#85

Luke Lachey

Former tight end at Iowa. 2024: 28 catches, 231 receiving yards.

TE · Iowa · Sr. · #85

6′6″ · 247 lb · Columbus, OH

CFB Index 43 · #78 of 135 TEsMedium-low confidenceHouston — drafted 2025, Rd 7, Pick 39, #255 overall

Recruiting

4★

TE recruit

No. 380 nationally · Signed with Grandview Heights

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former tight end at Iowa. 2024: 28 catches, 231 receiving yards.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Grandview Heights in 2020.
Drafted round 7 by the Houston in 2025.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Iowa, 893 receiving yards — drafted at #255 overall by Houston.

His career

He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.

The week the volume broke through — put up 89 yds vs Nebraska.Nebraska · L 17-242022

2020

Recruited4-star out of Grandview Heights

2025

Drafted by Houstonround 7, pick 255

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#380 national

CFB

College

Iowa

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

R7 · #255

Houston · 2025

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

1 coach

2021–2024

Kirk Ferentz

Iowa

Played his entire career under Kirk Ferentz.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

HoustonEntering 2nd NFL season

#255Rd 7 · Pick 39

HoustonEntering 2nd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

4 seasons under Kirk Ferentz — 36-18 over that span.

2021Iowa10-4HC: Kirk Ferentz · Run-leaning

2022Iowa8-5HC: Kirk Ferentz · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2023Iowa10-4HC: Kirk Ferentz · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2024Iowa8-5HC: Kirk Ferentz · Run-heavy, slow tempo

Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

43Rotational starter #78 of 135?

Medium-low confidence10 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: catch rate (91st percentile). Concern: explosive rate (2nd percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Catch rate#1 / 610 · 91st pct

100.0%

EPA / target#479 / 610 · 22nd pct

0.60

Yards / catch#559 / 610 · 8th pct

7.5

TD rate#522 / 610 · 7th pct

0.0%

Explosive rate#587 / 610 · 2nd pct

0.0%

Box-score rates (5)

Receptions#52 / 168 · 68th pct

Rec yards#88 / 168 · 48th pct

231

Long catch#127 / 168 · 23rd pct

Yards / catch#147 / 168 · 12th pct

8.3

Rec TDs#143 / 168 · 8th pct

Season trend

EPA / target— first qualifying season

Explosive rate— first qualifying season

Catch rate— first qualifying season

TD rate— first qualifying season

Yards / catch— first qualifying season

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 10 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home5g	3.2	26.8	7.8	0.0
Road5g	2.4	19.4	8.4	0.0

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	3.3	26.7	7.3	0.0
Weeks 8+4g	2.0	17.8	9.3	0.0

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Kirk Ferentz

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Rotational

Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

43 · #78 of 135 TEs

Former four-star. Now #78 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Iowa	28	231	8.2	0	--
2023	Iowa	10	131	13.1	0	--
2022	Iowa	28	398	14.2	4	--
2021	Iowa	8	133	16.6	0	--
Career		74	893	12.1	4	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2024

W 31–14

at Minnesota

3 rec · 9 yds

With R. Dakin — 49 AVG · 3 IN 20 · 55 LONG · K. Johnson — 206 rush yds (21 car) · 3 TD

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 1 · Illinois State · 2&12 · Q2 · EPA +2.77Cade McNamara pass complete to Luke Lachey for 17 yds to the ILST 44 for a 1ST down
Week 9 · Northwestern · 3&7 · Q1 · EPA +2.44Cade McNamara pass complete to Luke Lachey for 10 yds to the IOWA 46 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Illinois State · 3&3 · Q1 · EPA +1.82Cade McNamara pass complete to Luke Lachey for 7 yds to the IOWA 45 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Illinois State · 3&3 · Q3 · EPA +1.18Cade McNamara pass complete to Luke Lachey for 8 yds to the ILST 31 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · Troy · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.05Cade McNamara pass complete to Luke Lachey for 13 yds to the TROY 44 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Illinois State · 3&3 · Q3 · EPA +0.98Cade McNamara pass complete to Luke Lachey for 19 yds to the ILST 7 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · Minnesota · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA -0.94Cade McNamara pass complete to Luke Lachey for no gain to the IOWA 46
Week 13 · Maryland · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.93Jackson Stratton pass complete to Luke Lachey for 9 yds to the MD 35
Week 7 · Washington · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +0.92Cade McNamara pass complete to Luke Lachey for 11 yds to the WASH 46 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Illinois State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.70Cade McNamara pass complete to Luke Lachey for 7 yds to the IOWA 41

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 10 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 40-0vs Illinois State	6	63	10.5	19	Season-high 63 yds
Wk 3	W 38-21vs Troy	3	25	8.3	13
Wk 4	W 31-14@ Minnesota	3	9	3.0	6
Wk 6	L 7-35@ Ohio State	5	39	7.8	13
Wk 7	W 40-16vs Washington	2	20	10.0	11
Wk 8	L 20-32@ Michigan State	2	36	18.0	28
Wk 9	W 40-14vs Northwestern	3	17	5.7	10
Wk 13	W 29-13@ Maryland	1	9	9.0	9
Wk 14	W 13-10vs Nebraska	2	9	4.5	7
Bowl	L 24-27@ Missouri	1	4	4.0	4
Total		28	231	8.1	28

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology