Kirk Ferentz, Jay Higgins, Cooper DeJean, Luke Lachey
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Nobody's been pulled from the program at all.
00:02 That would come from above, certainly, at NCAA or whomever.
00:07 So I think your number one concern is, is anybody gambling on your team?
00:14 You're trying to avoid those kinds of things.
00:16 That's what the structure rules should be about.
00:19 I have no knowledge or anything like that.
00:21 I think from my vantage point, what our players are guilty of,
00:26 what I know, which is limited, it could be probably players.
00:31 I don't think Alaska plays football, but I think there are college football players
00:34 in 49 other states that can be the same person.
00:36 So that's my take on this whole thing.
00:40 They're part of the program.
00:41 I mean, Noah Shannon's one of our top guys.
00:43 He's just a tremendous young man, tremendous person.
00:46 He may or may not have violated NCAA rules, he'll tell.
00:51 He's not broken any laws or rules.
00:53 So he's first class.
00:54 I think that's one of the, I get to see that side of it and
00:58 I see how it's affected him.
00:59 It feels badly that he's even involved in this.
01:03 And I consider it kid stuff, but it's beyond kid stuff.
01:07 It's everybody's stuff, apparently.
01:09 I don't gamble, so I'm kind of oblivious to that.
01:12 But yeah, I mean, those guys are part of the team.
01:15 They're here to practice.
01:16 Hopefully, we'll know sooner than later what the consequences, if any, are.
01:21 Again, my encouragement, I think we should ramp up our educational efforts
01:24 diversely, nationally.
01:27 At least I assume nationally.
01:28 I know in our environment, that's probably a good thing.
01:30 And reconsider the parameters, just like they've done with drug testing and
01:35 things like that.
01:35 I think it's very, very common.
01:37 There are similar, a lot of parallels between.
01:39 So all that being said, we'll deal with whatever the results are.
01:41 Like to know sooner than later, I have no control over that.
01:44 >> Mike, with the drives, regarding that kind of points per game threshold.
01:48 >> The what, I'm sorry?
01:48 >> Regarding that points per game threshold.
01:51 >> Yeah, I mean, it is what it is.
01:52 It's on record, and it's really nothing to worry about.
01:57 We're focused, we'll stay where it's been.
01:59 Our focus is gonna be on winning games and playing the best we can.
02:03 None of us are running from last year.
02:05 We were not good offensively.
02:07 You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out,
02:09 if you just look at the numbers.
02:10 But believe it or not, if you go back post 21, go back to 20 on,
02:15 we've had some pretty good offensive football teams.
02:18 The way we're built, we do believe in defense at our place.
02:21 We believe in special teams, and all three components really work well.
02:26 But if we're playing the way we need to play, it's not gonna be an issue.
02:29 So that's really where our focus is, our performance,
02:31 what we can do to move forward.
02:33 I'll give you a quick trivia since you wanna go down that road, or
02:35 you have gone down that road.
02:37 In 21, our numbers were almost identical to 09 going back to the punt block.
02:41 09, we won the Orange Bowl.
02:43 And there weren't a lot of complaints after that season.
02:45 We were all feeling pretty good.
02:46 I think our fan base is pretty happy.
02:49 The numbers were almost identical.
02:50 So it's all perspective and how you look at things.
02:53 And part of my job is to look at that and things and be knowledgeable.
02:56 But whether it's my time here, last 24 years, or even my time in 89,
03:00 we were five and six, we were in the Rose Bowl the next year.
03:03 So it's about what you're doing.
03:05 It's about looking forward and trying to improve and build.
03:07 And that's the one thing we've tried to do on any staff I've been on.
03:12 That's just how we've operated as Coach Fry, Coach Belichick,
03:14 Coach Marchant-Groove.
03:16 And then these freshmen that just got on campus, like really good.
03:19 Keeter, I mean, I hate to scare him a little bit, but
03:24 I see a lot of Campbell in him.
03:26 Just a long linebacker.
03:27 And then Jack and Aiden, they just got back from the Shrine Bowl.
03:32 The Shrine Bowl's a pretty big deal in Iowa.
03:35 So just getting some of those freshmen back in skills and
03:37 drills, it's been fun watching them.
03:40 >> Explain more about Keeter.
03:41 What other things do you know about Campbell?
03:44 >> Yeah, he's a tall kid, long.
03:47 I mean, I tell him I'll wrestle him in the locker room,
03:52 knowing I'll never try to do that.
03:53 But he's one of those guys who knows that details matter.
03:58 Always trying to get better, always asking what he could have did better.
04:03 He's in a position where he's really trying to learn, and I recognize that.
04:09 >> Yeah, for this upcoming season, I think that Brian Ferencz has made a lot of
04:13 good changes in the offense, and I've seen a lot of things I really like.
04:18 Going out there, you can tell.
04:21 I'm talking to Nico Regainey, who's been in the program for six years now.
04:25 >> [LAUGH]
04:28 >> But we talk and we're just like,
04:32 dang, this is really good, it's cool.
04:35 He sees that, and I think that that's the really cool thing.
04:39 Even just getting new guys and guys that are coming back, ready to go,
04:43 I think that's the biggest thing.
04:44 >> So you're sensing scheme changes, or just kind of tweaks?
04:48 Or how would you describe it?
04:50 >> A little bit of both, a little bit of both, I'd say.
04:52 >> Okay, does that have something to do with Cade and the way he plays too?
04:55 Does that make it different?
04:57 >> Yeah, I mean, you wanna try to do your best.
05:00 As offense coordinator, I don't wanna speak for Brian, but I'm sure that he wants
05:04 to look at the guys that he has and go and do whatever it takes to help the team win.
05:10 And I don't think that last year, I don't even need to talk about last year at
05:15 this point, but you know what I'm saying.
05:18 >> Yeah, it was a cool honor to have, obviously.
05:22 It is a preseason though, and everybody's 0-0, nobody's played a game yet.
05:26 So it doesn't mean a whole lot, I guess.
05:30 But I just wanna focus on being able to put my best foot forward out on the field,
05:35 and proving that I'm worthy of that on the field on Saturdays.
05:39 >> Yeah.
05:41 >> There's a player on the team, a breakout player,
05:44 a lot of season room, do you know why?
05:46 >> Yeah, I think there's a couple guys on the defensive side.
05:50 Xavier Wampa, he kinda got his feet wet a little bit in the bowl game.
05:56 But I think he took a lot of steps forward this spring.
05:59 And I think as well as Aaron Graves on the defensive line,
06:05 I know he played a lot as a freshman, but he plays with a lot of confidence.
06:10 And I'm looking forward to watching those two guys this season.
06:13 I think they'll have big seasons.
06:15 >> So you're a big tent headed about, but it's just been fun to have those guys around.
06:21 >> What are you better at?
06:22 Go ahead, Pat.
06:22 >> Do you feel any pressure to live up to what you've become with all this hype?
06:26 Or is that something you use to your advantage, pressure?
06:29 >> Yeah, I mean, I like pressure.
06:31 I think I'm just gonna keep being myself though.
06:35 I mean, I feel like that's the best I can do, just keep doing what I'm doing,
06:39 keep getting better.