Grundy Center senior Tiernan Vokes recently signed his national letter of intent to continue his academic and football career at the University of Northern Iowa.
After an initial commitment to the University of Sioux Falls, the wide receiver/tight end received an offer from UNI, which was the icing on the cake to a long recruitment process.
“The recruiting process started pretty early for me, at end of my sophomore year,” Vokes says. “I was going to all the camps, trying to get in contact with all the coaches as I could. It was really slow for me, throughout my junior year and into my senior year even. I was going to camps and coaches were liking what they were seeing, but I wasn’t getting the offers I wanted to get at the time. But I stayed the course, I stayed patient, and I think that’s a testament to just how God was working in my life. Sometimes our timing isn’t always what his timing is. So I stayed patient for a little bit, but the opportunity finally arose and I was excited that it did when it happened.”
Along with winning three state championships and earning all-state accolades, Vokes recorded 38 career touchdown receptions, which is tied for the sixth-most in IHSAA history. In his senior season, he recorded 62 receptions for 1,030 yards and 16 touchdowns. Defensively, he recorded 27 tackles and four sacks at defensive end.
Vokes on developing in the Grundy Center program.
“Obviously state championships and being a part of some amazing teams that will go on in history books. But really just the coaches, the amount of time they invested in me as an athlete and as a person is really amazing. You learn a lot about football at Grundy Center, but you also learn a lot about just a man and growing as a person. That’s a big step of it, because going into college, you’re going to be tasked with a lot of new things, learning how to play football at the college level is a big step. Also just going into the college lifestyle is different than a high schooler, and they prepare you for that. They prepare you on the field, but also off the field. I feel really prepared in both aspects going into my college career.”
Vokes will participate in track & field before graduating in May. He’ll then begin UNI Football activities in the summer.
