A decision can be strange and admirable at the same time
By Pat Harty
CHICAGO – On Friday, I wrote a column saying that it was kind of strange that star defensive end A.J. Epenesa wasn’t among the three players picked to represent the Iowa football team at Big Ten media day.
And though I still feel that way, something good also happened as a result of Epenesa not being picked to attend the annual event.
Senior defensive back Michael Ojemudia was picked to represent Iowa at Big Ten media day and he did so with class and dignity and with a tremendous sense of pride and appreciation.
Ojemudia was accompanied by Iowa senior quarterback Nate Stanley and junior running back Toren Young in Chicago.
“Being the only player here from the defense and being a senior and being a spokesperson for the defense, I’m just thankful that they had the trust in me and I hope I say the right things,” Ojemudia said on Friday.
Asked if he was surprised to have been picked, Ojemudia said:
“Yeah, maybe a little I was surprised. There is a lot of good players on defense, and some people from Iowa on defense that might have spoken for Iowa a little better than me. But I’m just thankful that the coaches picked me and trusted me that I could speak for my part of the deal.”
Ojemudia isn’t on the same level as Epenesa in terms of talent, star power and popularity, but Ojemudia also has an interesting story to tell.
In some ways, Ojemudia embodies the characteristics of an Iowa football under Kirk Ferentz more than Epenesa does.
Epenesa is one of just a handful of five-star recruits to play for Iowa under Ferentz, and you could say that Epenesa, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound junior, was born and raised to be a Hawkeye as the son of former Iowa defensive lineman Eppy Epenesa.
Ojemudia, on the other hand, only had four scholarship offers according to Rivals from Iowa, Eastern Michigan, Indiana and Wyoming.
The Iowa coaches, particularly defensive coordinator Phil Parker, have an uncanny ability to see talent and potential where other coaches don’t see it.
Kirk Ferentz and his crew have thrived in turning under-valued recruits into overachievers, and Ojemudia is one of many examples.
In addition to being a starter at cornerback, Ojemudia also has a fascination with cars, partly due to growing up near Detroit and having a father who worked as a designer for the Fort Motor Company.
Ojemudia will leave Iowa with a degree in mechanical engineering and he plans to follow in his father’s footsteps by designing cars and engines for cars.
He also hopes to play in the NFL, but football will only last for so long, so Ojemudia is working diligently to be ready for life after football.
The decision to send Ojemudia to Big Ten media day appears to be Kirk Ferentz’s way of recognizing a job well done on and off the field.
It also shows that every player at Iowa matters and that the team always comes first under Ferentz.
Every teams needs a star player like Epenesa, who led the Big Ten with 10.5 sacks last season as a sophomore non-starter.
But there wouldn’t be a team without players like Ojemudia doing their part away from the spotlight.
Former Iowa and NFL defensive back Sean Considine reached out to me on Twitter in response to my column to say that Epenesa not being picked to attend media day was a non-issue and that he trusts Kirk Ferentz on these kinds of matters.
Considine pointed out that he was a member of Iowa’s Leadership Group for four years, and a team captain as a senior, and yet, he never was picked to represent Iowa at Big Ten media day.
“I’m just coming from the point of a guy who thinks about the team first,” Considine said on Twitter. “From a player-coach standpoint, these are non-issues, or at least should be. Iowa does a great job internally with this stuff.”
I agree with Considine and wrote in my column on Friday that Epenesa not being picked to represent Iowa was a bigger issue with fans and with the media.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Epenesa suggested that Iowa should send one of his less-heralded defensive teammates to media day because you won’t find a more devoted team-first guy than Epenesa.
And I can almost guarantee that Epenesa was happy that Ojemudia was picked to represent the Iowa defense.
Epenesa in some ways is a reluctant star because he values the team, and his teammates, more than individual acclaim.
“I think the most important thing I can say about A.J. is he’s an unbelievable teammate and he really cares about the guys he’s with, not only in the defensive line room, but the entire team,” Ferentz said on Friday. “He’s just a great teammate and an unbelievable human being.
“And I’m really confident that he’s going to play really good football this year. Obviously, he’ll get more opportunities now because we’re not as deep at that position, whereas a year ago we were. But the time is here for him to go play and he’ll play real well, and hopefully, he’s standing with us next year.”
Ferentz said it was nothing personal when asked why Epenesa wasn’t picked to represent Iowa at media day.
Ferentz also pointed out that Epenesa still hasn’t started a game for Iowa, and yet, the hype surrounding Epenesa is enormous.
“One thing I’m amused by is A.J. hasn’t started a game for us yet, I don’t think, and he’s like the fifth best player in the country and all that stuff,” Ferentz said.
That seemed to be Ferentz’s way of saying that no one player is bigger than the team and that the hype surrounding Epenesa might getting a little out of hand, but to no fault of Epenesa.
The decision to send Ojemudia to media day was made in part to reward Ojemudia, and to serve as a reminder that the team-first mentality is deeply rooted in the Iowa culture under Ferentz.
And that’s a good thing.
I still think it was kind of strange and a missed opportunity to leave Epenesa at home, but I also admire and respect the decision to have Ojemudia represent the Iowa defense.
It was obvious from listening to Ojemudia on Friday how much it meant to him to be representing Iowa at media day.
Ojemudia never will be put on the same pedestal as Epenesa by the fans or by the media. So maybe that was part of the reason Ferentz picked Ojemudia to attend media day.
So much goes into building team chemistry and sending out a subtle reminder that everybody matters is part of that process.
There is nothing that says a decision can’t be a little strange and admirable at the same time.