Sam LaPorta had an Iowa football tradition to uphold, and he did just that

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The legacy Sam LaPorta walked into at Iowa loomed much larger than those facing his teammates.

Many programs have attached “Tight End U” to their resume, and Iowa usually leads off and concludes that debate. Spanning the past 20 years, 10 Iowa tight ends became draft picks and eight caught at least 85 NFL passes. Currently, three former Hawkeyes start for NFL teams — George Kittle (San Francisco), T.J. Hockenson (Minnesota) and Noah Fant (Seattle) — and a fourth, Parker Hesse, rotates in Atlanta.

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All four of those players were once in the same locker room. None of them was there when LaPorta arrived in 2019. Fant and Hockenson became the first college tight end duo ever selected in the first round after both left Iowa after three seasons. LaPorta was a true freshman that fall from central Illinois who had one Power 5 offer, and that was Iowa shortly before signing day.

But in true Iowa fashion — which LaPorta embodies — he worked. LaPorta (6 feet 3, 245 pounds) was the third tight end recruited in the 2019 class but became a starter at midseason. At the Holiday Bowl his freshman year, he led the Hawkeyes with six catches in a 49-24 blowout of USC.

Four years later, LaPorta finished his Iowa career with more catches than any of his predecessors. That includes NFL Pro Bowl tight ends Jim Gibbons, Marv Cook, Dallas Clark, Kittle and Hockenson or multiyear starters like Scott Chandler, Tony Moeaki, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Brandon Myers or Fant. LaPorta ended his career with 153 catches, ranking fifth all time at Iowa for all positions and fourth among Big Ten tight ends. Last year, the Big Ten recognized LaPorta as its top tight end, and he was one of three Mackey Award finalists for the nation’s best at that position.

“It’s really cool to represent a great fraternity of tight ends coming from Iowa and being the next one,” LaPorta said. “It’s really cool to have that standard set for you before you even walk in the building, that we’re going to compete at the highest level and this is what we demand from our tight ends. So, I hope I have upheld that standard over the past four seasons.”

There is a major difference, however, between LaPorta and the previous standard bearers. Gibbons, Clark and Kittle played with elite quarterbacks who led their teams to top-10 finishes and major bowl appearances. LaPorta had one season with Hockenson’s passer, Nate Stanley, who threw for 68 touchdown passes from 2017 to 2019. Iowa quarterbacks combined for 28 during the past three seasons when LaPorta often was the only consistent pass catcher.

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This year, LaPorta shouldered nearly all of Iowa’s aerial hopes. When the Hawkeyes had just one scholarship receiver available for the first two games, LaPorta often lined up wide as the X-receiver. He continued to work as an inline blocker on other plays. Defenses bracketed him on passing routes because he was Iowa’s lone receiving threat. He still hauled in 58 catches — the second most in Iowa history for a tight end — for 657 yards. Cook was the only player with more (63), and his quarterback, Chuck Hartlieb, holds the first- and third-highest-yardage seasons in program history.

What defined LaPorta more than his numbers was his tenacity. That was on full display late in Iowa’s season. At frigid Minnesota, with wind-chill temperatures plummeting below zero, LaPorta caught four passes for 95 yards in the first quarter. But well before halftime, LaPorta suffered a torn meniscus that forced him out. He was unable to play in Iowa’s home finale after his knee was surgically repaired.

Instead of sitting out and resting up for the pre-draft process, LaPorta chose to play in the Music City Bowl six weeks later. With Iowa down to its third quarterback, LaPorta also took snaps for a series. Early in the second quarter, he put together his career-defining play on a middle screen pass. He caught the ball over the center at the line of scrimmage, then dodged or ran through seven would-be tacklers before going down for a 27-yard gain. It led to Iowa’s only offensive touchdown in a 21-0 victory.

LaPorta pieces together bits of each of Iowa’s current NFL starting tight ends. He’s built like Hockenson, runs like Fant and provides energy like Kittle. LaPorta calls himself “a willing blocker” and wants to emulate Kittle’s pad level. According to Pro Football Focus, LaPorta forced 20 missed tackles last year. In 2021, LaPorta had 10, which was the most PFF ever recorded previously by an Iowa tight end.

“I have a little bit of all of them,” LaPorta said. “I love my run after the catch. I try not to get tackled by the first guy. Kittle seems to be really good at that; Kittle seems to be really good at a lot of things. I guess that’s one aspect I try to compare myself to run after the catch.”

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“Sam LaPorta is as good a football player as I’ve ever coached, probably the best one,” offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz said. “He’s an exceptional competitor, very talented. The way he practices, the way he plays, if my son could grow up, if he could just emulate that, whatever he chooses to do, I’d be awfully proud of him.”

LaPorta enters the 2023 NFL Draft in one of the deepest tight end classes in recent memory. At the combine, he finished in the top six of every event and was second in the three-cone drill (3.91 seconds), third in the 40-yard dash (4.59 seconds) and third in the short shuttle drill (4.25 seconds). Among Iowa tight ends, his 40 is behind only Fant (4.50) and Kittle (4.52) and only Fant’s three-cone (6.81) was faster.

The measurables and statistics will get him drafted, probably in the second or third round. How LaPorta chose to sell himself to teams is based on the other six days with a team.

“I’m going to be a locker room guy,” LaPorta said. “I was a team captain this past year and that was the main reason I wanted to come back from my junior season. That was an unchecked box for me. Being a team captain is something really prestigious at Iowa. We had the Leadership Council vote weekly on team captains, and I was voted every week throughout the season and that was something I think was really cool to be a part of. I think that is one of my biggest things outside of football as to why teams should draft me.”

For Kirk Ferentz, LaPorta’s process all comes full circle. The Hawkeyes nearly didn’t offer LaPorta a scholarship until Brian Ferentz watched him play basketball. Now, Kirk Ferentz has told NFL personnel to watch his tight end closely. If they overlook his traits, they’re going to miss out on a good one.

“I’ve told the NFL people that will listen, ‘Don’t make the same mistake we almost made,’” Kirk Ferentz said. “He may not be 6-5, but he’s a heck of a football player, outstanding tight end, outstanding player. Unbelievable temperament. Just loves to compete. He’s coming off an injury and plays in the bowl game. Talk about an anti-2022 college football player. He’s in the other end of the spectrum. He never even thought about not playing. We weren’t sure he should. We were like, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to think about this?’

“That’s just how he’s wired. That’s rare in this day and age. I’m not giving commentary on anybody else. That will continue to serve him well. He’s an unbelievable football player and great guy.”

(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)