IOWA CITY -- For the third and final time in his college career, Iowa senior defensive tackle Yahya Black will return to the Land of 10,000 Lakes to face his hometown team, Minnesota. Hailing from Minneapolis, Black will have as many family and friends attending the game on Saturday night as ticket availability will allow.
"We had to scramble for some tickets, and man, they didn't even text me," Black laughed. "They all asked my stepmom, 'Hey, can we get to the game?' So, now I've got a list I've got to put in. It's a lot of work. I think I've got 17-plus tickets, and they're just racking up."
Though he played his high school ball in Gopher territory, Black said he never experienced a college football game till he came on a visit to Iowa.
"The first ever game I went to was the Penn State game in 2019 -- the Gold-Out," he said. "That was my first ever game. I was on a visit. That was the craziest experience. My family and I, we were really hyped for that one."
Initially, that hype didn't carry over to his time in Iowa City. The boisterous character in the middle of the Hawkeyes defensive line, all 6'5" and 317 pounds of him, had to be developed over his first several years in black and gold.
"Yahya is a really good football player; we thought, a great prospect," Kirk Ferentz said at Tuesday's media availability. "He's kind of quiet. I don't know how he is with you guys, but he was kind of quiet and reserved and almost held back a little bit. Quite frankly for three years I wasn't sure if he liked it here."
Black completely understood where his head coach was coming from.
"That is very fair," Black smiled. "I did get whooped every day for like two years by (Tyler Linderbaum). So, I wouldn't vocalize it, but football was very difficult."
The socialization aspect was a completely different beast he had to conquer.
"Chauncey Gholston came back for a game and asked me 'So, like, do you talk?'" Black remembered. "It's just part of being here. You're going to grow as a person."
Ferentz has had a front row seat for the growth Black has gone through over the last several years, both individually and socially, in Iowa City.
"He's really come around on that front," Ferentz said. "He's emerged as not only a good player but as one of our team leaders, and it's been fun to watch that -- where he's involved with the other guys and really encouraging with them. If he's got to say something, he'll say it."
Black is cognizant of how he's grown into a leader with the Hawkeyes, too.
"It's been about getting out of my comfort zone," he said. "I've had plenty of guys -- Joe Evans, Logan Lee, Noah Shannon -- they really got me out of my comfort zone. ... Their actions really spoke louder than words."
In taking over that leadership role from the defensive linemen of yesteryear, Black recognizes it's his turn to bring the young guys out of their shell and help them along in the early parts of their careers.
"I try to talk to everybody," he said. "As a freshman, you just don't know what [your life] truly could be."
Bringing the young guys along is something he's focused on while on the gridiron, too.
"After being here for a while, you learn that it's great to help people," he said. "Leaving the jersey in a better place is really important. These are the guys that are next. I'd love to see this program continue. To help the young guys and give them words of advice -- hopefully they can use it, and give it to the next person."
