By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – This kind of story has been told before, but it still never gets old.

A kid grows up in Iowa, often times in a small town, or on a farm, dreaming of being an Iowa football player; dreaming of playing in front of sellout crowds at Kinnick Stadium and of representing the school and the state that means so much to his family.

Winfield native Cam Buffington is currently living out that dream, and with him now the starter at middle linebacker, the action is about to pick up significantly heading into Saturday’s season opener against Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium.

Buffington appeared in six games last season, and after seeing no game action as a true freshman in 2024.

So, he’s a hardly an overnight sensation heading into his third season.

Buffington has waited his turn, helped where he could and just worked hard every day to get better.

But somewhere along the line, Buffington also became part of the hype as he and portal addition receiver Tony Diaz both have created a buzz since spring practice.

Since fans and the media only get to watch two open practices a year, almost everything we hear and write about is through the lens of other people.

Offseason and preseason chatter always persists, but it has to start somewhere, and that’s with somebody from up close watching on the field, and then telling somebody else.

That’s how narratives and rumors start, and one of the most talked-about narratives with Hawkeye football since the spring has been the rise of both Buffington and Diaz; one on defense, one on offense.

Buffington certainly looks the part, listed at 6-foot-3 and 239 pounds.

For the most part, though, he’s still unproven at the power conference level, and yet, there already is talk about his NFL potential.

Buffington certainly isn’t talking about it, but he understands the attention, and the responsibility, that comes with being Iowa’s starting mike (middle) linebacker.

He also understands, appreciates and respects the standard that has been set by previous Iowa middle linebackers; a list that includes former All-Americans Jack Campbell and Jay Higgins, both of whom now play in the NFL.

“It definitely means a lot,” Buffington of being the starting middle linebacker. “There’s a role and a standard that I’ve got to live up to.”

Buffington, who played eight-man football in high school, credits his teammates, including fellow starting linebacker Jayden Montgomery, for helping him reach this point.

“It helps being with the guys in the room like Jayden that have a trust in me and those guys being at my side,” Buffington said.

Buffington already has experienced the thrill of walking out of the tunnel in the traditional Iowa Swarm, but this will be his first time doing it as a starter.

“I might black out,” he said. “I remember my freshman year telling people; they’d ask me how was it? I was like, honestly, I could barely hear the music. I was just like in a wow factor.

“It will definitely be surreal.”

Buffington doesn’t pay attention to what he calls the outside noise, but he’s still aware if it.

“The middle backer is such a prize position at Iowa, but there’s a lot of trust that you have to have within this facility,” Buffington said. “And I think having the coaches trust me out there really helps me a lot.”

The coaches, especially Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and linebacker coach Seth Wallace, have helped to keep Buffington grounded, humble and hungry.

“I think (coach) Wallace, he always keeps you humble,” Buffington said. “You’ve never arrived.

“I think coach Ferentz is big on that. They hay is never in the barn.”

They hay is never in the barn is another way of saying to never be satisfied and to keep working to get better.

Some of the best Iowa players of all time, including former All-America offensive lineman and current NFL standout Tristan Wirfs have gained inspiration from that phrase.

“If it’s coming from Tristan Wirfs, probably one of the best offensive lineman, you’ve always got to be humble,” Buffington said. “You’ve always got to think that there’s somebody out there better than you.

“So you’ve always got to prepare and try to get better throughout the week. Even when you’re going through the season, you’ve still got to work on your fundamentals.”

Iowa fourth-year left tackle Trevor Lauck was in a similar position a year ago as a first-year starter.

Lauck would go on to start all 13 games and make third-team all-Big Ten.

The Indianapolis native is now considered one of the best offensive lineman in the Big Ten, but his mental approach hasn’t changed.

“Especially in season, you just try and block that stuff out and focus on the team aspect,” Lauck said. “Just getting better every single day as a line and as a team and as a offense is really all you can worry about, honestly.”

Lauck laughed when asked if he and fellow All-Big Ten offensive lineman Kade Pieper compare honors and accolades.

“No, definitely not,” Lauck said. “It’s not really a big deal. We don’t really see it often, honestly, We try and stay away from it as much as we can.”

But just in case, Kirk Ferentz is always there to put things in perspective.

“Coach Ferentz always says you’ve never arrived and the hay is never in the barn,” Lauck said. “So once you think you’ve made it is when you kind of start going down hill.”

When told that Buffington had used the same phrase about the hay never being the barn; Lauck smiled and said:

“Really. It’s good quote.”