Endres is a student of the game
Norwalk offensive tackle Tyler Endres knew early on that the University of Iowa was his future and that allowed him to focus on improving as a player. We caught up with his head football coach, Paul Patterson, and talked him about what the Hawkeyes will get going forward.
Q: What type of player has been you overall?
PATTERSON: Next year will be the first time I will have to write somebody new in as a tackle for the first time in four years. He has been consistent for us. He is somebody that is a student of the game. He is constantly asking for feedback and what he can do better. He is always looking to try and improve. He has been really good in a leadership role for us.
Q: What are his main strengths as a player?
PATTERSON: I would say first and foremost being a student of the game. He is constantly asking for feedback. He wants to know what he is doing well. Anytime we’d do 1-1 things, no matter if he did well or didn’t, he would turn around and have a conversation about what he needs to do better. Second is leadership. Third is the growth he has made since his freshman year to now. I am not talking football, I am talking all aspect of life with academics, things outside of here, basketball, track, and in the weight room.
Q: What areas of his game is he working on?
PATTERSON: I’ll be honest, I think the #1 thing is for him to enjoy his senior year. The best part of his story he picked the best fit for him. He has been able to put the visits and all that to rest. As of the 19th, he will sign with Iowa. He is going to have a heck of a basketball season and then really do well in track. He will enjoy his senior year.
Q: When could you tell he had the potential to be a special player?
PATTERSON: Probably his sixth-grade year with how big he was at that point and time. Obviously, people talk about it that you can’t coach size. You are either big or not. What kind of big is a difference. Then really it would have been probably his eighth-grade year. We brought him in during the summer and he did drills with us. When we had camps, his feet are so good. You watch him on the basketball court and how well he moves. He is an athlete that plays the offense line. That is a big difference than an offensive lineman playing basketball. He is an athlete.
Q: Was the footwork from his hard work or being born that way?
PATTERSON: I think he is just gifted. He really does a lot of work with us, and I don’t mean that we are so good as what we do. The drills we do he focuses on getting at those. That helps. Being an athlete is what helps set him apart.
Q: Where does he project out at Iowa position wise?
PATTERSON: Right now it sure sounds like it is tackle. That is what I understand. I’m not telling you he will play tackle, but there is no talk of guard. I think he is a tackle.
Q: How was it dealing with the Iowa coaches?
PATTERSON: First of all, I think the most important thing is when he was a sophomore. We sat and talked about the spotlight he’d put on Norwalk football, because it would be brighter than any athlete Norwalk has had. You could see that when Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame several times, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, and schools like that all came rolling through to talk to him. In dealing with Iowa, I’d say Coach Morgan, Coach Ferentz, and all of their staff are fantastic human beings. It is really nice to know that he is going to a place that he’ll have good people around him.
Q: How do you feel he handled the pressure from the spotlight?
PATTERSON: He handled it really well. That is something he understands with his role and how much in the spotlight he is for us. He does not boast about it. He goes about his business and doesn’t talk about himself. He is a tremendous teammate and that is what he has been.