Ready to report: Kale Krogh
Recovering from shoulder surgery, in-state offensive lineman Kale Krogh is getting ready to make the move to Iowa City next month to begin his college career with the Hawkeyes. We caught up with the 6-foot-6, 280-pound Krogh to get his thoughts on making the transition, what he looks forward to at Iowa, and much more.
Q: What has this spring been like as you wrap up high school and get ready for college?
KROGH: It's been different than most off-seasons for me because I had labrum repair on my right shoulder, so I've been restricted to mostly lower body stuff. I'm not allowed to squat because I don't want to be pulling that arm back, so I've been doing a lot of leg press, leg extension, body weight type of stuff. We're making progress, but it's been slower than what a normal off-season would be for me.
Q: Did that come up after the football season?
KROGH: I did both basketball and wrestling this year and towards the end of the season I tore it in wrestling.
Q: Where is your health right now heading into the end of May?
KROGH: I'm supposed to be cleared to have full upper body movement and full contact about mid-July. So I'll be a little bit behind when I get there, but I know the staff at Iowa will get me right back into it and I'll be ready to go.
Q: Have you already had graduation at this point?
KROGH: I have it this Sunday.
Q: When do you make the move down to Iowa City?
KROGH: June 12th is move in day.
Q: What are you looking forward to as you get ready to make that move?
KROGH: Really just to get to know all the guys better and start working out and getting ready towards playing football again.
Q: What are you coming in at right now height and weight wise?
KROGH: I'm about 6-6, 6-7 and weigh about 280 right now.
Q: Have you found out what number you will be wearing at Iowa?
KROGH: No, not yet.
Q: Any preference?
KROGH: It would be cool to have #79 because that was my high school number, but obviously Jack Plumb has that right now, so whatever I get is what I get and I'll be happy with it.
Q: Going in with the shoulder injury, are you thinking it will most likely be a redshirt year and how do you approach it?
KROGH: I would kind of assume that's what it's going to be just because I'm going to miss out on a month and a half of stuff, but I'm going to do everything in my power to get back to healthy and make an impact as soon as I can.
Q: What is the feeling going to be like for you the first time you run out of the tunnel at Kinnick Stadium as a Hawkeye?
KROGH: It's going to be a different experience. Obviously I'm super excited for it, but really I don't know what it will feel like because I've never played on that big of a stage before. Being able to walk down the tunnel to Back in Black and feel the energy from the fans in Kinnick is going to be electric.
Q: When you look back at your recruiting, you picked up a bunch of offers about a year ago this time. What was it that ultimately made Iowa the right fit for you?
KROGH: Iowa has always been recruiting me since my freshman year, so I feel like I knew them the best as a program because of that. After being there and meeting some of the guys and some of the staff, it just clicked with me immediately that these guys are like family and it's like a brotherhood. I know if anything were to happen in my life, I would be supported there. It just felt like the right fit immediately.
A three-star prospect, Krogh committed to the Hawkeyes on June 15, 2021, choosing Iowa over scholarship offers from Minnesota, Tulane, Toledo, Northern Illinois, Miami-OH, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn, and Northern Iowa.
As a senior, Krogh led the way upfront as Ballard finished with over 2,000 yards rushing on its way to a 5-5 record.
See highlights from Krogh's senior year in the video below.