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Can the next player on our countdown overcome some offseason turbulence to achieve on the field?
Josiah Miamen - Sophomore
Peoria, IL (Dunlap HS)
6’4”, 242 lbs
2021 Projection: Rotational tight end
Miamen was a high end recruit amidst Iowa’s high usage of tight ends in 2018 and selected the Hawkeyes over offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State. He earned first-team all-area and all-conference honors in his junior and senior seasons while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Running back his high school tape, he often lines up out wide and uses his big body and impressive catch radius to school smaller defensive backs. He also shows plenty of strength in shirking off defenders when running after the catch. What remains unanswered is how well he has caught onto Iowa’s blocking, which has held back past Hawkeye tight ends.
He spent 2019 redshirting while 2020 was lost due to injury.
This past offseason, Miamen was kicked out of a bar for using a fake ID then punched a staff member and ran away before being apprehended. It will likely result in a single-game suspension, in line with past Kirk Ferentz punishments.
He certainly has the tools to overcome the dumb decisions made this offseason and appears to be solidly in competition for the #3 slot at tight end. Scott Dochterman wrote he “won’t look out of place” if forced into action if Sam La Porta or Luke Lachey experience injuries.
Yet he hasn’t shown anything on the field so the excitement his recruiting tape brings does fade a bit. Whenever he does play, hopefully he can show what got many hyped about his potential. He certainly has plenty of it!