Iowa's C.J. Fiedorowicz ready to make impact at TE

IOWA CITY - Iowa tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz boasts a sculpted physique that few attain in a lifetime of bodybuilding.

At 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, he looks like a living Renaissance statue. At least that's what one teammate told reporters last year.

"I haven't heard that one," Fiedorowicz said, laughing. "That's actually kind of funny."

Fiedorowicz, a true sophomore, was one of Iowa's prized 2010 recruits. He was ranked as the nation's top tight end as a high school senior and originally committed to home-state Illinois. In November 2009, he backed out and picked the Hawkeyes in part because of how the team uses its tight ends.

But selecting a school based on its tight end use and becoming one of value are two different concepts. Fiedorowicz was a giant wide receiver at Johnsburg, Ill., catching 183 passes for 3,121 yards and 42 touchdowns - all school records. He thought he could settle in at tight end and play right away at Iowa. He thought wrong.

 "I was not the smartest guy coming in," Fiedorowicz said. "Everyone hopes to play. Probably within the first couple of days of camp (he realized he wasn't the star). The first few days we got helmets and shells; that's not really much contact. Once we got to shoulder pads, these guys were coming in fast. These guys were pretty big and I knew I needed a lot of work on my blocking. Little details on my route running. Stuff like that.

"I played wide receiver (in high school). I didn't really know much about a three-point stance. Just getting off the ball was so much different. You have to use your hands more ... just lining up."

Fiedorowicz did play in every game last year and participated on Iowa's kick return unit. He didn't have a catch, though. He admitted he struggled picking up Iowa's offense, which prevented him from getting more repetitions at tight end. He was confused at times with the footwork. He lacked good pad level, something he found out more than once while trying to block All-American defensive end Adrian Clayborn in practice.

"I didn't realize how much learning you had to do," Fiedorowicz said. "There are so many plays on offense, all the little details you had to do with the blocking schemes. It's just a lot of growing up you had to do from high school.

"I didn't realize how much the steps count. You can overstep, understep. You've got to be quick with your feet."

But in the last year, he went from thinking on every play to reacting. The fundamentals now come easier, and much more is expected from him.

Fiedorowicz is slated as the team's second-team tight end behind senior Brad Herman. Iowa employs two tight end sets anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of its offensive plays, so offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe expects Fiedorowicz to play a lot.

"No matter how much ability you have, unless you know the system, it's hard to do anything full speed," O'Keefe said. "To be a successful football player, you've got to be going full speed all the time in order to be able to compete successfully. We're a lot closer with C.J. right now than we ever were."

Both Fiedorowicz and O'Keefe credit tight ends coach Eric Johnson for Fiedorowicz's progress. Fiedorowicz's humility - and confidence - is apparent with when he talks about his journey from highly touted freshman to experienced sophomore. He's ready to take a step forward as a valuable teammate.

"I'm going to try to show what I can do," Fiedorowicz said. "Hopefully I can just contribute, catch the ball, help our team win."