IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior defensive end Zach VanValkenburg has been named to the 2021 Ted Hendricks Award Watch List. The award honors the top defensive end in college football.
VanValkenburg (6-foot-4, 270-pounds) earned second-team All-Big Ten honors while starting every game a season ago. He tied for first in the nation with four fumble recoveries and recorded 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors following a career-best performance with three sacks and five tackles in Iowa’s 35-7 win at Minnesota.
A native of Zeeland, Michigan, VanValkenburg was a recipient of Iowa’s Team Hustle Award last season. He has also earned a bachelor’s degree in History and a master’s degree in Eastern European Studies. VanValkenburg was also named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy preseason Watch List.
The winner of the Ted Hendricks Award will be announced in December. The award is named in honor of college football’s first three-time first-team All-American
Iowa takes on Iowa State at Jack Trice Stadium at 3:36 p.m. (CT) on Sept. 11, in the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. The game is televised on ABC.
