Tight end Sam LaPorta to return to Iowa for senior season

LaPorta won’t pursue NFL dreams yet, he announces

Jan. 12, 2022 4:52 pm, Updated: Jan. 12, 2022 5:47 pm

Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta (84) makes a catch for a first down at the Citrus Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY — Tight end Sam LaPorta won’t be pursuing his NFL dreams quite yet. Iowa’s top receiver said Wednesday he will be back in 2022.

“I am blessed to say I am living my dream of being a college football player every day, and there is nowhere else I’d rather be than the University of Iowa,” LaPorta said in a graphic on the team’s social media channels.

The junior from Highland, Ill., had 53 receptions for 670 yards and three touchdowns in 2021, all of which were team-highs.

Bleacher Report’s Jan. 7 rankings of the top 2022 NFL Draft prospects had LaPorta as the 99th-best prospect and the sixth-best tight end.

“I hope to one day pursue another dream of playing in the NFL, but until then, I will return for the 2022 season,” LaPorta said in the team-released graphic.