Steven Stilianos Has Chance to Shine

Injuries at TE Open Up More Playing Time for Lafayette Transfer

Steven Stilianos came to Iowa for his final two years of eligibility because of the program’s reputation of developing tight ends.

Now he finds himself on top of the depth chart at the position.

Luke Lachey is gone for the rest of the regular season. Erick All is gone for the season as well. Addison Ostrenga is trying to come back from an injury.

Suddenly, Stilianos is the leader at the position. Which is what he wanted when he transferred from FCS school Lafayette, even though he knew how crowded Iowa’s tight end room was with talent.

“Whenever you come somewhere, you want to work your hardest to get to the top,” Stilianos said on Tuesday. “I knew it would be a challenge, a climb. There was probably an easier path to the field in some of the places I was looking at. This is what you dream for, this is what you work for. It’s unfortunate how it played out, but I’m excited to showcase what I can do at this level.”

The losses of Lachey and All have put a dent in Iowa’s passing game. All, who transferred from Michigan in the offseason, had a team-high 21 catches for 299 yards and three touchdowns this season. Lachey had 10 catches for 231 yards.

Tight end is an important position for the Hawkeyes’ offense, and it’s something that Stilianos has said has been emphasized by the coaching staff. That emphasis has resonated with the players.

“(Tight ends coach Abdul Hodge) always says if we don’t handle our business in our room, the offense isn’t going to work,” Stilianos said. “Having that responsibility, and knowing that a lot of the success of the offense comes down to us, I think that just prepares you for success in the future.”

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz knows how deep the Hawkeyes are going into that roster of tight ends. Johnny Pascuzzi, a sophomore, is No. 2. Zach Ortwerth, now at No. 3 on the depth chart, played in the three tight-end sets after All went out of last Saturday’s game at Wisconsin.

“Technically we're playing a 4, 5 and 6 (on the depth chart) at tight end the other night, the three guys that were out there,” Ferentz said. “You're probably not going to sleep well knowing that was the case going into the game. But those guys all played.

“(Stilianos) did a good job. Johnny did a nice job. Ortwerth is in the army now — as of last Saturday he's in there playing. Thought he did a good job for the first time out there.”

Stilianos appreciates that All, who is out with a knee injury, has been on the sidelines with the Hawkeyes this week.

“It’s obviously tough seeing him go down,” he said. “But even on the sidelines, he’s had a smile on his face. That’s who he is — he’s kind of the glue guy in our room. Always making everyone laugh, always having a positive spirit.

“Not having him out there is going to be tough. But I’m ready to go. Whatever we’re going to game-plan, I’m ready to execute that.”

Stilianos, an All-Patriot League selection in his last two seasons at Lafayette, played in eight games with the Hawkeyes, but didn’t have any statistics. He has five catches for 54 yards this season, playing in all seven games.

Stilianos came to Iowa with the knowledge of how important the tight ends are to what the Hawkeyes run offensively. He also knew of the success of the program’s development of tight ends for the NFL.

For a player who described himself as a zero-star recruit with just two FCS offers out of high school, it was important to find a place with that kind of track record.

“Just the reputation, the success at the position, it’s one of the reasons why I came here,” he said. “I think it just speaks so well for Coach Ferentz and his staff, how they operate, how they develop players. I feel like I’ve grown quite a bit, even as an older player coming in here a year ago.

“I think they do things the right way.”