Zach VanValkenburg: DL · Iowa · #97.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Zach VanValkenburg
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Third year in the same defensive front at Iowa. Named All-Big Ten two seasons running, most recently in 2021. A game that shows it: 10 tackles and 3 tackles for loss against Minnesota — Week 11, 2021.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
50 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 12.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
KCCI Oct 28
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul Oct 27Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2021 season · 13 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-6vs No. 17 Indiana | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 27-17@ No. 9 Iowa State | 6 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 30-7vs Kent State | 4 | 0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 24-14vs Colorado State | 5 | 2 | 2.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 2.5 TFL |
| Wk 5 | W 51-14@ Maryland | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 23-20vs No. 4 Penn State | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 7-24vs Purdue | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 7-27@ Wisconsin | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 17-12@ Northwestern | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 27-22vs Minnesota | 10 | 6 | 3.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 10 tackles |
| Wk 12 | W 33-23vs Illinois | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 28-21@ Nebraska | 5 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 3-42vs No. 2 Michigan | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 26 | 12.5 | 3.5 | — | 0 |
Week 11 · 2021
W 27-22
vs Minnesota
1 sack · 3 tackles for loss · 10 tackles
A close one, won by 5 at home.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
26%15 TFLSack rate
9%6 sacksHurry rate
14%8 hurries58 tackles · 15 for loss · 5.5 sacks.
3 seasons under Kirk Ferentz — 26-9 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2021 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 4.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 3.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 3.4 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 4.3 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kirk Ferentz
Pass share
45.0%
404 pass / 494 run
Plays / game
69.1
13 games
Team sack rate
7.1%
434 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2021
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
How it ended
Three seasons at Iowa, 9 sacks — the college career is complete.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-BIG TEN · 2ND TEAM
All-Big Ten 2nd team (2021)
Weekly recognition
1 weekly honor (2020)
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
Coaching lineage · 2017–2021
1 coachPlayed every college season under Kirk Ferentz.
