By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – We don’t get to see some of the best moments involving Iowa football players, and you can either praise or blame Kirk Ferentz for that.

It just depends on where you stand with regard to what should be kept private or made public.

Ferentz recently awarded scholarships to four players, but the media wasn’t made aware of it until Tuesday when Iowa held its first in-season weekly press conference.

Ferentz told reporters that senior offensive tackle Dalton Ferguson, senior fullback Austin Kelly, senior receiver Kyle Groeneweg and junior tight end Nate Wieting were all elevated to scholarship status at the end of preseason camp.

Ferentz was then asked why he chooses to keep milestone moments like receiving a scholarship private, while some other programs make a big deal about it on social media.

“Those are private moments, and those are really nice things, and it's a great feeling to tell a young guy that he's earned a scholarship,” Ferentz said. “It's a really nice thing.

“Not everything has got to be out there for public display, I don't think. It's just how we operate.”

If we’ve learned anything about Kirk Ferentz over nearly two decades, it’s that he does nothing for show or for self-promotion. The 63-year old Ferentz is more substance than style, and like it or not, he isn’t changing.

There is nothing wrong with making a big deal out of players being put on scholarship because it certainly makes for good drama on social media.

And some head coaches crave the attention because they’re self-promoters.

Kirk Ferentz is self-deprecating, but hardly a self-promoter.

Ferentz still believes, even in this age of social media and having video cameras on nearly every street corner, that certain traditions and bonding experiences are meant to take place in private, and I have no problem with that.

There is no right or wrong approach in this case, but the fact that Ferentz prefers to reward scholarships in private says a lot about his personality.

"It's a big deal. It's a huge deal for anybody to earn a scholarship,” Ferentz said. “You talk about truly earning a scholarship, we award them during the recruiting season, but when you come here of your own volition — and every one of those guys is a good story.”

Their stories will likely be told over the course of the 2018 season, which starts on Saturday against Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa likes to promote its success with developing walk-ons, and there is no greater success than shedding the walk-on status.

Imagine how proud the four players who were recently put on scholarship must feel knowing that their education is now being paid for due to their willingness to stay the course.

Sure, it’d be neat to watch the drama unfold on social media, but there is also something special about keeping it private because it allows the players and coaches to share a special moment amongst themselves, and to have a memory they can share and cherish forever.

“When those guys have been in the program, they've paid their dues, more than paid their dues, and we have a lot of other guys we could have rewarded,” Ferentz said. “It's really gratifying.”

Playing for Kirk Ferentz probably isn’t for everybody. He has certain expectations and demands that might clash with those who crave the individual spotlight.

Ferentz prohibits his players from being on Twitter because he doesn’t want them to post something in the heat of the moment that they will ultimately regret.

I remember thinking when he first implemented the rule that it was too strict and controlling, but after watching countless players embarrass themselves on Twitter, it now makes perfect sense.

A recruit who isn’t willing to give up Twitter for four or five years probably wouldn’t fit at Iowa in the first place.

With Ferentz, it’s all about the team and about projecting the right image.

Ferentz takes it very serious when a walk-on is rewarded with a scholarship, so serious that he prefers to do it in private instead of on a big stage for everybody to see.

Again, it’s all part of having more substance than style.

Ferentz also practices what he preaches in that it is never about him.

He is on the verge of becoming Iowa's all-time winningest football coach, and is expected to surpass his former boss and close friend, Hayden Fry, on Saturday against Northern Illinois, considering Iowa is favored by 10 points.

Ferentz and Fry are both tied with 143 career wins at Iowa, but most of the Iowa players, including sophomore receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, seemed unaware of the exact number on Tuesday, or they just didn't want to talk about it.

“We’re just … focusing on the first game. Get through that, hopefully we get him his 144th, 145th win,” Smith-Marsette said.

He then paused for a few seconds before acknowledging one thing.

“That’s a lot of wins,” Smith-Marsette said.

Ferentz was asked on Tuesday about being so close to breaking the record, and he answered in predicable fashion.

"As you might imagine,” Ferentz said, “I really don’t want to talk too much about that right now.”

Ferentz didn't want to talk about breaking the record, partly out of respect for Northern Illinois, and because it's never about him.

He will undoubtedly have mixed emotions should he break the record on Saturday in that he will be thrilled with the victory, but uncomfortable with the spotlight shining on him.

Ferentz would rather celebrate the achievement in private.