Hawkeye Nation: Iowa Offers Tarpinian

REPUBLISHED NEWS and ARTICLES

This article has been republished for historical purposes. Exact publishing date may vary. If you'd like us to repost a related article that is no longer online (or pre-internet), please contact us!

1/26/2005 by Jon Miller of Hawkeye Nation

Time was when Millard North in Omaha was once a program that an Iowa coaching staff probably didn’t spend too much time recruiting, as Nebraska had a stronghold on that prep football powerhouse. However, times have changed. After landing Adam Shada and Seth Olsen in the class of 2004, the Hawkeyes have made North an annual priority and have extended another offer to one of the program's finest prospects, Jeff Tarpinian.

After attending the Iowa camp back on June 13th, Jeff Tarpinian walked away knowing there was strong mutual interest between he and the Iowa Hawkeye coaching staff.

It didn't take long for Iowa to take the recruitment to the next level when they extended an offer to Tarpinian late last week.

"Iowa began recruiting me back when they signed Adam Shada," said Tarpinian. "They were the first school to ever write me and really have recruited me the hardest of any school I've heard from. They know more about me than any other school and I also know more about them than I do any other program."

So much so that by the time Tarpinian camped in Iowa a few weeks back, things were very familiar.

"There weren’t any first time introductions at the camp as I had already been on the campus three times before then. I just went there to showcase my ability and I am extremely excited to now have an offer from Iowa. Obviously, I have two former teammates that go there and I can't say enough good things about the coaches and the program overall."

After receiving the news of an offer, one of the first things Tarpinian did was to place a phone call to Shada.

"I called him Saturday evening to give him the news, and he was very excited for me," added Tarpinian, who replaced Shada as Millard North's quarterback in 2004 and now is being projected as a defensive back on the collegiate level. "We had six guys sign division one letters of intent in the same class as Seth and Adam, and those two are the only ones that truly say they love where they are at. They continually told me what a great place Iowa is and now I've had the opportunity to see that myself."

Coach Kirk Ferentz has not had the opportunity to speak with Tarpinian, who also holds offers from Iowa State and Colorado State, but that conversation has been arranged for Monday.

"I will be calling Coach Ferentz tomorrow (Monday. I just want to find out what impressed them enough to offer me, and really just get all my questions answered. After the call, I should have all the information I need to be ready to make my decision in the near future. Iowa is definitely a strong favorite right now," said Tarpinian.

Tarpinian worked as a defensive back while attending Iowa's camp, but has heard he could project anywhere in a Hawkeye uniform.

"Coach (Reese) Morgan sent me a letter that said they could see me playing one of six different positions when I get there," continued Tarpinian, who measured in at 6-feet-2 1/2 and 195 pounds at camp. "I'm pretty sure I'll be on the defensive side of the ball, but he mentioned anything from tight end to perhaps even Will linebacker. It'll just depend on where they have a need and how much size I put on."

In working with Coach (Phil) Parker, Tarpinian picked up on a few things to improve his game heading into his senior season.

"He really got on me for playing too low. He knows I'm a tall guy, but I try playing shorter by getting down too far near the ground. I need to relax my arms more while backpedaling than continually pumping them like I was doing. He showed me proper technique in stepping off a receiver, making sure to keep my eyes on their hips to know which way they are moving and then making a strong pop to dominate them at the line of scrimmage."

"I'd have to say it was the third two hour session of camp where I probably impressed the coaches the most. We played some seven on seven, but in razzle-dazzle form, where it was one quarterback and everyone else was wide receivers. Basically, it allowed you to show off your athleticism and ability to create on the field and I did a good job of that. It took me a while to get accustomed to their defensive back drills earlier in the day, but they were able to see my natural athleticism as all the coaches were standing around during the final session," stated Tarpinian.

Hawkeye Nation was founded by Jon Miller, and later acquired by Rivals and Sports Illustrated. You can visit them at HawkeyeNation.com

View all republished articles from Hawkeye Nation >>>

View all republished articles >>>

HAWKEYE RECAP ARTICLES

Summary of 2024 Black History Month podcasts about U of Iowa athletes and coaches
For Black History month in February 2024, we dedicated all 4 podcasts to former Iowa athletes and coaches. Here is a summary of the podcasts, in case you missed one or all of them. Podcast #47:...3/11/2024
Chuck Long 'Destined for Greatness' Book Released
Chuck Long is one of the most famous and successful quarterbacks in Iowa football history. It's a little strange this book hasn't come out earlier. The full book title is "Chuck Long: Destined for...10/31/2019
True or False? Iowa Football Struggles in Games on the West Coast
As a lifelong Iowa fan, I always felt that the football team struggled winning games on the West Coast. I would bet most fans would agree with that statement. After setting up this website, it is n...8/26/2020