Following Iowa football’s (2-1) emotional 47-7 victory over UMass (0-3) that gave head coach Kirk Ferentz sole possession of the most wins by a Big Ten coach in conference history, graduate senior wide receiver and special teams standout Kaden Wetjen gave considerable praise for the 27th-year Hawkeyes leader during his postgame media availability.
The 5-foot-9, 196-pound senior from Williamsburg, Iowa, was arguably the Player of the Game for the Hawkeyes against the Minutemen after one of his best performances of his career. On the night, Wetjen recorded a 20-yard rushing touchdown, 34 yards on a kick return, and 182 yards on four punt returns that included a spectacular 95-yard punt return touchdown.
Advertisement
“It’s pretty surreal, man,” Wetjen said when asked about being a part of Ferentz’s 206th win. “I mean, even getting to know him as a person, and just the stuff that he’s helped us out with off the field as well, it’s just been awesome, and it was really cool to get that done for him tonight.”
When asked specifically how Kirk Ferentz has been able to change his life, Wetjen reiterated the off-field advice on how to be a proper and respectful person to others in society as one of the most influential takeaways from being around the Hawkeyes legend.
“Like I said earlier, just kind of off-the-field stuff, kind of taught me how to be a better man. And kind of just no matter who you’re talking to or what you’re doing, just kind of always understanding that you can leave an example for somebody else. And not just from him, but the rest of the coaching staff as well. He kind of hits on it the most, and it’s just been super cool to learn from him.”
Advertisement
With Wetjen’s incredible performance on Saturday, he was also named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week by the conference on Monday.
As Iowa quickly transitions focus to their game, Wetjen and the Hawkeyes will look to use the dominant performance against UMass as a springboard for Friday night’s Big Ten regular season opener vs. Rutgers (3-0) from SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The Hawkeyes clash with the Scarlet Knights will begin at 7 p.m. CT and be broadcast on Fox.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football star lauds Kirk Ferentz’s impact and his Hawkeyes legacy
