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Kirk Ferentz press conference
Transcript
00:00 Appreciate that and appreciate everybody joining us today.
00:02 Just talk a little about the this recruiting class.
00:05 Obviously very excited signing days.
00:08 Always a special day.
00:10 It's a little anti climatic in this day and age with the way things have changed in recruiting.
00:16 I'll address that in a second, but I just want to backtrack one second and go back to Monday's comments.
00:22 I'm always, always interested.
00:23 I do look at there's a site football scoop, so I'm always interested how things get filtered as you go to a
00:29 because she called that a national publication.
00:32 But just just for the record, I said I've made three phone calls.
00:36 Never said I talked to three candidates, three phone calls regarding this whole process.
00:42 And then the other thing, just for clarification, it sounds like there's some speculation.
00:46 I was not referencing anybody that's been a head coach in the Big Ten.
00:51 I was actually referencing a coordinator that's come into our conference sometime in the last decade.
00:59 And my point was this.
01:00 There's a research reported to be there was a quote on Einstein's office in his office at Princeton that said,
01:08 you know, not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts.
01:14 And that was kind of my point.
01:15 You know, the person I'm thinking about specifically had a lot of passing yards on his resume, pretty well known nationally.
01:23 But, you know, you dig a little deeper, you look at his what the win total was, where he's been.
01:28 And I think that is an important statistic.
01:31 It's the most important one there is.
01:33 So that's a reference I was trying to make, but it was not in reference to anybody that's been a sitting head coach in the Big Ten.
01:40 Just want to clarify that.
01:41 So anyway, so let's get on the business.
01:44 I just want to talk briefly about the recruits.
01:46 Turn it over to Tyler, who knows all the details on each and every one of the guys that we have assigned.
01:53 And right now we have 20 that are assigned.
01:56 One will sign this afternoon when his mom's able to free up from work and get that done.
02:01 So just, you know, really pleased about the class.
02:04 As I suggested, the process has changed immensely in the last several years,
02:08 most namely when they started the official visits in the springtime through June.
02:15 So that's really caused a shift.
02:17 So at least for us historically, the majority of our class, you know, has been pretty well settled by July, I would say.
02:25 Tyler can give the exact details, but typically there's not a lot of drama.
02:29 The guys that do decide on us typically stay with us and we stay with them.
02:34 So, you know, hopefully it's a good mutual fit.
02:38 But as much as the process has changed, I think what we consider to be important really hasn't changed.
02:43 Obviously, every prospect, we're looking for a degree of athleticism at their position.
02:48 You know, we may not be as picky on heights or body weights some places,
02:53 but we're looking for a certain level of athleticism.
02:57 Obviously, the competitive nature of that player is really important to us.
03:01 How aggressive do they play?
03:03 You know, how much do they look like they enjoy it and really enjoy being out there?
03:07 How much do they enjoy competing?
03:09 Those things are important to us.
03:11 I've never been around a good player that didn't have a high level of pride,
03:15 and with that a high level of, you know, just a really strong work ethic.
03:19 Because it's hard to do anything and be good at anything.
03:21 It's difficult to do, you know, if you don't have those traits.
03:24 So I think those are things that we also try to, you know, try to, you know, uncover, you know, look for that type of deal.
03:31 And then I think it's really tough for, you know, important for a prospect.
03:37 Any player, certainly the guys in our program and most of the guys that are honored in our bank,
03:42 but a couple of weeks ago, the guys that were with you on Monday are examples of this.
03:46 You know, you got to have a level of patience too and realize that, you know,
03:50 if you got a growth mindset, you're going to keep getting better.
03:53 So your best football is always ahead of you.
03:55 And sometimes you may be behind another player that's pretty good too.
03:59 So you just keep working at it.
04:00 Jay Higgins is a great example.
04:02 You know, played behind Jack Campbell last year.
04:05 But when he did have a chance to play, he played extraordinary well.
04:08 And I think we were all confident he'd play well this year.
04:10 None of us probably could have expected the kind of numbers that he's put out.
04:15 So he certainly exceeded everybody's expectations there.
04:18 But it's really not a surprise because if you're around Jay day to day, you just understand how he operates.
04:23 And, you know, the good things that have come his way are things that he's earned on his own.
04:27 You know, hopefully we give him good structure, but players are the ones that put the work into it.
04:31 So, you know, those are the things we're trying to look for.
04:35 We still prefer to build our team and things have changed in the world also this way,
04:39 but prefer to build our team through our high school recruiting.
04:44 Certainly we're going to try to bolster our roster through the transfer portal.
04:47 I think it only makes sense.
04:48 It was really good to us last year and years forward.
04:51 Hopefully it will be as well.
04:53 And, you know, we may be active a little bit in the new year in that department.
04:58 But as most of you know, we really haven't had a lot of roster turnover.
05:02 So it's not like we got a lot of room right now, but we'll keep an eye out and be mindful there and do whatever we can moving forward.
05:09 So just in rough terms, I know Tom will go through this, but basically a third of our signees are from our state,
05:16 another third from the surrounding states, and then two guys from, you know, one from Ohio, one from Indiana, a couple of states over.
05:25 And then the outline areas, you got Texas, Arizona, Florida represented, and even Australia.
05:32 You know, LeVar made the trip over there last week and we feel really good about that as well.
05:37 So that hasn't changed a great deal.
05:40 Every guy is a captain.
05:42 Every guy is a multi-sport athlete.
05:44 Some guys more than multi.
05:46 A couple of guys are three and two or four actually sport athletes.
05:50 So those things remain important to us as well and just overall feel really good about the class.
05:57 Appreciate everybody's hard work, everybody on campus, not just in the department, but faculty members, everybody that helps make the cause well.
06:06 Our fans add a lot to it.
06:07 You know, when players come to games here, you know, they're extremely impressed being in Kinnick and seeing the fan support that we receive.
06:14 So that's important for us.
06:16 And it's really just a team effort, quite frankly.
06:18 So we're really appreciative of that, most appreciative of the recruits and their families, you know, just demonstrating their confidence in us and our program.
06:27 So excited to get them here whenever that time may be.
06:30 And in the meantime, you know, we'll just keep pushing forward here, but I'll throw it out for questions, see what we can do.
06:37 Okay.
06:38 Thank you, Coach.
06:39 Like Coach said, we'll take a handful of questions before we get to Tyler Barnes.
06:44 First question, Coach, comes from Chad Leistico from the Des Moines Register.
06:49 Chad?
06:50 Hey there.
06:52 We didn't get all the questions in probably the other day.
06:55 We wanted to.
06:56 So how's the health of the offensive line look like?
06:58 Depth chart, which I know you love to talk about.
07:01 Logan Jones was not on there.
07:02 Is he out for the game?
07:03 Jennings Dunker, other guys like that.
07:06 Yeah, I think I did that depth chart, feels like eight weeks ago, but probably two or three.
07:12 You know, we're back practicing right now and knock on wood, right now everybody's healthy, everybody's good to go.
07:18 Logan's doing well.
07:19 Dunk's doing good.
07:22 So yeah, right now good, so far so good.
07:25 Okay, next question, Tom Koecker, Hawkeye Report.
07:29 Hey, Kirk.
07:30 I know neither of us are math majors, but looking at your scholarship numbers, it's pretty tight and you've got guys that could potentially come back for the COVID year.
07:39 How are you guys kind of managing and massaging this whole situation right now?
07:44 Yeah, you know, probably like everybody else in the country, that's always an issue.
07:48 I think we have a fairly healthy projection on what's going to happen both ways.
07:53 So we feel pretty comfortable about where we're at.
07:56 And yeah, that's an issue for everybody.
07:59 It's much talked about in Division I right now.
08:02 Roster management's gotten very tricky with the portal.
08:05 You know, transfers, transfers in, transfers out, all those kinds of things.
08:10 And then, you know, typically every year you have some attrition from January to August.
08:16 I can't remember a year where that wasn't true.
08:18 And we probably have a medical or two, you know, medical case or two that are being reviewed right now on top of that.
08:25 So, you know, it's kind of like tickets during the week.
08:28 I always tell Rita, it'll work out, don't worry about it.
08:31 It usually does, but, you know, we're still pretty cautious about how we operate that way.
08:36 Elliott Clough, Rivals.com.
08:40 Hey, good afternoon, Kirk.
08:43 Appreciate you taking some time today.
08:45 One guy that I know has gotten a lot of positive feedback on social media and stuff like that based on his film is Gavin Hoffman.
08:54 I know you were there for his in-home visit.
08:56 Can you just tell me what exactly stuck out to you during his recruitment about him and what you, or why you wanted to make him a Hawkeye, I guess?
09:06 I think first and foremost is probably his attitude.
09:09 He's just a very eager, anxious guy.
09:12 He's a good football player, good athlete, football, basketball.
09:15 But, you know, his attitude, he just, he loves the game.
09:19 He's got a personality and not that that's everything, certainly, but because every player is different.
09:26 Josie Jewell would just look at you and then look through you.
09:28 There weren't a lot of smiles with Josie, that's for sure.
09:31 So, you know, not one size fits all, but I think Gavin's got real enthusiasm for the game.
09:35 He's got a good skill set.
09:36 We think great growth potential.
09:39 And so he has a lot of the characteristics of guys that have come here pretty much unheralded.
09:45 And I'm not saying he's unheralded.
09:47 That's not the case, but the guys that have really grown and developed in our system.
09:52 And, you know, we think he checks a lot of those boxes.
09:55 He's a little bit more heavily recruited than some of the guys, maybe, that, you know, I'm referencing that way.
10:01 But, yeah, we just liked everything about him.
10:02 John Steppe, the Gazette.
10:05 Hi, Kirk.
10:07 Two questions.
10:08 First one with the offensive guys, what was kind of your message these last few months to them with not having an OC yet in place?
10:16 And then totally unrelated, what kind of stood out to you about these three linebackers, three in-state guys, that didn't seem to have the highest ratings?
10:25 But look pretty talented.
10:26 Yeah, you know, the football question, I'll handle that first.
10:29 You know, Brian's been here throughout this entire period.
10:34 Shows up every day, totally committed to the program.
10:36 He's a former player.
10:38 He's got a lot of years associated with the program.
10:41 So there's no question I don't ask him daily, you know, what's his motivation.
10:46 But I don't want to speak for other people either.
10:48 But I'm pretty sure he's doing it because he's part of this program.
10:51 Cares deeply about the people involved and particularly our players, you know.
10:56 So it's a non-issue.
10:59 We're just proceeding on a daily basis.
11:01 And the encouragement we give him right now is the same as it was in August.
11:04 Let's just focus on getting better every day.
11:06 We're getting a little healthier where that's possible.
11:10 And seeing a lot of improvement from a lot of players.
11:14 And that's encouraging.
11:14 That's one of the great things about the summer.
11:16 And then, you know, the three linebackers, it feels like we've been recruiting them, I swear, for like four years.
11:22 Basically, I don't think anybody's further than 60 miles from here.
11:26 Can't tell you how many times they've been on campus for practices.
11:29 Spring practice this past weekend, they were all here.
11:34 And I felt like a year ago, they could have just slid right into our room and
11:37 fit in beautifully with the guys that we have.
11:40 So just like their attitudes, they've got, they all have different skill sets.
11:45 And they all have different personalities.
11:48 But they're just all, I think, very committed to being good football players.
11:51 I think them, you know, being here on the field a couple years ago and
11:55 watching guys like Campbell, watching guys like Benson work.
11:58 Now they get to see Higgins and Nick Jackson.
12:01 You know, and I just think they felt like the match was perfect.
12:05 We certainly felt that way.
12:06 And, you know, just very high on all three of them.
12:09 Just really like their attitude, their seriousness.
12:12 Like they're all tough, tough, competitive guys.
12:14 And then, you know, the irony is, and, you know, good luck this afternoon.
12:18 Again, like I said, you got three guys in a 60-mile radius.
12:21 So that certainly helps.
12:24 I wish we had about 50 prospects within a 60-mile radius.
12:28 It'd be really good.
12:28 Okay, Coach, two more questions.
12:31 First, we'll start with Adam Jacoby, Rivals.com.
12:35 Coach, I appreciate your time.
12:38 You know, you mentioned that this is sort of a changing recruiting landscape.
12:42 But you look at this class, and with the exception of the punter that you got a couple days ago,
12:48 it was essentially complete by the middle of summer.
12:51 Is that something you expected to have happen once you started to get the recruits?
12:56 And then once they were pretty much on board,
12:58 did you think it was going to be as drama-free getting to here as it has been?
13:03 Good question.
13:05 It's kind of funny because my exposure to our outside world is when I come to work or leave.
13:09 It's either the college station or the NFL station.
13:12 This morning, I had the college station on, heard about all the drama and, you know,
13:16 stuff going on and guys waffling.
13:18 I guess we just don't live in that world.
13:20 We really haven't had much of that for quite some time.
13:23 And typically, it doesn't make it right or wrong, but it's just it seems like the way we recruit,
13:29 we end up uncovering guys that, you know, we feel good about.
13:33 And then typically, if they commit, and we ask them, you know,
13:36 "Don't commit if you really don't mean it."
13:38 And again, there's exceptions to every rule.
13:40 But for the most part, when guys do commit,
13:43 and the parents are involved, and everybody's on board,
13:46 you know, you don't have to ride that roller coaster.
13:49 We really haven't done much of that.
13:50 And I'm not saying that's foreshadowing of a bad college career, but I don't mind telling you,
13:56 it would be a check, a concern for me, not a deal breaker, but a concern
14:01 if any of our coaches come in and start talking about it.
14:04 A guy's been in three high schools in three years.
14:06 Those kinds of things are just things you really need to get answers for, I think.
14:11 Because, you know, the best way to predict the future still is to
14:14 understand the past a little bit.
14:16 Sometimes there are very valid reasons why things happen.
14:19 I'm thinking of an example a couple of years back.
14:22 But, you know, if there's not a good reason,
14:25 and you're seeing some things that may be a lurch,
14:27 you know, chances are they're not going to work well here.
14:30 Because our goal is to get our guys here.
14:32 Our number one program goal still is for our guys to graduate.
14:35 Had a bunch of guys do it last Saturday.
14:37 A bunch of guys did it last May.
14:39 We'll have a bunch more here in the May.
14:41 May term, you know, so the guys that end up in the program,
14:43 they typically graduate.
14:45 And that's our number one program goal.
14:46 I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I know this.
14:49 If you don't stay at Iowa, you can't graduate from Iowa.
14:52 So, you know, it is important to us that we're,
14:56 we try to be very transparent, make sure they get a good picture
14:59 of what it's going to be like when they get here.
15:01 And so there are no surprises.
15:03 And then hopefully they get the work ethic that it takes to
15:05 stay in the program and become a really good football player.
15:11 - Okay, coach, last question for you.
15:13 Scott Dockerman, The Athletic.
15:15 - Kirk, I wanted to ask you a little bit about Cody Fox
15:20 and also kind of alongside those three other linebackers.
15:24 They've all committed a year and a half ago.
15:27 And so does it keep them that in the full,
15:30 how did you do it?
15:32 And then also with Cody Fox, are you surprised three years?
15:35 It seems like he's been committed to you.
15:37 Not one waiver.
15:39 - Yeah, Scott, man, that's scary.
15:42 I gotta tell you, when you offer guys that young
15:44 and, you know, they commit to you, it's like, oh boy,
15:48 hope we're right.
15:48 And that, you know, everything that we've learned about Cody
15:52 and seen him do since that time is what, you know,
15:55 what we'd hoped we were gonna see.
15:57 But, you know, the rest of that story too is, you know,
16:01 we've known his family for quite some time.
16:02 His older brother was here, just graduated.
16:07 So a year ago, graduated and, you know,
16:09 did a great job in our program.
16:11 So, you know, we knew the family,
16:13 think we knew we were getting there.
16:15 Cody had been to camp a couple of times,
16:16 just impressed the heck out of us,
16:18 really, really competitive guy, tough guy.
16:20 And we've also had some luck in that high school,
16:22 you know, it's been really good to us too, historically.
16:24 So, you know, we were, again, confident that,
16:27 you know, we had a pretty good idea
16:29 what we're getting a little bit like Aaron Graves,
16:32 you know, prior to that, who committed at a really young age.
16:35 But Aaron's such an exceptional young guy.
16:37 And then the same thing for linebackers again,
16:40 I don't think any of those guys,
16:41 I don't wanna speak for any of them,
16:42 but I don't think they ever gave it a thought
16:44 about, you know, a different school
16:46 or any of that kind of stuff.
16:47 You know, it was a pretty good match right from the start.
16:50 And again, we don't encourage guys to commit,
16:53 unless they really mean it and they're sure,
16:55 and the parents have to be sure too.
16:57 And, you know, all four of those young guys
17:00 have been steady, as have their families.
17:02 So I appreciate that, you know,
17:05 that's how you try to build a program.
17:06 You gotta have some really good cornerstones
17:09 and, you know, build a foundation with guys.
17:12 And it was that way in the '80s too,
17:13 you build a foundation, I think within state players
17:15 that really understand the program,
17:17 they have a great appreciation
17:18 for the history of the program.
17:20 And then they help educate, you know,
17:23 guys that maybe aren't quite as familiar as they come in.
17:25 And it's worked out pretty well for us over time.
17:27 - Coach, thank you so much for your time.
17:31 Congratulations on your signing class today.
17:34 And safe travels down to Orlando.
17:37 - Appreciate it.
17:38 We'll let Tyler take it from here.
17:39 Thank you.