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Next up on the countdown to the start of Iowa football is a talented young tight end hoping to break into the Hawkeye lineup after taking a redshirt season in 2019. This player shares a jersey number with another former standout tight end in Henry Krieger-Coble, a vicious blocker with surprisingly soft hands who emerged as a breakout player during Iowa’s 12-0 regular season campaign in 2015.
If this next player can channel some of what made Krieger-Coble Iowa’s #1 tight end during his senior season, he should be able to make a big impact on offense this year.
Josiah Miamen (RS FR)
Peoria, IL (Dunlap HS)
6’4”, 239 lbs
2020 Projection: Backup tight end
Miamen committed to Iowa amidst the Hawkeyes’ tight end renaissance of 2018, and it’s easy to see why fans were quick to highlight his potential as Iowa’s next great tight end. The three-star prospect received offers from blue bloods such as Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State after earning first-team all-area and all-conference honors as both a junior and senior. However, Miamen showed the smarts that helped him achieve a 4.0 GPA in high school by signing with Iowa, hoping to “carry on the tradition” of tight ends making it to the NFL.
Could Miamen follow in the footsteps of players like Noah Fant and TJ Hockenson? First he’ll have to beat out some stiff competition to see the field. Fellow class of 2019 recruit Sam LaPorta emerged as Iowa’s top tight end late last season, and the Hawkeyes signed two highly-regarded prospects in Luke Lachey and Elijah Yelverton who are likely to compete for snaps next year as well. Iowa also returns fifth-year senior Shaun Beyer who saw plenty of game action last season.
Still, Miamen has all he physical tools to break into the rotation this year. In high school Miamen displayed wide receiver skills in a tight end’s body and showed off his huge catch radius, an ability to snare the ball in traffic, and the kind of route-running skills that evoke memories of Noah Fant.
Everything about Miamen’s high school film screams “red-zone weapon” and “matchup nightmare.” It’s unclear how Miamen stacks up as a blocker at the D1 level, but he could certainly emerge as a solid security blanket for Iowa’s starting quarterback to look to on third-down next season.