For a large portion of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ roster, this Friday will be the final time they suit up in the black and gold. It’s the way Iowa operates, where they retain players for their entire careers and see them reap the rewards of their efforts in their time with the Hawkeyes.
Kirk Ferentz appreciates all of the seniors and knows it’s an emotional thing to wrap up a career, but this week, he proudly talked about the success of this senior class for Iowa.
“Two of our three program goals are graduation and then maximizing your career. You can’t do either one of those if you don’t stay the course.
“I have guys leave the program or whatever, you know, two years into it or three years into it, one year into it. It’s hard to graduate from Iowa if you leave, and it’s hard to maximize your career here. All those guys you mentioned are going to hit both those marks.
“They have graduated or are going to graduate, and then the other part of it is they’ve really maxed out their careers. Most of the guys you mentioned — all the guys. Let me rephrase that. All the guys you mentioned are playing their best football right now, which is paramount. If you are going to have a good team, you have to have guys playing their best when they’re older.
“The other thing is they’ve improved, some night and day, night and day. You mentioned TJ. A year ago he was a solid corner in the Big Ten. Right now he’s playing at a really high level, and we saw that starting to really take place in the spring.
“I think Xavier is playing with more confidence and more decisiveness than he ever has, and he’s played well and played a lot of football. That’s just part of if guys are thinking right, working right, then that all kind of falls in place for them. Again, you can’t do it if you don’t stay.
“It’s easier said than done. It’s hard to be a college football senior. I really believe that,” Ferentz said about Iowa’s senior class.
With one game left, a date with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, this senior class has a chance to seek some revenge, with their only loss to Nebraska coming in 2022, their freshman season.
A win against Nebraska on Friday would mark Iowa’s third-straight win, give the seniors a 3-1 record in the Heroes Trophy Game, and give Iowa its 10th win in the last 11 meetings.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Kirk Ferentz deep dives on unique success of Iowa football seniors
Reporting by Riley Donald, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
