In fact, Vander Zee was the very definition of “athlete” at Central Lyon/George-Little Rock, also known as CL/GLR, where he competed in several sports. 

The senior high school houses 239 students, according to U.S. News and World Report, and sits surrounded by suburban houses. A block north is the football stadium, hosting a program that’s won four state titles and has only posted one losing season in the last ten years. 

“It’s huge, especially where I’m from — they teach toughness and grit, and exactly what they teach here: doing the little things right,” Vander Zee said. “Central Lyon — they prepared me incredibly well for this.”

Vander Zee morphed into a two-time all-state honoree, the District 1 Offensive MVP, and 2022 state champion, on the way to setting the school record in single-season receiving yards at 768 while also rushing for 1,767 yards and 24 touchdowns. 

His senior year, he added quarterback to his duties as CL-GLR head coach Curtis Eben flipped him from wide receiver to replace Zach Lutmer, who is now a defensive back at Iowa.

“Most of the time, great athletes — the reason they’re great is because they’re super competitive, and Reece is a great example of that,” Eben said of Vander Zee’s execution on the field. “Reece is a guy that lives right on the field and off the field — he takes care of himself.”

Eben attributed Vander Zee’s success to his work ethic, authority, and accountability, as evidenced by Eben finding him leading a group of teammates on the track before school started – not in a conditioning exercise, but in yoga.

“[They did yoga] so they could improve their stretching abilities, and it’s something that wasn’t required,” Eben said. “He went above and beyond the things he needed to do to become a better athlete.”

Vander Zee was an all-state selection in baseball and basketball, winning a state championship for the latter, and was a two-time state track qualifier as a sprinter.

“I think he’s a freak of nature to be honest,” Eben said. “Reece made himself into the athlete he was … When you have a work ethic like Reece had, I think everything just becomes easier.”

Prior to his commitment to the Hawkeyes, Vander Zee was a 247Sports three-star recruit, the eighth-ranked player in Iowa and 137th-ranked receiver in his class, as he picked up over a dozen college offers — including from Iowa State, Nebraska, and Yale.

“I just liked the way he handles himself, carries himself,” Ferentz said of recruiting Vander Zee, noting he first saw him on the hardwood when he went to see Lutmer in a basketball game.

As Vander Zee grew toward committing to Iowa, Eben observed through the recruiting process that the wideout’s decision to join the Hawkeyes centered on personal development.

“Ultimately, I think for him to commit to the Hawkeyes, I think it’s all about just the relationships,” Eben said. “And you’ve finally just got to decide, ‘Where am I going to become a better human being?’ And I think that process led him to be a Hawkeye.”

Where Vander Zee might seem to be a quiet kid off the field, his Hawkeye debut made a big statement.

“Since we’ve been in practice, he just carries himself well,” Ferentz said. “He doesn’t get real demonstrative, just very steady, focused, and mature for his age and his experience level.”

The transition from high school quarterback to collegiate receiver wasn’t easy at first, but it didn’t take long for Vander Zee to find his groove and earn a starting nod. 

“We got a lot of reps in practice, and it was rough for the first week or so, but I got back into it, just trusting my technique,” he said. “And at the end of the day, you’ve just got to go be an athlete and have fun with it.”

That’s again a testament to Vander Zee’s athletic abilities. He didn’t miss a step throughout offseason camp despite a slow start after an injury kept him out of spring camp. Vander Zee’s performance caught the attention of those around him fairly quickly. 

“I think he really started gaining a lot of momentum toward the end of camp,” McNamara said.  “His ability to go up and get it and make plays was something that he was getting some traction through. And I’m just so stoked for him because, as a true freshman, you don’t know how guys are going to react in game situations.” 

Running against starting cornerback TJ Hall, the two have pushed one another to improve, impressing the latter as a result.

“Oh, man, it’s great,” he said of practicing against Vander Zee. “He started making some plays in fall camp, and I’m like, ‘Man, who is this kid?’ … And then he just kept making plays. I’m like, ‘Man, this kid’s going to be good.'”

“It’s great going against him. He gives me really great matchups, and he helps me prepare for the week ahead, and hopefully I help him too,” Hall continued. 

Hall noted Vander Zee’s catching abilities alongside his tall frame, at first thinking he was a tight end.

“There’s a couple [of plays in practice] where he just went up and got them,” Hall said. “I feel like he has strong hands. Anywhere in his vicinity, he’s going to go and grab it.”

Linebacker Nick Jackson wasn’t surprised coaches chose Vander Zee to start for the Hawkeyes’ opener, praising his week-by-week progress.

“Every single practice he’s getting better,” Jackson said. “There was really no surprise when it came to game time, and he was ready to make those types of plays.”

Vander Zee reacted well against Illinois State, running practices with the starters for a week in advance and again with Iowa State the following weekend.

Despite an ugly 20-19 loss against the Cyclones that saw the offense stall in the second half, Vander Zee did have one reception for 10 yards — even as the Iowa State secondary had all Hawkeye targets on lockdown.

His big hands and ability to go out and grab the ball were on display even if he did only catch one. He took a few hard hits but popped right back up.

“He just continues to grow, continues to do a good job with whatever we throw at him,” Ferentz said. “And as we went on, it just became apparent to us that he’s probably the right guy to have in there.”

Because that’s who Vander Zee is as a player and as a person.

Where he’s come from has taught him to rise to the moment.