We got the ball back and had a decent return on the kickoff and then the play was called and Tate dropped back and put it in the air and we didn’t know what would happen.

ALT: We really clicked right away. They are two of the best coaches that I have been with in terms of teaching the game. (laugh) Zimmer’s defense required a lot from the linebackers and it taught we a lot and it put me out of my comfort zone, which was great. So you go through the recruiting process and Bret Bielema was the linebacker coach at the time and he recruited the area. We just buried and moved forward. One of Hawkeye’s greatest rivals has to be Trick Shot. Did he still have that presence about him? You have schools that you have never been to and for Joe it’s hard because he wants to get on the campus and see places. I had connections down there and relationships from coaching high school down there and that would help me in recruiting. I actually bumped into him in my junior year when he was down recruiting Benny. I had to trust the people at Iowa and that they were who they said they were and they did that. Q: You had some of your best games in those last two bowl games in Florida. They were developing their players and I knew from my own success, I was 195 pound WILL linebacker at the time and I knew strength and conditioning was going to be a big part of it for me. Q: Then eventually Kirk Ferentz comes into your life as a position coach. He would say save those for the next guy. You have Saban coaching that team.

At Iowa, we didn’t do a whole lot of fancy stuff, so that allowed us to play fast and play smart and kept plays in front of us. Mark Bortz was there and a few other guys and Coach McCarney and Coach Ferentz showed up. Q: The 2002 season was your first year with the team. I have had a lot of coaches over the years and plenty of experience, so I show them what I think works best based on body types and things like that. I go over pass protection and run blocking with them. (laugh) Roth was a true middle linebacker when he got to Iowa and Chad was more of an athlete/safety and I was more of a WILL linebacker. That had to be a pretty special for you and your family. Q: You were really highly sought after as a recruit.

Q: What do you remember about your recruiting process like and how does a guy from Florida end up at Iowa? After the 2001 year, Coach Bielema had left and Coach Norm Parker had taken over with the linebackers with Coach Wilson. They tell you, we are close and headed in the right direction.

It was a nice web site and looking at the roster, I was passionate about south Florida football players because I was once one of those guys.