Kluver excited about walk-on opportunity

The path of Ankeny Centennial long snapper Zach Kluver to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes took longer than normal as he readies himself to report during the second semester of the school year.

“I am not sure on an exact date yet, but somewhere around early to mid-January.”

Having an older sibling who suited up for the Hawkeyes had a major impact on that decision to play for the University of Iowa.

“My brother was a huge influence because he had already been there for five years, but if I was going to go anywhere, my only choice was Iowa.”

Kluver also considered playing hoops in college after finishing last winter second on the team in scoring.

“I actually considered playing small college basketball over any other program other than Iowa," said Kluver. "So, it was either Iowa or nothing.”

Being familiar with the Hawkeye coaches helped make the decision much easier for Kluver overall.

“Getting to know them through my brother’s years was very important and he thinks very highly of them," Kluver said. "Coach Woods played a huge role after meeting him a few times of getting me to Iowa.”

Kluver has remained busy this fall with workouts and school.

“I train almost every day," he said. "I usually snap three to four times a week and lift about four to five times as well. I go part time at DMACC for the first semester.”

There are a few areas of his game that Kluver feels he has made the most strides in since last fall.

“I think I've improved my legs and explosiveness the most from last season and my snaps have progressed extremely well," said Kluver. "They just seem more precise and clean.”

Not being a part of a team has been a challenge for Kluver, but he knows that the payoff will be worth it.

“It's not really been hard not being on a team, just more so frustrating that my plan had to backtrack a semester," Kluver said. "I know that I'm in a good situation, so it's not been bad.”

Kluver is counting down the days until he reports to Iowa City in January.

“I'm just super excited just to get down there and start to experience the football life again," he said. "I want to show the coaches what I can do.”

Keeping a close eye on the Iowa season has kept Kluver busy on Saturdays as well.

“I think it's gone well," said Kluver. "They should probably be undefeated, but turnovers hurt them in the Wisconsin game. Overall, it's looked pretty good and hopefully they finish the season strong.”

Iowa's Class of 2019 walk-ons:

Zach Kluver - 6-foot-2, 205-pound LS from Ankeny, IA (Centennial)

Taylor Fox - 6-foot-3, 265-pound OL from Winthrop, IA (East Buchanan)