The Iowa football team’s current senior class stands out for so many reasons
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Perhaps I’m being swept away by the moment, but this year’s senior class on the Iowa football team might be the most resilient, most unified, and the most well-spoken of all the senior classes that I’ve had the privilege of covering since 1992.
Every senior class is special and unique and consists of players that have stayed the course and that have persevered through the tough times, while giving fans reason to be proud and grateful.
Iowa’s 2002 senior class was truly special with players such as Brad Banks, Eric Steinbach, Fred Barr, Colin Cole, Bruce Nelson, David Porter and Howard Hodges that helped to pave the way to a Big Ten title and to 11 wins in Kirk Ferentz’s fourth season as head coach.
Iowa’s 1997 senior class consisted of both Tim Dwight and Tavian Banks, which was enough to make that class special.
I could go on and on about the senior classes that have been at the forefront of Iowa’s success under Hayden Fry and Kirk Ferentz because veteran leadership always plays a pivotal role in a team’s success.
But there is just something about the current senior class that makes it stand out.
The players in Iowa’s current senior class have experienced and endured so much drama and hardship on and off the field, most notably the racial unrest from the summer of 2020 and the global pandemic that soon followed, and they have relied on each other to overcome the obstacles and distractions.
They have shown tremendous resolve and courage because they really didn’t have a choice under the circumstances.
And they have stayed together for the most part in this age of the transfer portal where the grass always seems greener someplace else.
So, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that Iowa has won four games in a row and is just a victory over 3-8 Nebraska on Black Friday from winning the Big Ten West Division for the second year in a row.
This season appeared on the verge of collapse when Iowa committed six turnovers in a 54-10 loss against Ohio State on Oct. 22 in Columbus, Ohio.

The offense had become a national laughingstock, while fifth-year senior quarterback Spencer Petras and offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz had become national punchlines.
Some fans were screaming for Brian Ferentz to be fired immediately, and Kirk Ferentz was accused by a reporter from Ohio of nepotism and of running the Iowa football program like a family business.
Iowa was 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten after the loss to Ohio State, and it was easy to assume that the wheels had fallen off and that Kirk Ferentz had a serious problem that was beyond his fixing.
As it turns out, however, Iowa hasn’t loss since the debacle in Ohio, and while many factors have contributed to the turnaround, Iowa’s senior class has played a significant role in the resurgence, on and off the field.
Just look at the players in the 2022 senior class, players such as Jack Campbell, Seth Benson, Sam LaPorta, Kaevon Merriweather, Riley Moss, Joe Evans, Nico Ragaini, Monte Pottebaum, Noah Shannon, John Waggoner, and of course, Spencer Petras, and you see a class full of diverse personalities, good people and good football players.
Petras certainly won’t go down in history as one of Kirk Ferentz’s best quarterbacks, but he might be Kirk Ferentz’s most resilient quarterback, considering all that Petras has been through as a 30-game starter over three seasons.
His record is 20-10 as a starter, and he is undefeated against Minnesota and Nebraska, and he is the first Iowa quarterback to beat Wisconsin twice since Ricky Stanzi in 2008 and 2009.
Petras is also 8-0 as a starter in the month of November as Iowa has won 14 consecutive games in November dating back to the 2019 season when Nate Stanley was the starting quarterback.
Petras has certainly benefitted from Iowa being strong on defense and special teams, but he also has benefitted from his unwavering commitment to Hawkeye football.
“Obviously, it’s awesome to win four straight like we have,” Petras said after Saturday’s victory, which was Iowa’s eighth in a row over the Gophers. “Each game has been its own unique challenge. Each week is its own challenge.
“I just think it’s a testament to our program and just to our program’s culture and really our head coach, just all the above. The things we preach ring true, just week to week continue to improve. Four straight wins is never easy, especially in the Big Ten in November. So, I’m just really proud of our guys and we’ve got to keep it going.”
All the seniors that spoke after Saturday’s victory credited the team-first culture that exists under Kirk Ferentz.
That culture has faced a lot of scrutiny and criticism in the wake of the allegations of racial disparities.
But Kirk Ferentz vowed to fix it and a team doesn’t stay strong and unified in the face of adversity as the current team has without having a strong culture and work ethic.

“Just falling back on the daily deposits that we have put in since the summer time and falling back on what our coaches keep harping on and preaching on and just continue to play the game,” Merriweather said Saturday when asked about Iowa’s turnaround this season. “Even though we’ve had so much adversity throughout the season, just be able to fight back and continue to play on. It’s pretty incredible with the adversity we faced earlier in the season, we just kept putting our heads down and kept playing and kept fighting.”
There still is work to do with Nebraska standing in the way of a second consecutive West Division title.
The Cornhuskers have lost seven games in a row to Iowa, and the current team has lost five games in a row under interim head coach Micky Joseph.
On paper, Iowa should win this game easily, but the games aren’t played on paper.
Nebraska has a chance to play spoiler and to end a frustrating season on a high note by defeating a border rival.
But it seems highly unlikely that Iowa would take Nebraska lightly because of the culture that exists under Kirk Ferentz, and because of having a special senior class.
“At times, it didn’t look pretty, but man, we kept fighting, and that’s what Hawkeye football is about, honestly,” Jack Campbell said after beating Minnesota. “So we’re just going to get back into it and get ready for the next game.
“It’s a short week, so turn the page.”
Campbell helped to beat the Gophers on Saturday with an incredible interception off a deflected pass late in the fourth quarter. He thought that he had a pick-six, but the officials ruled that he had stepped out of bounds.
True freshman Drew Stevens then secured the victory by making a 21-yard field goal with 31 seconds to play.
That triggered an emotional and well deserved celebration in the Iowa locker room afterwards.
The Iowa football Twitter account posted a photo of Campbell embracing Kirk Ferentz as the players cheered wildly.
It was a tearful embrace that was filled with mutual respect and admiration between two people that have made each other better.
“It was a total team effort,” Campbell said.
Campbell would go on to praise the Iowa scout team players for helping to prepare the team each week.
“Our scout team guys just do a tremendous job of competing at a high level and knowing that they’re going to get hit, so they’re going to try and do their best to break a tackle and keep going or make a good catch and get yards after catch,” Campbell said. “They’re not going to give up and that’s what breeds that competitiveness, I would say.”
The fact that Campbell had the awarness to praise the scout team was a great example of senior leadership, and yet another reason why this current senior class is special.
The seniors will be honored before the Nebraska game on Friday at Kinnick Stadium in what should be an emotional ceremony, although, some of the seniors could take advantage of the free Covid year and return next season, which would certainly provide a boost.
This senior class has given a lot to Hawkeye football, and the exciting thing is they’re not finished with giving yet.