Iowa is a tight end factory. It produces them with remarkable consistency, as 12 of its Kirk Ferentz-era starters have gone on to NFL careers after playing for the Hawkeyes.
Yet, with its No. 1 and 2 tight ends out with season-ending injuries, this season has turned into a bit of a down year for No. 18 Iowa’s tight end room. Meanwhile, its opponent in the No. 2 Michigan football team benefits from two talented targets in sophomore Colston Loveland and senior AJ Barner.
The Hawkeyes might have a storied history as a tight end factory, but the Wolverines have a talent advantage at the position ahead of this year’s Big Ten Championship. And with such an edge, they plan to keep using them.
“It’s like ‘Where’s Waldo.’ ” offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore said Monday. “You gotta find them. You gotta put eyes on them. And then you gotta figure out how to cover or figure out how to attack them in the run game. So you can put them in all different places.”
Versatility helped Loveland and Barner against Ohio State on Saturday, as the pair combined for 113 yards on seven catches. Notably, that included an 18-yard pickup by Barner in the third quarter, as well as a crucial fourth-and-1 catch by Loveland. Loveland also grabbed a momentum-building trick pass from junior running back Donovan Edwards, accounting for 34 of his career-high 88 yards. None of that is to mention the key blocking they provided as well.
Put simply, they’re versatile threats who add an important element to the Wolverines’ offense. They’re not just blockers who occasionally catch check downs. Michigan’s system utilizes them as crucial features of the offensive play calling.
“Colston Loveland, he’s our version of Travis Kelce,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday. “He’s that kind of superstar player.”
Loveland might not be dating Taylor Swift, but his skills are something Michigan can lean on like how Kansas City uses Kelce. But Iowa knows a thing or two about star tight ends, too. Names like T.J. Hockenson and Sam LaPorta might be familiar to local Detroit Lions fans, but the Hawkeyes also developed the likes of four-time Pro Bowler George Kittle and Seahawks starter Noah Fant.
This year, due to its two key absences, Iowa’s cupboard lacks the game-changing talent of its former stars. There’s tight end talent on the roster, sure. Michigan transfer Erick All provided an instant impact, becoming the Hawkeyes’ leading receiver this season at 299 yards despite being shelved with a torn ACL since week seven. All’s three touchdowns also make up a third of his team’s passing scores. Fellow tight end Luke Lachey, meanwhile, had surgery on his right ankle and has been out since week three. For half the season, Iowa has made due with third and fourth stringers.
Facing such notable losses, the Hawkeyes have nonetheless found some success by committee. With their own two starters injured, they have instead thrown to four different backup tight ends, led by Addison Ostrenga.
Such a situation might make it seem likely that Iowa would look elsewhere for production, but it has remained steadfast in its reliance on tight end play. Together, its unit has 62 catches and 705 yards as a collective to make up 43.4% and 47.6%, respectively, of its passing production.
The Hawkeyes are still leaning on their tight ends, but their unit doesn’t have the same top-end talent as the Wolverines do in Loveland and Barner. That’s an advantage Michigan hopes to exploit in every game.
“They’re just so vital because they’re both tough, they’re both physical,” Moore said. “But they’re also both elite athletes, and both huge. And they can run, they can catch, they can make yards after catch.”
With a third-straight Big Ten title on the line, the Wolverines will use those traits to diversify their offense. This is important against a defense as talented as the Hawkeyes’, which ranks seventh in total yardage and second in yards per play. But with tight ends like Loveland and Barner, that’s one more area Iowa needs to keep its eyes on. Thus, it’s one more area where Michigan can create winning plays.
Iowa might have a history of talented tight ends, but for this season, that’s all in the past. And right now, the Wolverines are enjoying the advantage their own tight ends give them.