Iowa football’s 2025 week one depth chart was everything to be expected. Mark Gronowski was QB1, Kamari Moulton led the running back committee, Sam Phillips and Jacob Gill were the trusted wideouts among a deep wide receiver room, and Addison Ostrenga secured the starting tight end spot followed by Zach Ortwerth and Hayden Large.
One name that wasn’t listed on the inaugural depth chart back was tight end D.J. Vonnahme. But after a standout performance in Iowa’s 40-16 dismantling of Nebraska in its regular season finale, he officially finished as Iowa’s leading receiver for the 2025 season.
“I was a little bit slow coming off the fall to start the season, but just knowing what I’m supposed to do, and just trusting what the coaches have out for us,” Vonnahme said.
The 6-foot-4 tight end grew up in Breda, a small town in Carroll County about two-and-a-half hours from Iowa City. The town is far from any notable city and holds less than 500 residents, according to World Population Review, though he garnered interest from surrounding colleges in Northern Iowa, South Dakota, South Dakota State, and even FBS school Colorado State.
Despite the opportunities, Vonnahme bet on himself and committed to his favorite sports team in Iowa as a preferred walk-on heading into his senior year at Carroll Kuemper.
“I grew up a huge Iowa fan,” he said. “You should see my basement, just completely decked out in Iowa stuff.”
Vonnahme didn’t see any playing time during the 2024 season, however, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, who’s produced some of the NFL’s best tight ends in recent memory, saw great potential in him. When the team rallied again in spring 2025, he noticed the jump in the freshman’s game.
Ferentz also emphasized how Vonnahme’s placement in the week one depth chart was mainly due to age rather than skillset.
“He was clearly better than maybe what the recruiters would have said and all that stuff,” said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. “I’ve said this before, what surprises me more than anything is just his ability to block and his willingness and his he’s got a knack for it. He does some things that take more guys more time to learn how to do.”
Vonnahme didn’t appear in the season opener versus Albany, and the season-ending Achilles injury to starter Addison Ostrenga in the second game against Iowa State gave the redshirt freshman some opportunity through its next three games – three catches for 35 yards during that span.
The redshirt freshman saw a great uptick in playing time in the week five loss to then-No. 11 Indiana and never turned back. From that game on, he compiled 19 catches for 253 yards and two touchdowns, including three catches for 91 yards and a touchdown in the season finale against Nebraska.
“Throughout the year, when he gets into the game and when he gets into practice, he’s always on top of his stuff, and he’s always running the right routes,” Gronowski said. “He’s always consistent with how he works every single day. And I think that’s the biggest thing.”
Vonnahme concluded the regular season with a team-high 288 receiving yards, tied Jacob Gill for a team-high 22 receptions, and tied Seth Anderson with a team-high two receiving touchdowns.
Does he believes he could be the next great tight end from “Tight End University”?
“I don’t really think about it too much, but it is a great honor [to play here],” Vonnahme said. “I know the history. I know what comes with it. But I’m just looking forward to just continuously growing each and every day.”