Reece Vander Zee injury update: Major blow for Kirk Ferentz as Iowa WR suffers big medical setback

Reece Vander Zee has been in the spotlight for the Iowa Hawkeyes heading into their 2025 college football season. The wideout reportedly picked up a foot injury ahead of the Hawkeyes' season opener against Albany on Saturday.

Unfortunately for Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, Vander Zee is set for a spell on the sidelines.

Iowa WR Reece Vander Zee's injury update

Iowa Hawkeyes WR Reece Vander Zee - Source: Getty

According to reports, Reece Vander Zee suffered a “freak accident” in practice on Wednesday that led to a foot injury. The wideout is expected to be out for about a month.

Judging by the timeline around Vander Zee's injury, he will miss Iowa's season opener against Albany on Saturday. He is also expected to be ruled out for the Hawkeyes' clash against Iowa State on Sept. 6, against UMass on Sept. 13 and against Rutgers on Sept. 19.

If Vander Zee's recovery goes well, he could potentially return for Iowa's matchup against Indiana on Sept. 27.

Vander Zee committed to Iowa in 2024. In his freshman year, he caught 14 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns across nine games (eight starts). He made a strong impression on his first start for the program, hauling in five passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns in Iowa's 40-0 season-opening win against Illinois State.

Vander Zee was listed second on Iowa's depth ahead of their Week 1 game against Albany, behind Chattanooga transfer Sam Phillips. However, due to the sophomore's injury, Iowa could shoulder more responsibility on Seth Anderson, Jacob Gill and Kaden Wetjen.

Here's the full 2025 schedule for Iowa:

Aug. 30 vs. UAlbany Great Danes
Sept. 6 at Iowa State Cyclones
Sept. 13 at UMass Minutemen
Sept. 19 at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Sept. 27 vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Oct. 11 at Wisconsin Badgers
Oct. 18 vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
Oct. 25 vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Nov. 8 vs. Oregon Ducks
Nov. 15 at USC Trojans
Nov. 22 vs. Michigan State Spartans
Nov. 28 at Nebraska Cornhuskers

About the author

Arnold is a journalist covering College Sports and the NFL at Sportskeeda. He has been with the company since August 2022.

Arnold graduated with a degree in Mass Media from MIC. As a sports fanatic, he pursued writing to express his thoughts and opinions on sports events across the globe. He has also worked at Wizcraft and Publicis.

Arnold began supporting the Kansas City Chiefs after watching Patrick Mahomes lead them to Super Bowl glory in 2020. He also has a soft corner for the New York Yankees since he's lived in New York for two years. Arnold's favorite coach of all time is Andy Reid, and the Chiefs dynasty looks far from over.

In his free time, Arnold enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling. He follows several other sports including football, cricket, tennis, basketball, boxing and F1.

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