IOWA CITY -- In 2023, Zach Ortwerth was a wide-eyed freshman, pressed into duty as Iowa's proverbial "Next Man In" due to season-ending injuries to Luke Lachey and Erick All. He played in eight games and burned his redshirt, registering just one catch for 54 yards in Iowa's 22-0 win over Rutgers.
"Last year was definitely a 'deer in the headlights' moment," the sophomore tight end said at Iowa's Tuesday media availability. "I mean, it wasn't like a quick check down in the first half, but there was a lot of space there. So that was definitely crazy, but [this year I'm] just getting more comfortable with the guys and the offense and how to football in general and the speed and the physicality."
That comfortability continued to grow this season, as Lachey and fellow starting tight end Addison Ostrenga have missed time with injury. Ortwerth, along with Johnny Pascuzzi and Hayden Large, have been relied upon to step up.
Ortwerth has been at the front of the line to do just that. Through nine games and three starts this season, the St. Louis, Missouri native has caught nine passes for 125 yards. From Year One to Year Two, the mentality is different for the former three-star prospect.
"You kind of, you get more comfortable with it," he said. "Then you start to realize that you're out here just playing football. There's 70,000 people, but at the end of the day, it's 11-on-11. And as long as you get back to that and just keep working, that's where the big plays and mentality, all that stuff kicks in."
Following the 54-yard bomb he caught last season, Ortwerth has showed up on several big plays this season, including a 52-yard catch and run against Wisconsin in Iowa's 42-10 victory over Wisconsin last weekend.
"It was just a good play: right play, right time," he said. "The coverage was right, and I saw the lane or the landmark I was supposed to be on. It was open, and a great ball by Sullivan -- he let me go make a play. It kind of all fell in right there perfectly, and then it was a broken tackle, and yeah, we made a play."
"Orwerth's gonna be where you need him to be, and he was," starting quarterback Brendan Sullivan added. "It's super exciting, just knowing we have that depth in that room, that you can trust everybody in that room."
The sophomore TE ultimately finished with three catches for 66 yards in Iowa's blowout victory.
For Ortwerth, who tight ends coach Abdul Hodge recognized as a young guy with talent during his sophomore campaign, he credits the older players for his quick emergence in the position group.
"Talking with the older guys, Erick and Luke, and even Steve (Stilianos) and Addy. I mean, all those guys provided the perspective and the coaching that I needed," he said. You see what Erik's doing in the NFL right now. He's having a hell of a year. And then Luke, when he was down: every practice, every road game, he was providing the eyes as well. They were the ones saying, 'you've got this, we've seen you do it. Just go out there and play'.'"
Ortwerth also credited the grim necessity of being pressed into the role due to injuries, or what he calls an "unfortunate opportunity" to play.
"I kind of fell into a place where I had to step up," he said. "Taking advantage of that opportunity when it presented itself -- those practice reps were critical to the development, and they still are for me. I've still got a long way to go in certain aspects of the game."
One critical aspect of Ortwerth's development started as a freshman, getting second-team reps and measuring himself against players like Lachey and Ostrenga.
"How were the ones doing necessarily compared to how I was doing it?" asked Ostrenga rhetorically. "It's stuff like that, that you've just got to take advantage of the opportunity. I feel like I did decently last year, and it allowed me to play a little bit."
While Ortwerth recognizes that he's got room to grow, his head coach has been more than satisfied with the way he's played so far.
"I can't say enough about him, the way he's stepped in. He just plays," Kirk Ferentz said on Tuesday afternoon. "He's not a 4.4 guy or a 270-pound guy, but he's a good football player, and he's mentally tough. He has to be because he played last year as a freshman."
"This year he's all of a sudden now carrying a heavy load, and it doesn't seem to faze him at all. He's been the same guy since he's been here, which I think is impressive."
Ortwerth and the Hawkeyes will have another opportunity to put production on the field against UCLA at 8 pm CT on Friday, as Iowa travels to the Rose Bowl to take on the Bruins.
