After tight end Addison Ostrenga suffered an injury in the first quarter against Iowa State, the next man to replace him was third-year Zach Ortwerth.
The junior didn’t record a catch in the game, but the experience prepared him for a larger role. Ostrenga’s injury was revealed to be a season-ending Achilles injury on Tuesday, meaning that Ortwerth’s role in Tim Lester’s offense will take a drastic increase.
It won’t be the first time Ortwerth will have stepped in for an injured veteran. Standout tight end Luke Lachey was sidelined for several games in November 2024, and Ortwerth filled in, recording 66 yards on three catches against Wisconsin.
“Seeing game action last year and a little bit as a freshman, it certainly helps,” Ortwerth said at media availability on Sept. 9. “You know, not being your first time out there in a bigger role, but it just comes back to focusing on the little things.”
Ortwerth was named to the 2025 Preseason John Mackey Award Watch List, an award that recognizes the best tight end in college football. The last Iowa tight end to receive the award was T.J. Hockenson in 2018.
Hockenson is one of many former Hawkeye tight ends who set and carried the standard of “Tight End University” at Iowa. From Dallas Clark to George Kittle and Sam LaPorta, the list of great tight ends goes on for the Hawkeyes.
While Ortwerth understands the standard that has been set, he wants to help raise the bar for the next generation of tight ends who come through the program.
“It’s definitely the standard that has been set,” Ortwerth said. “It’s a high standard, and pressure is a privilege playing tight end here. You see the guys who have played before you. I mean, you see what these guys are doing now in the NFL. You can see in our tight end room, the guys on the wall like, that’s the standard.”
“You’re not just trying to live up to standard, you’re trying to raise the standard,” he continued. “You’re trying to move that bar higher and higher. So it’s a fun thing to do, you know, work with all those guys and try to move the room forward and raise the bar.”
While Ortwerth’s 11 catches and 133 yards in 2024 don’t jump off the page, his impact can be made without showing up in the box score.
Tight ends at Iowa have historically been praised for being selfless and effective blockers in the run game. Kittle and LaPorta are widely regarded as two of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL today, and they also have great pass-catching ability.
Ortwerth recognizes that standard at Iowa and wants to embrace the responsibility of giving himself up in the run game.
“As a tight end here, we have to be able to run block,” Ortwerth said. “I think no matter what level you are or who you are, here at tight end it’s going to be important always to improve those fundamentals.”
Ortwerth has received high praise from his quarterback, Mark Gronowski, who is confident that he can become the next great Iowa tight end.
“[Ortwerth] and I have a great relationship outside of football,” Gronowski said. “We hang out all the time outside of here, and he’s going to have a great opportunity in front of him. I mean, we saw that he ended up being on the preseason watch list for the Mackey Award. Now he has the opportunity to prove to everyone why he’s going to be the next great Iowa tight end. He’s been working hard in practice, and he’s going to have a great opportunity on Saturday, and we hope that he proves it.”