Cedar Rapids Washington senior David Tann has fond memories of attending University of Iowa football games as a kid growing up.

Now he hopes to collect memories of actually playing for the Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium.

Tann, a 5-foot-10 safety, has accepted an offer to join the Hawkeyes as a preferred walk-on for the 2012 campaign.

"My family used to go to one game a year and have this big tailgate there," Tann said Tuesday night. "I remember playing in the parking ramp, throwing the ball around.

"It's always been a dream to be in the black-and-gold, to be a Hawk. I just always wanted to be on that field somehow as a player."

Winona State, an NCAA Division II school in Minnesota, offered Tann a partial scholarship. He weighed his two main options and decided in favor of the Hawkeyes.

"It's a great opportunity," he said.

Tann helped the Warriors (8-4) reach the quarterfinals of the Class 4A playoffs last season as a two-way player. He finished second on the team with 101 tackles, including 18 tackles for loss and three sacks. He intercepted three passes and returned one of them for a touchdown.

Tann rushed 82 times for 680 yards and eight touchdowns at fullback. He also caught 13 passes for 145 yards and three TDs.

He was named first team all-Metro, first team all-Mississippi Valley Conference and second team all-state last season on defense.

Tann said the Hawkeyes plan to use him on special teams in addition to playing safety.

"It's exciting, but I haven't done anything yet," he said. "There's a lot of work to do."

Colleges use the term "preferred walk-on" to designate players they have recruited who will join the team when preseason drills begin in August.