In an interesting inquiry posed by the conference's social media team to all 18 Big Ten head coaches, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was asked which former Hawkeye player that he would add to Iowa's current roster if possible.
While Ferentz had an extensive list of players to choose from throughout his 26 years as the leader of the Hawkeyes, the longest-tenured college football coach in the country chose former Iowa defensive back Bob Sanders as the first player that came to mind.
"Oh, man, that's a tough question, but I'd probably start with Bob Sanders. I've got, like, 26 years of guys mad at me now, outside of Bob," Ferentz said.
Sanders played at Iowa from 2000-03 as part of Ferentz's early head coaching tenure, which saw him blossom into a game-changing defensive player for the Hawkeyes over the course of his career.
The legendary Hawkeyes safety would finish his Iowa career with 348 tackles, 30 pass breakups, 16 tackles for loss, and seven interceptions. Three times he was named first-team All-Big Ten and twice he was Iowa's Most Valuable Player. Sanders was a second-team All-American selection by the Associated Press in 2003.
Sanders' 348 career tackles rank 11th all-time in program history. Additionally, his 25 tackles registered against Indiana in 2001 are listed as the fourth-highest single-game total in school history.
Despite joining the Hawkeyes following a one-win 1999 season, Sanders would power Iowa to a 2001 Alamo Bowl win, a shared Big Ten title in 2002, and a 2004 Outback Bowl victory.
After being selected in the second round (No. 44 overall) by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2004 NFL draft, Sanders would play eight combined professional seasons with both the Colts and San Diego Chargers. Throughout his eight-year career, Sanders collected two first-team All-Pro honors (2005, 2007), two Pro Bowl nominations (2005, 2007), the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award (2007), and a Super Bowl XLI championship (2007).
As for Iowa's 2025-26 season, the Hawkeyes open their campaign on Saturday, Aug. 30 from Kinnick Stadium against Albany at 5 p.m. CT on FS1.
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