Q&A with George Kittle
By Jess Westendorf
April 29 was a day that former Hawkeye tight end, George Kittle won’t forget.
After playing on the Hawkeye’s offense for five years, Kittle was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
He redshirted his freshman year at Iowa but the next four seasons with Iowa’s football program he took the field in 49 games, notching a career-best 110 receiving yards and setting the bar high for future tight-ends who will play at Iowa.
Because voluntary camps are over and there is a small break before training camp, The Daily Iowan was able to set up a phone interview with Kittle to get an inside look at what these past few months have been like.
The Daily Iowan: What was it like getting the phone call that led up to you being drafted?
George Kittle: I hadn’t received a phone call all day and it was kind of unusual,” Kittle said. “They normally give you a phone call to let you know something. Then it was right before the fourth round and I got a call from John Lynch the GM and it was awesome. That was something I had been dreaming about my whole life and the fact that I
could see it coming to true was really exciting and really thrilling.”
Related: Three Hawkeyes selected in day three of NFL draft
DI: What has it been like going out to San Francisco with C.J.?
Kittle: That was really awesome, seeing him and having his name called and then we go to the same place has been really fun. We lived together [at Iowa] and I have caught passes from him for five years, so it was awesome seeing a friendly face, someone I knew. It has made the transition a bit easier and it has been nice to have someone to talk to about everything.
DI: Do you think that this has helped both you and C.J make the football transition a bit smoother?”
Kittle: Yes, definitely. We both want to do the best we possibly can and so having each other out there so we can bounce ideas off one another, if we have questions, and if we want to learn the offense better it is awesome. We are doing the same things we did at Iowa and that worked out pretty well, so I just want to get to know the offense as well as I can.”
DI: What are some of the things that you do for fun when you aren’t on the football field in San Francisco?”
Kittle: We have only been to San Francisco twice since the football facilities are in Santa Clara. So we have made it to the city twice, we saw a Giants baseball game and just explored the city a bit. But mainly we have been going to a lot of movies during our free time.”
DI: How did Iowa prepare you in making the transition over to a pro-style offense?”
Kittle: Well at Iowa we do a pro-style offense, so that is really nice. It prepared me with the style and how it is run, and then the biggest difference would be that I have to know everything about the offense, because you can be anywhere on the field and I enjoy the challenge.”
DI: What was voluntary-camp like and what were your main focuses?”
Kittle: I wanted to be like a sponge and pick up every single ounce of information I could from the veterans. That was my first time getting to practice with them and getting to know them. I asked them a ton of questions and I tried to get as many answers I could that could help me learn the offense as best I could.”
DI: Getting to the NFL is a major accomplishment, so do you have any advice for other guys trying to make it?”
Kittle: I would say, you have to be extremely dedicated and work hard for it. But I just loved the game and playing it as well as my passion and love for the game was something that helped me get through my five years at Iowa and help me to where I am now.
DI: Do you have a favorite football moment from your time at Iowa?
Kittle: I’d say personally for me, scoring a touchdown against Wisconsin in 2015. I was born in Madison and I grew up going to games. As a team, my favorite moment would be beating Nebraska in Lincoln in 2015 and following it up in Iowa City last year. I just really enjoy beating Nebraska.
Related: Five Things We Learned: Iowa-Wisconsin
DI: What are looking forward to with training camp coming up here pretty soon?
Kittle: I just can’t wait to be on the field again. I love having a break to go home and stuff but I hate not being on the field. I’m looking forward to learning the big things and being back with the guys while learning to be a team. My goal is to learn the playbook as best as I can and try to get a spot on special teams. I just want to do all of the little things right.
