The seniors on the 2016 Iowa football team will take center stage on Friday
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Kirk Ferentz will bid farewell to his 18th senior class on Friday in what promises to be an emotional pre-game ceremony at Kinnick Stadium.
Seniors on a college football team are special for so many reasons, not the least of which is their ability to stay the course while growing from teenagers to young men.
Iowa will honor its 14 seniors before the Nebraska game on Friday. The class is small in terms of numbers, but large in other ways.
It includes arguably the greatest defensive back in the history of the program in cornerback Desmond King; a quarterback with 20 victories as a starter in C.J. Beathard; a standout tight end in George Kittle, a disruptive force at defensive tackle in Jaleel Johnson, a quirky punter who has spent just one year in the program, but still made a huge impact in Ron Coluzzi, and last, but certainly not least, Ferentz’s youngest son, Steve Ferentz.
“It's really powerful and it's very bittersweet, as you might imagine, whether one of our kids is involved, and this will be the third one,” Ferentz said. “When you look at the seniors each and every year, it's one thing the fans get to see the guys play and they get to see snapshots of them throughout the year. But we're around our players so much as coaches, so I think we're the ones who really can appreciate and fully understand the investment they've made in the program.”
Every senior class is the same in that each has star players, role players and seldom-used players. All the seniors serve a purpose and make a team better.
“It's wonderful for everybody who gets a chance,” Ferentz said. “Think of a guy like Desmond King who got thrown into his first ballgame on campus and basically has started every game and played just about every snap since that time.
“Or guys that really never see the field when the score's in doubt. But I think the reason they stay with it, they go through all the tough things that are involved is, you know, they get something out of it. It's a reciprocating deal.”
The seniors who attended Tuesday’s weekly press conference for the last time were asked a lot questions that caused for reflection, including what they will miss the most about being a Hawkeye or a favorite moment.
They all basically said the same thing.
“I would say the moments are just in the locker room after every win,” said King. “That’s something that you can’t buy, being in a locker room with your teammates and your brothers celebrating great moments and great wins.”
Senior running back LeShun Daniels echoed that same sentiment, using many of the same words.
“That’s definitely the thing that everyone enjoys the most,” Daniels said of being in the locker room after a victory. “When you’re in that locker room with a group of guys that you’ve been putting so much work in over the offseason and throughout the season, especially when you’ve been having ups and downs and come away with big wins, those moments in the locker room, you can’t buy that stuff, being with your teammates and being with your brothers. It’s priceless moments.”
The seniors have been a part of 34 victories and three bowl games over four seasons. They could leave with 36 wins overall depending on what happens against Nebraska and in a bowl game. That would average out to nine wins per season over four years, which is impressive.
The journey hasn’t always been smooth for the 14 seniors. They still haven't won a bowl game and the 23-21 loss to FCS power North Dakota State on Sept. 17 at Kinnick Stadium was embarrassing and hurt the players from a confidence standpoint.
It took the players awhile to snap of it, but eventually they did because you don’t beat the current Michigan team, as Iowa did on Nov. 12, without having confidence and resolve.
And you don’t have confidence and resolve without having a strong senior class.
The season could’ve unraveled after the 41-14 drubbing at Penn State on Nov. 5 because the circumstances seemed hopeless at the time. Iowa had performed poorly and then faced the worst kind of criticism when Penn State running back Saquon Barley more or less accused the Iowa players of quitting, saying they didn’t want to be there.
“We were flat out embarrassed, and I think as an athlete and a competitor, you all have pride and you do kind of take those kinds of things at heart,’ said senior defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie. “You take those kinds of things to heart when people question your heart or your drive to want to be a competitor.
“As a person, I took it to heart. I think as a defense we all decided that, hey, enough is enough. We have to come together. At that point we had two options. We either were going to roll over or put our foot down and try to make something of the season.”
Ekakitie is another impressive piece to the current senior class.
He came to Iowa as a four-star recruit who had plenty of options for college. He played sparingly during the early stages of his career, and never has been a full-time starter.
Some former star recruits would’ve bolted, but Ekakitie has stayed the course, which says a lot about him and about the Iowa program.
He grew up in Canada, attended in high school in suburban Chicago and became a man at the University of Iowa, along with being a pretty good football player.
And speaking of staying the course, Steve Ferentz also deserves praise because his journey was different than his two older brothers, both of whom were on scholarship at Iowa and multi-year starters on the offensive line.
Steve has played sparingly as a walk-on offensive lineman and is currently listed as the backup at right guard. He has made his biggest impact in practice just by busting his butt and setting the right example that the team always comes first.
Steve's position coach is his oldest brother, Brian Ferentz, who had the privilege of starting for his father as offensive lineman during his career, which ended in 2005. Middle brother James Ferentz also played extensively for his father at center and is now a member of the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.
It probably was easier for Steve's two older brothers to stay engaged because they were rewarded each Saturday by playing in games. Steve hasn't had that incentive as a Hawkeye, and yet, he never has wavered.
That says something about his character.
“It's kind of representative of a lot of the guys that have come through that haven't played,” Kirk Ferentz said when asked about Steve’s career. “Again, I would argue or suggest it's a lot easier to be motivated, it's a lot easier to train, it's a lot easier to do all the things that we ask of our players when they know they're going to be playing. They obviously have a different stake, if you will. So, when guys do it in their fourth years, fifth-years, I think that says a lot about them.”
Steve Ferentz was being the ultimate teammate on Tuesday while speaking with the media. Reporters wanted to make the interview about Steve playing in his last game at Kinnick Stadium, but Steve kept putting the team first.
"Five years go kind of quick once you start looking back on it,” Steve said. “But as of right now, all the focus is on Friday and what happens after the senior day ceremony. We’ve got a big game. It’s a huge opportunity for us. The trophy is on the line, so it’s a huge opportunity for our team. That’s what we’re focused on right now. All the other stuff we can look back on later."
Greg Mabin's senior day will be bittersweet as a three-year starter at cornerback sidelined by an injury at the worst time.
Mabin hopes to play in a bowl game, but there is no guarantee. His career might be over, but his moments as a Hawkeye will last forever. That was obvious when Mabin was asked on Tuesday what he will remember most about being a Hawkeye.
"Just being in the locker room after a win," he said. "It's something that you can't buy and can never get back."
His fellow seniors would agree.