Hawkeyes add grad transfer DE Matt Lorbeck

Iowa has already added one grad transfer from Northern Illinois this off-season and now will be getting another as defensive end Matt Lorbeck announced today that he is going to be a Hawkeye. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Lorbeck told us that he will be starting out as a walk-on at Iowa where he will be joining former NIU teammate Jack Heflin.

Lorbeck, a Green Bay, Wisconsin native, has played three seasons at Northern Illinois and will join the Iowa program with one year of eligibility remaining plus a redshirt year still available.

"Iowa just felt right with what I want to accomplish," Lorbeck told HawkeyeReport.com "They are a developmental program and with me having my redshirt available I will be able to develop into the player I want to be."

Lorbeck has already developed quite a bit in college at Northern Illinois, building himself up from a 220-pound linebacker in high school to a 255-pound defensive end. His high school, Gary Westerman, speaks highly of the future Hawkeye and is excited to follow his progress in Iowa City.

"He's a long, athletic kid," said Bay Port High School coach Gary Westerman. "He's really put on some good weight since he's been at Northern Illinois. He didn't redshirt his freshman year, so that's a little bit of an interesting situation as far as what they might do with him because I think he'd prefer to redshirt in the fall and then play in 2021."

"But he's a really good kid with a great work ethic and from a great family," Westerman said. "Just a great, all-around kid who really fits the Iowa mold if that makes sense. He's a hard-working, blue-collar type of player and a great teammate."

At Iowa, Lorbeck will have not only Heflin, but also fellow Bay Port graduate Jack Plumb among the familiar faces on campus in Iowa City.

"Jack really loves it there," said Westerman. "Obviously he's a developmental kid in terms of putting weight on, but last time I talked to him he was in the mid-280's and they feel really good about how he's progressing, so I think he's doing really well."

Lorbeck, who is finishing up classes online this summer, plans to join the Hawkeyes in August. As a junior, he finished with 34 tackles, 5.5 TFL, and two sacks on the season in 2019. Pro Football Focus, a site that grades every player on every college team, had Lorbeck as the second best player on Northern Illinois' defense in 2019 with an overall grade of 85.0, just behind Heflin who was at 90.1. PFF had Lorbeck leading the team with 44 quarterback pressures including 36 hurries on the year.