Ferentz: Wirfs Will 'Continue To Blossom'
Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz laughed when he was asked on Thursday's Dan Patrick Show about what he would tell quarterback Tom Brady about his new right tackle, former Hawkeye Tristan Wirfs.
"I think," Ferentz said, "he’ll be really pleased."
Wires was the first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in last month's NFL Draft, just weeks after Brady, the quarterback who won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, signed with the Bucs as a free agent.
"The best thing about Tristan right now, he’s a tremendous person, first and foremost," Ferentz said. "But also his upside — he’s only played three years of college football. The next couple of years, he’s just, I think, going to continue to blossom. He’s a really good player and a tremendous young person."
Wirfs started for Ferentz as a true freshman. He started all 25 games over the last two seasons, and was a first-team All-American by three outlets after last season.
Ferentz raved about Wirfs' ability. Of Wirfs and defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of this year's draft, Ferentz said, "I always joked, he and A.J. Epenesa were the kind of guys we never kid. Boy, he came with a really good skill set."
Ferentz chuckled when Patrick asked him how close he was to taking the Cleveland Browns' head coaching job in 2008.
"My response has always been I always felt that I needed a compelling reason to look elsewhere," he said. "We’ve loved living here. We’ve loved it as a family. And the professional opportunity has been great. I never thought I had a compelling reason to leave."
Ferentz pointed out how his three sons — Brian, James and Steve — got to play at Iowa while he was coach.
"It’s hard to put a price tag on that," he said. "It’s a valuable and very unique experience that way."
