Reisner quietly becoming huge part of Hawkeye offense
Dallas Clark, Brandon Myers, and Tony Moeaki.
Three former Iowa tight ends now play in the National Football League.
Allen Reisner wants to be next.
Reisner's ride from late-committing prospect to starting Hawkeye tight end began with an unexpected speed bump. The Marion native was fitted for a redshirt his freshman year and informed by head coach Kirk Ferentz he would be an emergency backup. Reisner expected nothing more than scout-team duty and a year to absorb the playbook.
Four games into the 2007 season, Moeaki suffered an injury. Reisner's redshirt was lifted, and he stepped onto the Kinnick Stadium turf against Indiana on Sept. 29, 2007 — his 19th birthday.
"I think it helped [my development]," he said. "I definitely had to learn the offense early and that helped my growth. Although mentally, it was pretty scary being thrown in there with a bunch of grown men when I'm just a young boy."
Reisner's mental rehabilitation began that day when he recorded one catch for 25 yards playing behind Myers. During his sophomore year, he again backed up Myers, recording 11 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown.
Last year, Reisner found himself second on the depth chart behind Moeaki but still posted 14 catches for 143 yards and a touchdown.
This year, the senior is no one's backup.
And Ferentz — though still not happy he had to throw the young Reisner into a pit of grown men three years ago — noted the 6-3, 248-pound tight end fits right in with Myers and Moeaki.
"We just ran out of players. That's unfortunate," the 12-year head coach said of playing Reisner in 2007. "He made the most of it. He really competed well, and he's caught up physically.
"He very quietly has played very well."
Reisner won't be satisfied with an under-the-radar season, though. His tutelage under Myers and Moeaki — whom he referred to as brothers — allowed him to harvest "everything he knows about college football."
But Reisner isn't Moeaki or Myers, and Hawkeye quarterback Ricky Stanzi said Reisner isn't trying to become one of his productive predecessors.
"Allen is a guy who has experience," Stanzi said. "He has played in this offense, and he has played in Kinnick, and he has played on the road for a good three years now. The guy knows what he's doing, and now he's at that point where he's just got to go out and improve.
"A guy like Allen plays a huge role with our offense."
Seven Iowa tight ends have been drafted into the NFL in the past decade. Clark has gone on to have an All-Pro career. Myers has developed into a special-teams terror for the Oakland Raiders. Moeaki will take his first-team All-Big Ten selection with him as he tries to prove himself on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Reisner will spend his senior year searching for the end zone in such places as TCF Bank Stadium, Michigan Stadium, and Kinnick. He will aim to spread the field, squat down in coverage, or clear the way for a Hawkeye running back — all the while trying to find his place in the rich tradition of Iowa tight ends.
"That's the ultimate goal for me, but I just have to compete at the highest level I can and see where that takes me," Reisner said. "I have to try to do everything that I can to help the team."
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