Hawkeye tight end Addison Ostrenga out for remainder of season

IOWA CITY — Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz announced Tuesday afternoon that tight end Addison Ostrenga is out for the 2025 season.

The 6-foot-4, 248-pound senior left the Cy-Hawk game in the first half and was carted to the locker room. He was ruled out in the second half and didn’t return to the sideline with team.

Ferentz said Ostrenga suffered an Achilles injury, and had it repaired on Monday.

“It's really unfortunate,” Ferentz said. “He's a great young guy, and you hate to have anybody certainly lose playing time. And he's one of our senior guys, a leader, just a tremendous young person. So it's certainly disappointing.”

Ostrenga was the top tight end for the Hawkeyes, and has spent the last three seasons making 35 career appearances and 11 career starts. He will have the ability to use a redshirt year if he chooses to do so.

Ostrenga has 320 career receiving yards and recorded three touchdowns. He made his first start of the season against Iowa State and recorded eight receiving yards before his injury.

The Hawkeyes moved Zach Ortwerth up to the starting tight end position in this week’s depth chart, with Hayden Large and DJ Vonnahme listed third. Thomas Meyer, a true freshman from Clear Lake, also could see the field at different times.

Ortwerth has made 23 career appearances at Iowa, including five starts. Saturday will be his first start at tight end of the season. He didn’t have any receptions against Iowa State, and recorded five yards against Albany.

Vonnahme and Meyer are both players Feretz said could see an immediate increased workload. Ortwerth took over as the top tight end mid-game on Saturday, but the two younger players could also be pieces Iowa can use.

“(Vonnahme's) a guy that we feel good about, and now due to injury he's going to be pressed further into his role and grow a little bit, and that's good,” Ferentz said. “...And Thomas will continue to grow. We'll throw more at him right now, too.”

Iowa also is without wide receiver Reece Vander Zee and running back Kamari Moulton, both of whom Ferentz said won’t play against UMass on Saturday night.

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