There is no position on the Iowa football team that is having more success in the NFL than the tight end. The next great Hawkeye tight end could end up being Sam LaPorta, a sophomore who has emerged as a top target in the passing game. LaPorta discusses how he ended up at Iowa, transitioning from wide receiver to tight end, and the impact that former Hawkeyes Dallas Clark and T.J. Hockenson have had on him.
Q: When you were being recruited, Coach Woods was the first to reach out, what do you remember about those conversations?
LAPORTA: I remember him reaching out very hard and frequently during the spring and summer time trying to get me to a camp. He wanted me at camp badly and showed interest. That was how we met.
Q: How did that translate over to Brian Ferentz as the position coach. Did he comes to see you at a basketball game?
LAPORTA: Yeah, so I think it was week before the December signing day, Coach Woods reached out to me and said Brian Ferentz would be coming by school and he would be at my basketball game tonight. From there, we kind of took over. He loved how I competed playing basketball and he had seen all my film. From there, here I am, I guess.
Q: The adjustment from high school wide receiver to tight end, what is that transition like?
LAPORTA: Yeah, learning a new position is tough. The transition from high school to college is hard as well because of the physical nature of the game, the speed of the game, and the awareness you have to have is so much higher than from high school. It was really hard learning a new position and coming to a Big Ten school to play tight end. I had a lot of great guys help me along last year, like Nate Wieting, Drew Cook, and Nate Stanley, pushing me forward and helping me to get better.
Q: Northwestern was kind of a breakout game for you last year. How far do you think you have some since then?
LAPORTA: That is a good point. We were watching film from last year and it looks like a completely different person out there to me after a full off-season of weight training and learning the offense better from Brian and the other tight ends. I see a significant difference in my game and the way that I process things faster. I think I have come a long way and I am proud of myself that I have come a long way.
Q: What was it like playing with Spencer Petras last week?
LAPORTA: Spencer was a leader out there and I thought he controlled the game. Nothing bad to say about him at all. He’s our leader and he’s our guy. I have all the faith in the world in him.
Q: You play a million dollar position at Iowa. One of the former TE’s started a holiday this week. Have you had any conversations with guys like T.J. Hockenson, Noah Fant, or George Kittle and what do they say to you?
LAPORTA: I have had a lot of conversations, more so with Hockenson and Dallas Clark and a little bit with Kittle. They just tell me to be my own person. They never tell me to be someone I am not. They always say play the Iowa way, which is physical and tough and do the little things. It’s awesome to have mentors like that to help you along the path if I want to pursue a career in the NFL. They are a great support system.
Q: Talking to Dallas Clark last week he said he loved your game and he thinks you don’t know how good you are. Would you agree with that assessment? What does it mean to hear something like that from him?
LAPORTA: I like to take into account what all those former players have to say because they have come through the program and they know how it goes. I think it is a great complement, but there are a lot of holes left in my game that I can still really work on. I need to start with the fundamentals and the little details. It’s really cool to get complements like that and have Dallas reach out to me as part of my support system.
Q: What have you seen from the growth of Tyler Goodson?
LAPORTA: Every single guy when you are here for an entire year, there’s just so much you can learn. The physical nature of the game and the speed don’t seems as much once you have a full year under your belt. Then the off-season you get faster and stronger and you look at more film. I am sure all those things helped Tyler, along with the experience he had playing last year. Tyler is a beast and I am glad he’s on our team.
Q: Your position isn’t one that you can just walk in and play right away. What did it take to even get you on the field last year?
LAPORTA: Basically coming into work every day at practice with a good mindset and hoping to learn a thing or two every day. Over time you learn things and during the summer time before my freshman year, the older guys really took me under their wing. And the atmosphere in our building is you always want to help each other. Like now, I always try to help Shaun Beyer with things he doesn’t see and he helps me too. Coming in there are so many guys and then you have guys like Dallas and T.J. too. There’s just a great support system in the building and I think the older guys believed I worked hard and slowly and surely I worked my way on to special teams and then into the offense.
Q: How quickly were you able to get into understanding Iowa’s zone blocking scheme?
LAPORTA: Not very fast at all. It’s very difficult to come in and do something that I had never done before, along with block Big Ten football players. I can tell you they are no joke at all. It was hard at first and I know I have a lot to work on.
Q: You said you had holes in your game. What steps need to take place for you to become Iowa’s next great tight end?
LAPORTA: My blocking. I really need to work on my leverage on every play with my backside knee. I need to work on running my routes and coverage recognition.
Q: What was your off-season like? After the year from January to March, what did you focus on to get better?
LAPORTA: I was working on my change of direction. I need to get in and out of breaks. We know as tight ends that maybe we aren’t as fast as safeties, so they have that edge and little things like change of direction and getting in and out of breaks are important and we worked on them from January to March.
