He played college football at Hillsdale before transferring to Iowa and was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
He earned Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Defensive Lineman of the Year honors in 2018, after posting 70 total tackles, including 14.5 for-loss, and 8.5 sacks along with three fumbles forced.
[1][4] After receiving a degree in history following the 2018 season, VanValkenburg decided to transfer as a college graduate to Iowa for his final two years of football eligibility.
He was named at the end of the season a second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection by the coaches of the league and a fourth-team choice by Phil Steele.
[1] Although 2020 was supposed to be VanValkenburg's final season of collegiate football, he was given an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19 and opted to return to the team in 2021.
[7] He was given the Hayden Fry Award for defensive most valuable player and was named second-team all-conference by the league's coaches and Associated Press (AP).
[1] VanValkenburg finished his six-year college career with a total of 60 games played (48 as a starter), and 211 tackles, 42.5 for-loss, 22 sacks, and five forced fumbles.