By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Several weeks ago, I wrote a column saying that senior defensive end Parker Hesse would be my pick for the most valuable player on the Iowa football team.

I feel even stronger about that heading into Friday’s regular-season finale against Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium.

Hesse will be among 14 seniors who will be honored before the game, and each one of them has reason to be proud for having stayed the course because playing big-time college football is a physical, mental and emotional grind.

It wreaks havoc on a person’s body, so it takes somebody truly special to handle the demands of being an Iowa football player, and few have handled that distinguished role with as much class, effectiveness and humility as Hesse.

“It’s just been the greatest four, five years of my life,” Hesse said of being an Iowa football player. “It just comes down to the relationships that I’ve been able to build and the people that I’ve gotten a chance to meet and play with. That’s what has made it so special. And that’s what I’m going to remember so fondly in years to come.”

Fans only see Hesse’s value to the team during games where he has shown a knack throughout his career for making big plays at pivotal times. He was thrust into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman in 2015 after Dew Ott was injured and the rest is history that continues to write itself.

Hesse will make his 46^th career start on Friday and he enters the game with 173 tackles, including 30.5 for loss. He also has 16 sacks and nine quarterback hurries.

And he’s only missed one game as a Hawkeye due to injury.

This season has been filled with numerous peaks and valleys and with emotional highs and lows. Iowa fell short of winning the Big Ten West Division, but the 14 seniors still have a chance to finish undefeated against Nebraska and to win nine games.

"It's always interesting, every guy has got a different story," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of the seniors. "Some guys' careers go just as you hope. Other guys face injuries, face different challenges. It's a wide range every year, but the common denominator with all 14 of these players, they've all been great team members, they've all brought strong leadership to our football team, and especially when we're going through difficult times. That's when it really counts.

"Just really happy for all of them. They've all supported our football team, and certainly they've all left their jerseys in a better place, and just we're thrilled to have them with us, and hopefully, we can send them out on a really positive note. I know that would be a really special twist to an already important game for us."

Hesse's productivity and durability are enough to make him special, but his impact goes far beyond being dependable on the field.

If you were to ask the Iowa players to pick the best leader on the team, everyone probably would say Hesse except for Hesse.

If you were to ask the Iowa players to pick the hardest worker on the team, everyone probably would say Hesse except for Hesse.

Senior defensive tackle Matt Nelson called Hesse the ultimate competitor and an inspiration.

“You just try and match that level of intensity,” Nelson said. “He helps bring everybody else along. He brings us up as a group.”

Sophomore defensive end A.J. Epenesa had just moved to Iowa City in the summer of 2017 and was participating in conditioning drills for the first time with his new teammates when he experienced Hesse’s leadership skills for the first time.

“He was just trying to help out with some drills and just showing the easy ways to do it, not necessarily easier, but the right way to do it,” Epenesa said. “Parker is just a very detailed person.

“It told me that, obviously, he’s been here for a while. I knew who he was and what he’s capable of. So what he had to say I really thought it was going to mean something. So I just tried soak it in and really tried to do what he does.”

Epenesa has been a sponge around Hesse, trying to pick up on all the little things that Hesse does to maximize his full potential.

And few have maximized their potential better than Hesse has while rising from a former two-star recruit to one of the most impactful and respected players during the Kirk Ferentz coaching era, which now stretches 20 seasons.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, Hesse is considered small for a defensive end, and he is small compared to Iowa’s other defensive ends, including the 6-5, 277-pound Epenesa and 6-7, 271-pound Anthony Nelson.

There have been times when Hesse has been under-appreciated by the Iowa fans, especially after Epenesa joined the team in 2017 as a five-star recruit with enormous talent and hype.

Some fans voiced their displeasure when Iowa released its 2018 spring depth chart and Epenesa still was listed behind Hesse.

Epenesa’s father, former Iowa defensive lineman Eppy Epenesa, responded to the criticism by defending Hesse and the Iowa coaches on social media.

Eppy Epenesa said Hesse not only deserved to start, but he also thanked Hesse for being a mentor to his son.

A.J. Epenesa echoed his father’s sentiments about Hesse on Tuesday while meeting with the media. There was compassion and conviction in A.J. Epenesa’s voice as he talked about his friend and teammate.

“In the program, he is definitely not under-appreciated,” A.J. Epenesa said of Hesse. “Parker is the leader on this team. And the public, people can say whatever they want. It doesn’t affect what we do here or what goes on. Parker has always been a leader here and that’s how he’ll be remembered.

“I mean he’s left his mark here. People on the outside can say whatever they want because they don’t determine who plays or who doesn’t. It doesn’t affect me. It doesn’t affect anything here because we’re going to play guys who are going to make plays and Parker is a playmaker.”

Kirk Ferentz knew even before Hesse had joined the program that Iowa was getting a unique individual who was mature beyond his years.

To say that Hesse was lightly recruited coming out of Waukon High School where he played quarterback and linebacker would be an understatement. Iowa was his only power five scholarship offer, and the offer came late in the recruiting process and during the 2013 high school football playoffs.

And yet, Hesse still didn’t commit on the spot, which surprised Ferentz because he knew that Hesse wanted to be a Hawkeye and was just waiting for a scholarship offer to make that dream come true.

"He showed up the Monday after they played in the state championship with his family and committed,” Ferentz said. “And I asked him, I said, if you don't mind me asking you, what was the delay?”

Hesse’s answer made a huge impression on Ferentz.

“He didn't want to take away from his high school team,” Ferentz said. ‘.They were trying to do something as a team, collectively, and he didn't want it to be a distraction, his story to be the news instead of the team. That's just how he's wired. He's been that way from day one here. He works extremely hard. He just — nothing is ever negative out of his mouth. He's just all about the team, and demonstrates it, and he is extremely mentally tough. Just unbelievable that way. But doesn't talk about it. Like he just does stuff. That's what he does.

“Players that are like that, they really get respected for who they are and how they walk as opposed to what they're talking about necessarily.”

Hesse won't be remembered as the greatest defensive end to play for Iowa under Ferentz, or maybe not even the second or third greatest. But you'd be hard-pressed to think of an Iowa player who was more respected.

The Iowa coaches took a chance on Hesse and they had enough vision to switch him from linebacker to defensive end early in his career. Hesse embraced the switch because he trusted the Iowa coaches and because the team always comes first with Parker Hesse.

“He’s the hardest worker in the room," A.J. Epenesa said. "Just from everything I ever seen about Parker, he’s always been seen as the little guy. He’s just worked his butt off to become who is today, a beast on the d-line. And you have to respect him for that. And if you don’t, then you just don’t know what you’re talking about.”