HERE’S CASEY KCCI JEFF DUBROF. THEY SAY LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST AND THAT COULD NOT BE MORE TRUE FOR ONE PLAYER ON THE IOWA FOOTBALL TEAM HAS BEEN ON A WHIRLWIND JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME TO MEET IOWA’S NEW TIGHT END NUMBER ONE. STEPHEN STIGLIANO, WHO JOINED THE PROGRAM IN THE FALL OF 2022. BUT BEFORE THAT PLAYED FOR FCS LAFAYETTE COLLEGE IN FRONT OF LESS THAN 50 18,000 FANS. NOW, AS THE HAWKEYES PREPARE TO FACE MINNESOTA, HE’S THE STARTING TIGHT END FOR A SIX AND ONE POWER FIVE PROGRAM LEADING THE BIG TEN WEST AND HAS ITS SIGHTS SET ON INDIANAPOLIS FOR A BIG TEN TITLE GAME. HIS UNEXPECTED JOURNEY HAS NOW LED HIM HERE, PLAYING IN FRONT OF 70,000 PEOPLE AND FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF SOME GREAT IOWA TIGHT ENDS. JUST THE REPUTATION AND THE SUCCESS THAT THE POSITION HAS. REALLY WAS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY I CAME HERE. AND I THINK IT JUST SPEAKS SO WELL TO COACH FERENTZ AND THE STAFF AND HOW THEY OPERATE, JUST HOW WELL THEY DEVELOP PLAYERS. YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE I’VE GROWN QUITE A BIT AS A PLAYER. THIS IS A GREAT ROUTE RUNNER. HE’S ALSO A PHENOMENAL BLOCKER. SO I THINK HE BRINGS A LEVEL OF LIKE THAT RUNNING GAME, YOU KNOW, WHEN HE’S ON THE EDGE. I THINK IT’S HE DOES A GREAT JOB IN THE RUN BLOCKING AS WELL. BUT YOU SEE STEVE ON A COUNTER PLAY I MEAN HE’S COMING DOWN HARD. HE’S PUTTING HIS FRICKING PAD RIGHT INTO THE GUY’S RIBS AND JUST THE AMOUNT OF GROWTH, YOU KNOW, WE’VE SEEN FROM STEVE FROM WHEN HE FIRST TRANSFERRED HERE TO NOW HE’S JUST I MEAN, IT’S LIKE HE’S A NEW PLAYER. IT’S NEXT MAN UP. STYLIANOS IS READY TO FILL THE VOID IN THIS TIGHT END ROOM