Hawkeyes add late commit

The last couple days have been a whirlwind for Dean Tsopanides. The Connecticut native was getting ready to attend prep school this fall in hopes of drawing more recruiting interest when the Iowa Hawkeyes swooped in with a late scholarship offers. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Tsopanides quickly accepted and now is getting ready to move to Iowa City soon.

Q: When did you first find out that Iowa was interested?

TSOPANIDES: We had an all-star game where it was Connecticut against Rhode Island and during that week of practice is when I found out. They wanted my highlight tape, so I gave it to them and their interest level went up a little more. They wanted me to come out there the following week for a visit.

Q: Can you take me through that visit and what you did there?

TSOPANIDES: They brought me out there and wanted to gauge what kind of guy I was because they had already seen me on film. They showed me around the campus and it was unbelievable, what a gorgeous campus. They showed me around town and showed me how much everybody bleeds black and gold for the Hawkeyes. They showed me the stadium, which was amazing. Then, late on Wednesday, I received an offer from Coach Ferentz.

Q: What was that feeling like because it is something you have been waiting a long time for I imagine?

TSOPANIDES: Yeah. Not only is it a dream come true to play Big Ten football, but to play DI football just in general. To be honest with you, and I haven't really told anybody this, but I just wanted to get up and scream I was so excited.

Q: Did you accept right away or did you already know going in what you were going to do?

TSOPANIDES: I came in with the thought in my head that if they offered, I was going to take it hands down, so I didn't even hesitate.

Q: While you were out there, did you get to talk with the coaches about where you will fit in?

TSOPANIDES: Yeah, I sat down with the d-line coach, Coach Kaczenski, and he's a great guy. He showed me the defense and for an hour we talked defensive fronts and the way Iowa's defense works. It was a lot of fun, but at the same time, there's a learning curve that I'm going to have to master if I'm going to be on the field.

Q: Did you get to meet some of the players while you were out there?

TSOPANIDES: Yeah, I got to meet some of the true freshmen and one of the linebackers named James (Morris). I realized right away that these kids are just like me. They're hard-nosed kids and you can tell just from their demeanor that they like to get after it on the field. That's what really attracted me to Iowa so much because that's the playing style I have and I feel like I will fit in there really well.

Q: Where are you at right now height and weight wise?

TSOPANIDES: I'm 6-2, 240.

Q: Was your weight and cutting for wrestling kind of why some schools might have overlooked you?

TSOPANIDES: Yeah, I think so. Take for instance, my home state school, UConn, the big reason why I feel they didn't recruit me coming out of high school was because I was 6-2, 215. I took wrestling up as a challenge and I ended up winning a state championship. I still dominated high school football in my league and in the state I believe, but it the weight issue plagued my recruiting so that's why I was going to attend a prep school, but Iowa came calling first.

Q: The Iowa coaches seem to like players with wrestling backgrounds anyway don't they?

TSOPANIDES: Yeah, they do and John Madden was the same way. He always said he loved to have players that wrestled. When I look back, I think I could have still been a decent football player without wrestling, but wrestling made me that much better.

Q: Looking back, what has the last twenty-four hours been like for you with all of this happening so quick after waiting so long for it come?

TSOPANIDES: Initially, following all of the excitement and that ecstatic feeling that you get, I had a good long sleep last night to catch up after flying back home. Right now is when it's really hitting me that I'm about to play Iowa Hawkeye football.

Q: Are you moving out there in about a month?

TSOPANIDES: Yeah, August 3 is when I go out there.

Q: Did I read that you kind of grew up following the Big Ten as a Michigan fan?

TSOPANIDES: Yeah, I did. I was a big Michigan fan and just always loved Big Ten football. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Michigan fan anymore. I'm a big Iowa Hawkeyes guy now.

Q: Did this whole process kind of put a chip on your shoulder to prove some of the other schools wrong now?

TSOPANIDES: I think there's always a chip on my shoulder anyway. Guys have always considered me undersized or not good enough. That chip on my shoulder is always pretty large and I take it to the field every time that I go out there.

As a senior, Tsopanides finished with 86 tackles and 13 sacks in earning first team all-state honors at Torrington High School.