DJ Vonnahme’s rise at Iowa has been built on more than just production. The Hawkeyes tight end says the biggest change has come between the ears, and that shift has helped turn him into one of the most intriguing young pieces on the roster.
The Breda native said his confidence started to click late last season, and one game in particular helped flip the switch.
"The USC game, I started to feel a lot more confident in my abilities," Vonnahme said. "Blocking and also catching the ball.
I was a little timid early in the season, a little bit on my heels, and I wasn't too sure what I was doing. As the season progressed and the coaches kept putting me in spots to trust me, it really helped me."
That early uncertainty showed up on film, and Vonnahme didn’t try to hide from it. He laughed when talking about those first games and said some of the tape was "really ugly." But by the end of the season, the progress was obvious, and teammates have seen that growth carry into the offseason.
Potential starting quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski praised the way Vonnahme handles the details.
"He just continues to run great routes, do great tight end blocking - he just does everything right," Hecklinski said. "Even when something's going wrong, he'll correct it.
He's not even doing anything wrong, but he'll correct the play that's going on. He's just a real smart, savvy kid."
Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester and head coach Kirk Ferentz have both pointed to Vonnahme’s improvement as a blocker. The former high school quarterback added weight in his first two years in Iowa City, and that has helped. But Vonnahme says the real driver has been his approach and the way the Hawkeyes practice.
"It's almost all mindset," Vonnahme said of blocking. "You have to want to block somebody, especially when you're smaller than somebody.
I'm not big enough to where I can just move guys with my hands or whatever. I have to get into them and use proper technique.
We put such an emphasis on it every single day, just trying to get the muscle memory down. After that muscle memory is down, it's all about, 'Are you actually going to go in there and hit somebody?'"
Last season, Vonnahme was focused on avoiding mistakes. He wasn’t yet thinking through every hand placement or route angle the way he does now. With more strength, better practice habits, and a growing comfort level, he looks like a player who can keep climbing.
The numbers back that up. Vonnahme caught 19 of his team-high 29 passes over Iowa’s final five games and finished 2025 with team highs in receptions (29), receiving yards (434), and receiving touchdowns (3). He also became the first FBS freshman tight end to lead his team in both receptions and receiving yards in a season since Georgia’s Brock Bowers in 2021.
That kind of production changes how opponents will look at him. Vonnahme knows the attention is coming now that he’s put himself on tape, and he’s ready for it.
"It's definitely a different mindset because no one knew about me. No one game-planned for me," Vonnahme said.
"Now, I feel like, since I've put it on tape, people are really going to emphasize stopping what I'm good at. I definitely have to be mindful about that.
I can't get away with the same mistakes I made last year. I'm going to have to continuously improve.
I'm just excited for that challenge, really."
Hank Brown and Hecklinski have both said they believe in what Vonnahme can bring. He’s shown enough as a receiver and a blocker to look like a dependable target for whoever wins the quarterback job, and that trust has been earned through work in the film room and on the field.
"It just happens over time, just continuously telling them, 'Hey, throw it up. I'll go get it,' or, 'I'll get open here in this spot.'
Then they trust you, then they throw it, and then you get it. So I think it really starts with the players, and then the coaches do it too.
They put you in that situation because they trust you."
Vonnahme may be soft-spoken, but he’s no longer hiding from the spotlight. The same mindset that helps him battle a 275-pound defensive end is the one he’ll carry into every snap in 2026.
"I have so much trust in myself and my coaches. It really helps that the coaches trust me as well to go out and perform against whoever it is."
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