It took some time for Princeton receiver Andrei Iosivas to become a dominant college football player, but he is somebody who just kept improving and now finds himself as a certified NFL prospect.
Measured at 6-2.7 and 212 pounds at the Senior Bowl, Iosivas, who is from Honolulu, didn’t play his first season in 2018, one in which Princeton went 10-0. That year he developed in practice and in JV games.
“He was raw and needed a bit of time his freshman year,” Princeton coach Bob Surace said in a phone interview with HERO Sports. “I remember his sophomore year, he started to take off.”
As a sophomore in 2019, he had 18 receptions for 263 yards and four touchdowns.
In 2020 there was no season due to COVID.
He had 41 receptions for 703 yards and five touchdowns in 2021.
Then this past season, Iosivas had 66 receptions for 943 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games for a Princeton team that went 8-2.
Iosivas earned several accolades in 2022, including First Team honors on HERO Sports’ FCS All-American Team.
Iosivas was invited to the Senior Bowl. While he didn’t make any receptions in the game, Iosivas showed his ability to separate on one play in which he was wide open in the end zone, but was overthrown.
NFL scouts place a heavy emphasis on how a player performs during the Senior Bowl practices. Here is Iosivas going up against an excellent corner, Tyrique Stevenson of Miami.
Iosivas’ track background should add to his value in the NFL draft.
He is a three-time Ivy League champion and First Team All-Ivy League selection in the heptathlon. He earned All-American honors at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Track championship by placing fourth in the heptathlon. Iosivas posted the fastest-ever 60-meter time (6.71) in the NCAA heptathlon during the 2022 indoor championships.
“I was told that time translates to a 4.28 time in the 40,” Surace said.
Watch here as Iosivas takes off after the catch and turns on the jets.
Surace, who was an NFL assistant coach with the Cincinnati Bengals for nine years before taking over as the head coach of his alma mater in 2010, says he has gotten good feedback from NFL personnel.
“Friends of mine when I coached in the NFL all seemed to indicate he is a potential second-day pick or a high third-day pick,” Surace said.
Highly respected evaluator Ric Serritella of the NFL Draft Bible placed a third-round grade on Iosivas.
Surace says that any NFL team will be getting more than just an excellent football player.
“He kept getting better as a football player and never sacrificed track or academics,” Surace said. “He is one of those kids who loves life, works hard, is a great teammate, and just a joy to coach.”
Not so much a joy to coach against.
Just ask Harvard, which watched Iosivas make nine receptions for 176 yards and a touchdown in the Tigers’ 37-10 win over the host Crimson this past season. Or Cornell, which the next week saw Iosivas catch 10 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-9 home win.
Iosivas has been invited to the NFL Combine, Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis. He will also take part in Princeton’s Pro Day on March 21.
He likely will test well at both.
As with all receivers, the key for Iosivas will be his ability to gain separation, especially in press coverage. His game still needs refinement, but the combination of his intelligence, work ethic, and athletic ability will give NFL teams plenty to work with.
