After his 15 minute session on the stage in Chicago, Kirk Ferentz met with the Iowa media on the side for about ten minutes to update the latest news for Iowa football. Ferentz discusses the appeal for Oliver Martin, gives us the latest news on injuries heading into fall camp, and much more.

Q: What is the status of Oliver Martin and the two other wide receiver transfers that joined your program?

FERENTZ: The other two guys are going to be redshirted as far as I know. Oliver has petition and appealed for it, so we will just wait and see what happens. I have no idea what the time table would be or anything like that.

Q: What is the process for the petition? There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about it.

FERENTZ: Basically our compliance department handles it and I know his family has retained an attorney to help handle it as well. I am hardly an authority on it. We will just wait it out and see where it goes. He has been training with the team all summer long and doing a great job. He seems to have fit right in with everyone and obviously knows Iowa City. Everyone seems happy that he’s on the team.

Q: Do you feel like you need him this year?

FERENTZ: We certainly weren’t counting on him. Obviously we think he’s a really good football player and a good young person. If he could help our football team, I am all for it, but I am not counting on it. It would be a bonus if it happened.

Q: A lot of the guys who hire attorneys end up winning their appeals. Do you feel confident about that?

FERENTZ: I am not an expert on the topic at all, but as an outsider looking in it certainly seems like your chances of getting it your way increase a little bit if you have someone helping you. We will just wait and see. There’s no way of predicting it and we will just let those thing work themselves out.

Q: In some of those higher profile situations with quarterback, the school they were leaving helped out a bit in the transfer. What is Michigan’s stance on that?

FERENTZ: I can’t comment on that other than I am not involved in that process. Our compliance folks have been in touch and as far as I know everyone is cooperating. There is no drama that I am aware of.

Q: Healthwise, how is the team going into camp?

FERENTZ: I think good. A couple of foot issues with guys. One guy is down the depth chart a little bit and then Barrington Wade had a little bit of a foot issue, but I think he will be ready to go when we start.

Q: You mentioned the close games in your press conference. Do you evaluate that during the offseason at all and change some things when you look at it?

FERENTZ: No, not really. It’s not a new theme by any stretch. First thing is you want to be in a situation where you are in the ball game in the fourth quarter. That’s one key. If you can get there and have a lead, that is never a bad thing. We had games like that last year. Ultimately in every season you are going to have a series of games that come down to the last one or two possessions. It comes down to how detail oriented you are in preparing, your conditioning, and then someone has to step up and make a play too. That always helps. The more you can do that and the more you can get that done, the more successful you are going to be. In our last two games we did that. Against Nebraska we took the ball, drove it and possessed it and then let the clock run out as we kicked a field goal. In the bowl game it took everything we had in all three phases to get the job done. Maybe as big of a play in that game as there was Hockenson catching a ball for a one yard completion and running about 18 yards and breaking about four tackles. Those little plays of someone doing something special are what it takes to be successful.

Q: Is Henry Geil back with the team? Also what is Ivory Kelly-Martin’s status?

FERENTZ: Ivory is doing fine. A little guarded in the spring. I talked to him the other day and no issues. He feels great and is good to go. Our top three guys are pretty well established. Henry is not in the summer program, but he will be back with us when we start up in August. Hopefully he will be healthy and ready to roll. We feel good about our top three guys. Byrd did a nice job in the spring and we are anxious to see what Goodson can do too.

Q: How do you work in six different guys at running back in camp?

FERENTZ: It’s a good problem to have. Our guys that have played a lot are not going to get tackled much, if at all. That’s kind of how it has been for 20 years. One of our problems has been that then we get into camp and start the season and we don’t have anyone who can tackle because we haven’t in camp and guys that haven’t played need to learn how to play real football at some point. I think we are in a good situation right now as long as everyone stays healthy.

Q: In summer what can you learn about a running back if all they can do is carry a football in front of you?

FERENTZ: Nothing. In truth, that is with all the players. Watching guys train, you see growth. You see demeanor. You see things that make you feel better or make you feel concerned. There is always something to learn when you watch players do things. That’s no different academically. If they are doing a good job there it shows you that they are wired in.

Q: You have two freshmen. Byrd has been there for a bit now and Goodson hasn’t really been there. What is that first camp like for a freshman running back that wants to make some waves?

FERENTZ: We will see. They will have an opportunity. In June the first year guys are kind of in the kiddie pool. They are in the shallow end. They will do fine. It’s not like we are going to wear them out and we will see what they can do. It is a position where young guys can play and we will keep an open mind. We are going to put our best guys on the field. That is always our goal, no matter who it is.

Q: There’s always a lot of hype surrounding the new guys coming in. How tough would it be for one of them to move ahead of the top three?

FERENTZ: I guess the analogy would be that this would be a good time to be a tight end, right? We just lost two really good ones. Our best three backs are back. As it stands today, and I am not saying we are sitting back, but we feel pretty confident in what Mekhi can do and Toren and when Ivory is healthy we think he’s a pretty good football player, so it is going to be a tougher position to crack into than a different position. It’s a little tougher to play tight end as a freshman, where a running back has a little more realistic of a chance. We will see how it goes and as you guys know, a lot of things can happen. We need everyone to just push forward and get ready. If a freshman can get ready and he’s ready and we don’t need him, then we will just redshirt him. Otherwise we will play them.

Q: Toren Young is on your leadership group as a junior and he’s here. What has he done to earn this?

FERENTZ: He has just been a stellar guy since he joined our program. I have said this before, I think as a program we underappreciate him. Going back looking at film from last year, I know I have. I think we undervalue him because he’s not a 4.3 or 4.4 guy or he’s not this or that. But, he’s improved this spring and he was productive last year. He brings us a level of energy and toughness that makes us a better football team. I think he is kind of an unsung hero, if you will. It was so hard picking three guys to bring this year. We could have brought nine guys. Mekhi, you could have made a good argument for him too and he just continues to improve. It was kind of a coin toss on that one. But, Toren has been with us from the start and done a really good job.

Q: There was some talk that A.J. Epenesa wasn’t here.

FERENTZ: One thing I am amused by A.J. hasn’t started a game for us, right? And he’s the fifth best player in the country… What a great kid he is and a great guy to have on our football team. He has so much energy and wants so badly to do well. I think the most important thing about A.J. is he is an unbelievable teammate. He cares about the guys he’s with, not only in the defensive line room, but the entire team. He is just a really good teammate and an unbelievable human being. I am really confident that he is going to play really good football for us this year. He will get more opportunities this year because we are not as deep at that position. The time is here for him and he will play really well, and hopefully stand here with us here next year.