Iowa Football Recruiting: 3-Star Kansas TE Gavin Hoffman Commits to Hawkeyes

If there was any doubt about the momentum building in the Iowa football program, that doubt should be quashed out by now. Over the weekend, the Hawkeyes hosted a major recruiting event in Iowa City, hosting nearly two dozen top prospects, including virtually all of their already committed players in the class of 2024.

In the 36 hours that followed the close of that weekend, the Hawkeyes added a pair of big time commitments, landing Penn State legacy defensive end Devan Kennedy and top in-state wide receiver Reece Vander Zee.

Now, the Hawkeyes continue to build on their haul by making it three commitments in less than 24 hours as Kansas tight end Gavin Hoffman announced his decision to join the Swarm on Tuesday afternoon.

Hoffman is yet another excellent pick up for the Hawkeyes. A 6’5” 220 pound tight end out of Blue Valley Northwest, he’s a tremendous compliment to Iowa’s other tight end commit in the class - Nebraska native Michael Burt.

While Burt is relatively unproven with loads of potential coming from a run-first offense, Hoffman is quite proven with similar physical upside. His frame is ideal for the position with the ability to easily add 20-25 pounds of good weight in the coming years and be an early contributor in Iowa City.

With that size, though, Hoffman has tremendous speed and athleticism for the position. Earlier this month at a camp in Missouri, he posted a 40” vertical to go with a 4.56 40-yard dash time. Both of those are on full display when you turn on the film. Hoffman regularly uses his speed to run past defenders on downfield routes or create separation after the catch. On contested passes, he’s able to use his frame and vertical to go up and get the ball over defenders.

That helped him haul in 39 catches for 713 yards and 11 TDs as a junior at Blue Valley Northwest. Those are impressive numbers Hoffman intends to improve upon in his senior season as he prepares for much more than being a high school standout.

When discussing why he chose the Hawkeyes, he talked about his desires beyond the prep and collegiate level, feeling the Iowa staff will best position him for his future.

“The coaching staff is awesome,” Hoffman told HawkeyeReport.com. “None of them pressured me to commit as some other schools sort of did and they really just let me feel things out for myself. I want to go work my ass off under those coaches. My dream is to play on Sundays and I think Iowa is the best place for me to pursue my ultimate dream.”

Hoffman ultimately chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Auburn, Missouri, Nebraska, Arizona State, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, Purdue, Texas Tech and others. The addition takes Iowa’s class of 2024 up to 15 total commitments. It remains to be ranked 29th nationally according to On3 (32nd per Rivals and 29th per 247 Sports). That’s good for 8th in the Big Ten (9th per Rivals and 8th on 247 Sports).

As mentioned in each of the last few commitment stories, Hoffman is not expected to be the last prospect o pledge to the Hawkeyes after making the official visit over the weekend. At least three more players are expected to announce commitments in the coming days with as many six more still a possibility. The momentum is certainly rolling.

Welcome aboard Gavin Hoffman!

Gavin Hoffman, TE
Ht: 6’5”
Wt: 220 lbs
Hometown: Overland Park, KS (Blue Valley Northwest)
Stars: 247 Sports - 3; Rivals - 3