Raw Chicago: WR Marvin McNutt

Transcript of Iowa WR Marvin McNutt's two hours with the media last Friday during Big Ten media days in Chicago:

MARVIN: You know, I think the ability to just use, the fact that I play basketball and baseball, add to my advantage. Basketball, being able to go up for the ball and rebound. Use my body. Baseball, to locate a ball and locate the travel of it. I mean, those are some strengths I have up here.

INTERVIEWER: Do you go up against defensive guys every day in practice? I mean, a guy like Shaun Prater. I mean, what makes him the kind of player that he is? What makes him so tough to go against?

MARVIN: He hasn't ever, never any motive. He's like … He's gonna go out and he's such a competitor, he knows that no matter what, he's not going to stop. He might hear that he, he might be more play, the next play he's gonna come back just as hard or even harder. And that's a guy that you like, especially when you play defense with that.

INTERVIEWER: Are you frustrated that you guys, that you don't get that rivalry with Wisconsin for a couple of years? I mean, obviously last year's game was so entertaining. Obviously for you guys it's a game that you probably want to play again this year, and you're gonna have to sit on that for a couple of years, and it's been such a good game back and forth the last couple of years. It's more of a casualty of the expansion a little bit, isn't it?

MARVIN: I think definitely. You definitely want to get a chance to play a good team. But for as many games as we have in a season, you're not allowed to do that. And with that being said, you know, we do kind of, we like to play them, especially the fact that they have our trophy. With that being said, you know, you're also welcoming new teams that you haven't played in a few years.

INTERVIEWER: You guys lost a lot of close games last year. What do you have to do to kind of turn that around?

MARVIN: The first thing is we gotta execute. Execution is key. I mean, when everybody is executing, it's hard to lose games. And you know, you're doing the right type of things. And that's what has to happen and I think one main thing also is we might have had some … issues that kind of took away from our play.

INTERVIEWER: You think those are behind you guys?

MARVIN: That's what we hope for. You never know when they come up. And I look at them, and it's college football. Some people even make mistakes. But you live with it, you go on and you grow up.

INTERVIEWER: What do you think about the rivalry with Nebraska? You only have one year to play against them, but do you think that will be a good thing?

MARVIN: I think, you know, as these programs grow, especially, Nebraska is always, they're both full of rich tradition. And with that, I feel like, the players start sooner, play physical, and I think it will be a fun match-up for years to come.

INTERVIEWER: Two years ago you guys seemed to win all the … What's different?

MARVIN: Like I said, I think it just came down to execution. I mean, in …fourth quarter, teams execute better and they tend to play better.

INTERVIEWER: I know that you guys haven't started practice yet, but the secondary, especially with Micah moving over and Sleeper possibly coming in to start and he hasn't played for a while, what do you think we can expect to see from them coming in?

MARVIN: Well, those guys, I mean, practice is always …, and they're work horses. And with that being said, they're going, they might have some flaws early and things like that. But they're going to try and get those tweaks out and hopefully try to have great plays like we had last year.

INTERVIEWER: So more pressure on you as a senior and especially being thee guy like it was last year.

MARVIN: You know, pressure, not really because it's the same thing. You gotta make plays and when the ball comes your way, that's what you're supposed to do. So I wouldn't say pressure, but there is more of a leadership role I've kind of stepped into.

INTERVIEWER: What does that entail?

MARVIN: Basically not only leading with the vocal skills, but show them more of an example or being able to help the younger guys that come in and show them how it's supposed to be done.

INTERVIEWER: How's Keenan adjusting to being more … than he has been in the past?

MARVIN: Keenan, I feel like he's kind of grown up and is … And he's had a lot of, he just hasn't had a shot at it. He's always been behind me and DJ. So, but I mean he's adjusted well and we definitely hope to see big things from him this year.

INTERVIEWER: You put on your Facebook about Kyle Spading. Have you had a chance to talk to his family?

MARVIN: I have. I got to go up and visit with him and talk to his family.

INTERVIEWER: Is he able to talk right now?

MARVIN: Yeah, he's kind of able to talk a little bit. He's in my prayers. I tell people to just pray for him and his family and …

INTERVIEWER: Did you get to know him pretty well?

MARVIN: Yeah, I did. I did. I got to know him pretty well. Especially from being a quarterback, early, he was one of the kind of, like a back-up tight end so I got to throw the ball to him quite a few times and just kind of developed a cool kind of rapport off the field is where I got to know who Kyle was.

INTERVIEWER: He was on the team for three years, never played in a game. We never really hear about that. How important are they behind the scenes?

MARVIN: Those guys are just as important as the people you do hear about all the time. With that, walk-on's are so important. Especially people who don't mind coming in and working every day to try to give you a better look at practice. That's what makes teams great. When you have guys like that.

INTERVIEWER: How did you find out about him?

MARVIN: Actually, they told us or whatever. They told … He alerted us and let us know.

INTERVIEWER: As far as this year as a senior, how difficult is it going to be the famous three initials on the other side? Is it gonna be a lot different?

MARVIN: Well, the only thing I think will be a lot different is the room. You know, you go into a room and DJ is a character. He makes things funny at times. And he's gonna be DJ. So, I mean, it's different than me. And it's definitely gonna be different when somebody all the time, he may be switching that position a little more. But, we're looking forward just to having a … that can do things out there that works and our receiving crew that can get the job done.

INTERVIEWER: How much has … helped you?

MARVIN: Oh, he helped me just a bunch. Because he's had the front half. So sometimes you watch and see things that he does to get open, like how he gets out of the break. And when you have a guy like that to kind of push you every day at practice competitively, you know, you want nothing but to get better.

INTERVIEWER: Is that kind of what you're doing with Keenan now, being he's kind of assumed to be the next Derrell?

MARVIN: Well, definitely. Keenan has kind of assumed a role there, and I'm proud of him basically because we've been working together all summer, like competitive drills. And it's always against him to try to beat each other. And that's what we have. We have a competitive nature. We always want to get better.

INTERVIEWER: How close were you to leaving?

MARVIN: You know, it was like one of those 50/50 decisions. You come down to it, you know, you start winning … and thinking about things. Whether it comes down to graduating is a huge part. You know, I've been here for four years. And I'm going to be first one in my family hopefully to graduate, as well as just my teammates, coaches, and the people that I care about, my fans.

INTERVIEWER: What about when you hear Adrian signing a guaranteed $8 million contract?

MARVIN: That's very exciting. Not only from a team that has …, but as a friend. You know, you're like, it's something special to be part of when a guy from your school and a guy from your home town just …

INTERVIEWER: When you first heard Nebraska, what were you thinking?

MARVIN: I was thinking it's gonna be a fun game. I mean, I was thinking of a night time game, which I think every college football player loves or dreams about as a kid to play in the big stage against a championship level team. You know, those are things that you want. You want to come towards you and at least have opportunities because it's, you're on the big stage and it's gonna be a fun day.

INTERVIEWER: Have you heard about the trophy game that was just announced?

MARVIN: I haven't heard too much about it but I knew there was going to be a trophy game.

INTERVIEWER: Do trophy games mean anything to you? This is like the fourth trophy.

MARVIN: Definitely. Definitely. I mean, we have a lot of them. But there's something about having somebody come and run over to your sideline and grab …

INTERVIEWER: It's not just for the cameras?

MARVIN: No, it's not. It actually hurts when somebody does that. Especially if you have it, like last year, Wisconsin got to do that. And it's like they take a piece out of you, cause you like going to your football complex every day looking at these trophies. Like this is what we accomplished. You know that we won it. So when you see somebody to take that from you, a piece of you kind of goes with it.

INTERVIEWER: How long did it take you in your Iowa career to know what all the trophies were?

MARVIN: Basically just took the time from, just kind of started playing. Really just to be part of the Iowa tradition. When you actually, the coaches talk about the trophy games.

INTERVIEWER: What is your biggest rivalry game now?

MARVIN: Oh, you know, really, you really take fun at just every game kind of. Because any trophy game, you don't want to lose. I mean like every game you don't want to lose. So personally, you just want to make sure you're doing your part to help the team improve. There really is no one biggest rivalry. You just kind of want to go out and play as hard as you can.

INTERVIEWER: Are there other guys that maybe have a favorite on the team, a rivalry? Is it different from guy to guy?

MARVIN: It might, for some guys especially, maybe now that's Nebraska's into it, you might have more of a fighter type of mentality of you know, like we played Missouri and I mean, I had to win that game. You know, it was a … town, so. So it might differ a little bit from player to player, but at the same time, every player wants, they know what it feels like to lose a trophy game and they don't like it.

INTERVIEWER: Looking back on that Missouri game, how has that satisfaction been for you …

MARVIN: Oh, it's been a great feeling to be able to go home knowing that, you know, most everybody in St. Louis was watching … and you get to go home with a smile on your face …

INTERVIEWER: Should athletes be paid?

MARVIN: You know, that's a question, obviously, as an athlete, you're not going to say no. But, you know, things like that, those kinds of things we can't really concern ourselves with because we really don't have a voice. I think they have people for that that can, that know more about the situation and know how to better help know this.

INTERVIEWER: Do you have trouble going out and just going to a movie or getting a pizza? A lot of guys say they can't even afford to do that.

MARVIN: Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Sometimes it might get a little hard. But, at the same time, it's nothing that you have to have. It may be something that you want.

INTERVIEWER: Is there money available though? For the hotel, and the …

MARVIN: If you go out, it might be extra money you can get. But so much probably depends on who you are, how your parent's income is. A lot of stuff kind of goes up to the –

INTERVIEWER: Are you okay that way? You're on …

MARVIN: Well, I wasn't okay last year. So I mean, it's kind of hard to say. It's an issue that we as players all want to say, yeah, you know, go for it. But at the same time, we know that it has to go through certain steps before anything even gets close to –

INTERVIEWER: Because that's free money.

MARVIN: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: So that's why, Ohio State has … saying they had to go out and sell stuff for tattoos. Well, they probably don't have any trouble getting …

MARVIN: Well, yeah, we don't get that much.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think if they went the pay-for-play route, that it would deter guys from going out and doing anything improper? My thought is guys are going to do it if they want to do it anyway.

MARVIN: Well, see the thing is, I don't know. Because like you said, we are at the level where we see a lot of things, maybe our friends going to the NFL. They get, you see all these different salaries. So I guess, some people kind of want that lifestyle. And that's where that comes in. But for the most part, we're college students. And just to get a free education is pretty cool.

INTERVIEWER: Do you have incentive coming back?

MARVIN: The opportunity to play in front of fans again. And play for the family and to just do what I love. I mean, football is a game that I love playing and just to be a part of my teammates. The opportunity to catch a ball coming in from someone new. It's just a great feeling. And it's a great opportunity because I really, the main focus for me is to graduate. I mean, I'll be the first one in my family to do this. So that's a huge opportunity.

INTERVIEWER: What kind of goals do you set for yourself?

MARVIN: The best goal basically is when you look back over your games, oversee them, have I done everything I can to help this team improve? You know, whether it be blocking, whether it be not dropping a pass. Whatever I do, am I helping the team grow?

 INTERVIEWER: …change defense …

MARVIN: Oh, definitely. We'll see some changes in defense. But at the same time, they're not going to be able to just leave somebody wide open, and so, I mean, with the real game, it would be …changes. But there will be other guys stepping up from the tight end position, and then all the receivers as well. So we'll definitely see people stepping up.

INTERVIEWER: You mentioned the tight ends and obviously …, what about CJ?

MARVIN: Well, from what I saw from this kid, he's a huge monster. I love him. I think he's going to be a great player. And I can't wait to see what he does when he finally does get on at Kinnick.

INTERVIEWER: I saw he also put on a little bit of weight this year. You talk about him being a monster. Is that just –

MARVIN: I mean he's just a big kid. If you look at him, if you stand next to him, when you say monster, he's a huge kid.

INTERVIEWER: And then with Keenan, what are your expectations for him now that he's going to be kind of in a more elevated role. I know when he came in to do that Ball State game, he stepped up on the job and got a touchdown, but.

MARVIN: My hope for Keenan is basically that, now don't try to do too much. Do your job. And let the game come to you. Because he's a great kid with great ability. And he'll be fine if he just stays within himself and lets the game come to him.

INTERVIEWER: Have you noticed that with him as you've been working alongside of him in the spring and then also like throughout summer workouts?

MARVIN: Yeah, we got that. We have fun. And he's a better kid. And if you ask our mothers, they'll say that we have to be brothers somehow. I don't know how. But we act just the same. And that's kind of how it is. He's a competitor. Me and him. When we compete against each other, we hate to lose. So we try to beat each other. I mean, that's how you, he's, he's a big kid.

INTERVIEWER: So you guys are like brothers. Is that just on the field, or is it like that otherwise?

MARVIN: Off the field as well. I mean, if you ask, like I spent some time with his mom the last few years, we got to know each other. And she can't believe how much me and Keenan are the same.

INTERVIEWER: I was talking to … Tim Dwight yesterday, actually interviewed him. Got to looking at stats. His stats, your stats. He's probably got something you're after this year. You know what I'm talking about?

MARVIN: Are you talking about the touchdowns. Oh, man. I mean, hopefully that would be a great accomplishment. To do anything to be a part of a rich tradition in Iowa. And to be as close as I am right now is even just a great accomplishment. So I mean, it's nothing that I'm like after, but if I do get it that would be huge.

INTERVIEWER: … on Facebook, everyone remembers that catch at Michigan State and I had to come up with some of your other big catches over your career. Which ones come to mind for you, some of the highlights?

MARVIN: Like I say, Michigan State is always a highlight. The Orange Bowl touchdown. One of my acrobatic catches at Arizona, Indiana. Those are a few that were fun catches. Any time you score a touchdown is awesome. To catch the ball over somebody or to just run a good route. You look back at those and you remember those. One of the most important things I remember though, it wasn't even a catch. It was a block. You know, it was an inside block. I came across and hit a guy pretty good on Marcus's touchdown, and it just excited me. It was the only thing I could talk about after the game.

INTERVIEWER: Now have you reminded James that you catch quite a few touchdowns?

MARVIN: Yeah, we joke around a lot. But, no, James, we all have a, we have a job. He's a smart kid. And so we all kind of feed off each other. And when one person is doing something, you gotta counter it and that way, you know, we all work together as a group. So somebody will get it. And that's the main goal, is to keep the ball moving.

INTERVIEWER: How do you replace what Derrell provided last year?

MARVIN: Basically, you know, he made plays, and with that being said, you know, there's always somebody that's going to have to step up and do things and it might take a little time but finally get going or whatever, but I think we'll be fine.

INTERVIEWER: Do you have family in Iowa City now?

MARVIN: I have friends, and I have close kind of friends that I consider family. And they definitely mess around, too. But, no, they're not family.

INTERVIEWER: So your mom didn't move there?

MARVIN: No.

INTERVIEWER: And I thought you had a sister.

MARVIN: I do have a sister. She's in Clinton, Iowa. She goes to school at Ashford University.

INTERVIEWER: How did she end up there?

MARVIN: She just looked around at school and they actually gave her a scholarship, like a … to play volleyball. And then she decided to just go straight with school. But she got a lot of money to go to school there, I think, to help her go.

INTERVIEWER: What school is it?

MARVIN: Ashford University.

INTERVIEWER: Your parents have been along on this ride with you. How cool is that?

MARVIN: It's a blessing. You kind of get choked up thinking about it. As a college student, you're gonna go many trials and tribulations. And you know, I've had my share earlier in my career and maybe even thinking of transferring at one point. So you know, to see where I've gotten now and to be in my last semester and last season at Iowa and to actually have played is truly a blessing.

INTERVIEWER: Did they miss any games?

MARVIN: They never have missed watching it. They might not have been there.

INTERVIEWER: Did they make it to Michigan State in 09?

MARVIN: No, they were not. But they were all at home watching though and my mom always talks about, she said my dad had given up on us. He was sitting there all, they ain't gonna do it. And I caught the pass and they all said they went crazy and running around the house.

INTERVIEWER: And they're here this weekend. Are they gonna take this all the way into the senior ride?

MARVIN: Oh, yeah. They're gonna try to make almost every game. I think the only one they're having trouble with right now is Penn State. But they know this is my senior year and they want to be there for everyone.

INTERVIEWER: Does that factor in you deciding to come back? Because I think you probably, there might have been … You might have had a chance to make some money –

MARVIN: Yeah, and definitely it did. We sat down, my parents and I, and there was also a couple of my buddies. We had a few phone calls and … and there was, it comes down to wanting to come back for your teammates, your fans. And most importantly for me it was the big thing about graduating, you know? And I figured why would I go four years at a school and then not get your degree? You might as well finish out and then play the …

INTERVIEWER: You'll graduate in December?

MARVIN: Yes.

INTERVIEWER: Did your parents go to college?

MARVIN: Yeah, they did, but they haven't finished. So I'll be the first one in my family to finish.

INTERVIEWER: Is it just you and your sister?

MARVIN: And my little brother. He's 13 years old.

INTERVIEWER: Is he any good?

MARVIN: My mom won't let him play football yet. He was going to play last year, but something happened with the coach. But he's pretty tall. I think he's about 5'8” now, and he plays basketball.

INTERVIEWER: You talked about maybe transferring. What was that?

MARVIN: It was kind of about the time when I noticed that the quarterback wasn't going quite as well, as good as I wanted from him. And then there was the thought of maybe moving the wide receiver. I kind of heard buzz but nobody approached me yet. And it was just, you know, the first time they asked me I kind of talked to my parents about it and we discussed some things and I kind of prayed about it and just asked, you know, the feeling kind of come hit me, and I just felt that I should stay here and try something new. You don't try … the wide receiver.

INTERVIEWER: You're 22. Being away from home for Christmas and Thanksgiving is not a big deal any more. But I'm sure it was at one point in your life.

MARVIN: Thanksgiving was the one that really kind of got me. Because the first year was Christmas and that wasn't too bad. You got used to that one because you want to play in a Bowl game. And Thanksgiving now, like last year was the first time we really didn't get to go home at Thanksgiving, but luckily my parents came up. They cooked. We all had to cook, and a lot of the teammates. So it was actually a pretty good Thanksgiving.

INTERVIEWER: But with young guys, with a freshman comes from St. Louis or Florida or wherever, it's gotta be a little bit, those holidays –

MARVIN: Yeah, it kind of hits at home. You kind of get homesick. But at the same time, you start to thinking, you realize, okay, would you rather be at home with your buddies, who some of them aren't doing as well as you. Or would you rather be doing what you love, playing football at a big time university.

INTERVIEWER: And there are probably going to be celebrations at Thanksgiving in Nebraska this year?

MARVIN: Oh, yeah, I'm sure something will happen and we'll figure something out.

INTERVIEWER: Do you find yourself, where you're talking to a young guy, a freshman, who's away from home for the first time, have you talked him through a tough time?

MARVIN: Definitely. You know, there's a lot of guys that you could kind of tell who are real homesick and you need to, you ask them, especially when, because one thing is, when we do miss a holiday or something, like last year, we have guys around who want to have dinner with their families. So you offer it to everybody. You tell people, if you want to come and get a meal. We have extra food for you. That's what we did last year. I'm pretty sure Prater came over to my house. Basically, the guy that I was livings with was there, and then their parents came. … came with his parents. AJ came. I mean, we just had a time with people who really don't have their families here to come.

INTERVIEWER: How well do your folks know that Avenue of the Saints?

MARVIN: I'm pretty sure they know it well.

INTERVIEWER: Where do they stop? I've stopped in Canton before.

MARVIN: I usually don't stop. I just go straight through. Hannibal maybe.

INTERVIEWER: How about some of the young guys, I think the only two wide receivers …are –

MARVIN: Me and Keenan.

INTERVIEWER: Nobody else has caught …

MARVIN: No, I don't think so. I mean these guys, I think they're hungry for it. I think they want it. Some of the young guys like Pavante and Don and Staggs, these guys work hard and they wait for their chance to get out there. We've all had to do our share of waiting at one point here, so you know for them, and I think they're anxious to get out there and I think we'll see good things from them.

INTERVIEWER: DJK on Twitter has kind of been pimping Kevonte a lot. Has he got the goods?

MARVIN: You know, they all have something they kind of bring. Kevonte definitely has the attributes to be a, he can be a great route runner. He knows how to use his hands. And he does the extra stuff to kind of push himself forward.

INTERVIEWER: Don is a St. Louis guy. Do you plan to take him under –

MARVIN: Yeah, I kind of got to do that his freshman year a little bit, because for the summer when he came up he stayed with me for a minute and he got to, we would ride back home a few times together that summer, so we definitely kind of built a rapport there.

INTERVIEWER: …James Vandenberg … back to you guys?

MARVIN: You know, I have just as much confidence in him as I do in Rick. The only thing you can say that James doesn't have is he just doesn't have as much a chance as Rick. So I mean, like it might be a little rough early in the season, but I have just as much confidence that he's smart enough to make adjustments or make the right throws.

INTERVIEWER: How do they differ?

MARVIN: Like I say, the only thing I can really take from Vandenberg right now is the experience level. I mean, he's smart. He's bringing everything to the huddle just like Rick does. So I'm really excited to see what he can do.

INTERVIEWER: I was talking to him yesterday about the way he's prepared. The way he's handled himself. It involves confidence. Do you see that--

MARVIN: Definitely. I mean, Vandenberg's a kid who he already has confidence. So, he's gonna tell you… But he's a fun kid. You know, he has, he's always funny. And he's a competitor .And whatever he does, he's gonna try to compete.

INTERVIEWER: Did you hear he used to wrestle Angerer?

MARVIN: Yeah, he always did.

INTERVIEWER: You would never have done that, would you?

MARVIN: No. Not at all. That's crazy. But at the same time, we're all like brothers. So, we mess around, but Vandenberg is crazy.

INTERVIEWER: He must be a little crazy to play quarterback and –

MARVIN: You have to have some type of, kind of camaraderie with everybody. You know, people that you kind of want to, because everybody is kind of looking at you. You're the quarterback. You're the leader. So you've got to have a little craziness, especially because you know you're going to be getting hit by 300 pounds.

INTERVIEWER: Any other parts that you think are crazy?

MARVIN: He thinks he can beat me in basketball which is absurd.

INTERVIEWER: Has he ever played?

MARVIN: No, we never played against each other. But I told him, he lost to one of our, St. Louis's freshman team one time and got blown out. So I told him that team, we would have smashed them.

INTERVIEWER: What about some of the young incoming guys, freshmen, receiver Grant, …, what have you seen from this?

MARVIN: I've heard a lot of good things. Those guys, I like the fact that they listen. It's a huge thing when a freshman comes in and they want to learn and things and they try the techniques that you have that you might have learned in high school, or they kind of have some bad things that they need to stop doing. But those guys they come in and they want to learn and they want to get better. And that's a huge first step about being a freshman is coming in and knowing that, you know, I'm not going to know everything right away, but for me to wanting to get better, he should probably listen to some of the older guys.

INTERVIEWER: You talked about the new rivalry game between Nebraska and that's been called the Heroes Game. What are your thoughts on that?

MARVIN: A Heroes Game. I mean, I guess it hits with the names of the divisions which is pretty cool. But I mean, I'm pretty excited to play this game. I don't think I've ever played a Friday night game in college before. And it's pretty cool.

INTERVIEWER: What about the name itself? The Iowa/Nebraska …, Farmageddon, --

MARVIN: Yeah, I mean, the name, I don't know. Whoever created it, I don't know. I mean, there might be something I like more. But the game itself is really the most important part. The name, it's more about getting out on the field and experiencing the rivalry.

INTERVIEWER: What's the difference like in attitude between a day game and a night game?

MARVIN: You know, in a day game the weather is too hot or something. It's something I kind of lower the cloud sometimes. The night game, there's something about it that brings, you know the lights are going to be on. And that's something. The lights are on you and you're the show type of deal.

INTERVIEWER: Do you prepare differently at all for day versus night games?

MARVIN: Oh, you might have later practices maybe in camp or something, but for the most part you still prepare the same. You still prepare for a great ballgame and that's what you do.

INTERVIEWER: A lot of stuff was made before the Bowl game last year. Promised a lot of headlines. But it was … and what have you. How were you able to stay focused and kind of get through that experience?

MARVIN: It was mainly to just know that you know, we had stuff going on, but what is it we're here for. What is it that we want? What is it that, what is the reason we have our scholarships? We're here to play football and to go to school. And that was the main thing. It was just to get that focus wasn't really hard because everybody on the team, we wanted to get out of the headlines. We wanted to focus on football and that kind of fueled us to become more of a closer unit.

INTERVIEWER: Can you believe you're going into your senior year as a Hawkeye?

MARVIN: Not at all, no. I was just talking to, you know, it was a blessing and an honor to even get this far in college football, in college. And to go into my senior year. Hopefully I will graduate and be the first one in my family to graduate college. It's a great honor and it's a blessing.

INTERVIEWER: Have you talked to Ken at all about putting in a couple more plays for you throwing the football down to get around those end-arounds?

MARVIN: I didn't really care about throwing the ball. I hopefully just get the ball. I mean, I joke with them, but me and Coach O'Keefe we have a good rapport, so I think we're going into the season pretty confident with each other.

INTERVIEWER: How do you feel about the possibility of increasing scholarships …across the campus?

MARVIN: You know, there's a plan, you definitely aren't going to say no to more money. But I think for us to really kind of comment on it, it's hard, because we have a one-sided view on it and we always say that we probably want more of it, so, right now, I mean, I think they have people out there that are working on it, and they're smarter and they know what can happen and what can't, so I mean, so that's just really a waiting game type deal.

INTERVIEWER: As a player, do you feel like you have enough money for some of the things you need, that the scholarship isn't allowed to cover?

MARVIN: Yeah, you might get a little scarce with money. But all in all, if you find, you know, stop going out to eat as much, or I think it's think that as a college football players you might want, but you don't need, type things. And those are the type of things that you kind of, you know, find people doing, you need to afford the illegal stuff.

INTERVIEWER: …to their added popularity and then also pressure that comes from Iowa not having an NFL team in the state?

MARVIN: Oh, it's definitely, it's like we're kind of like thee NFL team of the state or something like that. Except there is no NFL team … Everybody's eyes are always on you. So little stuff that you do is big stuff to everybody else. So that's why you have to know that it's kind of like everybody has their eyes on you, so that can be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing if you're doing the wrong type of stuff.

INTERVIEWER: And lining up against something of a different secondary practice this year, Micah Hyde and Colin Sleeper. Is that the same intensity lining up against those guys?

MARVIN: Definitely. I think there's, you know, as we get older and we know each other more, there's even more intensity and competitiveness because with those, when you start knowing guys and understanding who they are, you can even get under their skin a little bit more and try to mess with them. So with that said, we always try to work to get better what to improve and compete.

INTERVIEWER: The wide receiver for this year, a couple things. What do you think of Kevonte? First impression, I guess.

MARVIN: First impression. He's a good kid. He's funny. And another thing is, he's a work horse. He's going to do whatever it takes to make himself better. And that's something I really value in seeing at the practice or whatever. I just see him doing a lot of stuff on his own. That's something you need from a receiver.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think Keenan Davis could have a bigger role this year? Kind of break out?

MARVIN: Yeah, I definitely believe Keenan Davis will have a season that, you know, he helps this program, helps us as a unit on offense to be better. And I think he will definitely improve. I mean, really, because he really hasn't had a chance to go on the field with me and DJ. So we'll definitely see some good things from him.

INTERVIEWER: Now that James Vandenberg is the star of …, what kind of things …

MARVIN: I mean, James has definitely grown. We've seen it in his preparation as well as just his leadership. His leadership has definitely grown. He's finally, he's not a guy to get into the spotlight. He's not after Ricky, because Ricky was the starter and everything, but really, the only thing that you could really say right now is that he's grown into his role and he's finally getting his chance and his opportunity to grow.

INTERVIEWER: …what's it been like since he's been gone?

MARVIN: It's less talking, or less singing, I guess, in the locker room. But for the most part, you know, it's gonna be different a little bit to see somebody else out there, but at the same time, it's college football, and people have to move on. So he'll be missed, but we'll also have somebody else that will have to step up.

INTERVIEWER: What was your relationship like? Was he kind of a leader you say?

MARVIN: Oh, you know, he was definitely an outspoken person. As last year's class, you know, there was a lot of seniors. So, there was a lot of people that all kind of offense, so there really wasn't no one I really had to take over with for the most part of the year. When he walked out, he would probably be a little bit …

INTERVIEWER: And now that he's gone, you're kind of thee elder statesman over --

MARVIN: Definitely. Definitely. I have to be more than just a receiving … you know, it's a team-type thing. We've all seen it. We don't have a huge group of guys like last year. So it's more like, not everybody has got a lot of playing time. So with me being at that role where I do have a lot of playing time, and I have been around for a while and been a senior, so I kind of have to try and step into the role of a more vocal leader.

INTERVIEWER: And it's kind of reflecting on last year, … three game stretch where you lost three very close games and it was kind of disappointing … and all those seniors coming back and expected maybe a shot at the Bowl?

MARVIN: Well, definitely. Definitely it wasn't the way we wanted to finish the seniors. But at the same time, it gave us the opportunity to look inside ourselves and see what we could improve internally. And we tried to fix those things and hopefully we made a better impression than Mizzou had.

INTERVIEWER: And then just lastly, there was all kind of … focusing in on the off-season with…. Has that bonded the team closer together?

MARVIN: It has definitely bonded the team close together. Because with the guys, you know you've known people for 4 or 5 years really well. You've worked out with them every day. When something like that happens, it's serious. And you want to be there for them as much as you can. So with that, we really tried to, we brought the team closer together because you saw the guys. We all came and cared for each other.

INTERVIEWER: You guys don't maybe work directly with the tight-ends, but do you see the reputation that Iowa has kind of built up almost as Tight-End U.

MARVIN: I've seen that Iowa definitely has talented tight end. And with not only, you know, you have Brandon Myers a few years ago. Tony Moeaki, the Scott Chandlers, they made a name for themselves, which has helped the reputation of this university. And it's just, it's steadily growing. And with that, we hope to see big things from Brad Herman as well as CJ.

INTERVIEWER: What do you think about CJ? He played every position on the field it seemed like.

MARVIN: He's a monster. I mean, personally, I like him a lot. It's going to be fun to see what he does with playing a live one, when he does get the playing time.

INTERVIEWER: I'm Jake …, I'm from Lincoln, Nebraska. I'm starting up a new sports radio. My co-host will be here in a little bit. He's a little older than me. We just came back from a deal this morning. Iowa-Nebraska rivalry. Are you excited about that?

MARVIN: Definitely. I welcome it. Especially welcome Nebraska to this Big Ten. It's an honor to finally get them here and I mean they're a championship caliber team. And you know, you don't mind facing championship caliber players and with that Nebraska brings a lot of tradition, great fans. And it's gonna be a fun time.

INTERVIEWER: Now where are you from?

MARVIN: St. Louis.

INTERVIEWER: So you know the Midwest and the Big Ten and how it works. So you've had the rivalry with Minnesota. Is this something that you're going to enjoy when you put the helmet on and you go out there. Is it a little bit more norm, like this is Nebraska. It's a rivalry game.

MARVIN: There is always a little something extra in a rivalry game. I mean, you try and bring that same intensity to every game. But then again, you know that in a rivalry game, you don't want that other team coming over and storming your sidelines. It kind of hurts you. So it kind of takes a piece of you away from you when your trophy leaves you.

INTERVIEWER: Have you been to Lincoln before?

MARVIN: No, I haven't.

INTERVIEWER: Tell me what you know about Nebraska.

MARVIN: I know they have a good physical defense. And they have pretty good talent, the players on both sides of the ball. I know that they're a good team and they have a great coach and I know it will be a fun time.

INTERVIEWER: Have you heard the name Alfonzo?

MARVIN: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: So as a great wide receiver, is it exciting for you to go up against a … All-American MVP?

MARVIN: Definitely. Definitely. You definitely want to face the best in the nation when considered to be a good player. You also want to face great players. And with them being considered pre-season, I feel like this will be a great opportunity for us to improve. Because whenever you play somebody, you know your level of play has to rise as well. And I think that would be a fun time.

INTERVIEWER: You know it's called the Heroes Game. Do you like that?

MARVIN: I mean, like I say, I really don't care about the name. It's more about the game.

INTERVIEWER: Absolutely. Thanks.

INTERVIEWER: Hi, Teddy Greenstein. Chicago Tribune. Good to see you. Every year you're fired up to get back at it, but maybe this year even more to get back on the field?

MARVIN: Yeah, definitely. I was telling some guys, you know, it's funny I've come this far. It's coming to the last season. It's really an honor and a blessing to be part of this Hawkeye tradition and to have a chance to graduate. I'm gonna be the first one in my family to do that. So that will be a great feeling.

INTERVIEWER: Did you strongly consider the NFL?

MARVIN: Yeah, it was kind of a 50/50 decision at one point. I weighed things out. The fact to come back and play with the teammates I had and to just get better and the main reason I guess would be to graduate.

INTERVIEWER: So when you say 50/50, there were nights that you went to sleep and you were like –

MARVIN: Yeah, that's exactly how it was. There were nights that you would think, okay, tomorrow I guess I'm gonna, yeah. But it was like that. I truly thought about it, and glad I made this decision.

INTERVIEWER: And are there pros and cons?

MARVIN: There were both pros and cons. And then also feelings, it was more of a gut feeling type thing.

INTERVIEWER: And then who were the first people that you let know that you were staying?

MARVIN: My mom. My mom and dad. Both of those guys. And my girlfriend.

INTERVIEWER: Is your girlfriend there?

MARVIN: Yes. She's in St. Louis.

INTERVIEWER: So did she have an opinion on what you should do.

MARVIN: She didn't have an opinion about it. I asked her but she didn't want to give me one. Which was fine. It really wasn't going to matter. It was my decision, but at the same time, I wanted to know what she thought.

INTERVIEWER: Where do you think you would have got taken in the draft?

MARVIN: I don't know. It would have depended on a lot of things. And hopefully would have gotten drafted earlier, but that's what I wanted.

INTERVIEWER: How about the workout and the kidney stuff. For those couple weeks did you try to stay away from the public eye and try not to deal with it or how did you handle that?

MARVIN: Well, it was more, we kind of wanted to handle it in-house type thing. And at the same time, it was something that we just wanted to make sure that our friends got better. And that was the main goal.

INTERVIEWER: I assume through hospital visits?

MARVIN: Yeah, hospital visits.

INTERVIEWER: Do you guys feel like that is totally –

MARVIN: Yeah, it's totally past us now. We've handled it. And we feel like it brought us closer together as a unit.

INTERVIEWER: How did it bring you closer together?

MARVIN: You have your close friends and buddies and you kind of have to share a moment and you let the guys know that you're there for them and you care for them.

INTERVIEWER: I gotta ask you one tough question. Were you disappointed that Kirk didn't come back initially?

MARVIN: I really, we don't even think about it. You know, I mean, Coach Ferentz has a lot of obligations. And you know, when he did come back, he was there a 100% with the players to make sure they were alright.

INTERVIEWER: What do you think about Vandenberg?

MARVIN: He's a great kid. He's funny. Crazy at times. But he's a good kid and I have a lot of confidence in him.

INTERVIEWER: How's he crazy?

MARVIN: You know, he just picks fights with people like … here. Not real fights, but he likes to joke around, and he thinks he could beat me in basketball. Or that he could dunk on me, which I don't even think he can dunk.

INTERVIEWER: So he's like brash or fake brash? Funny brash?

MARVIN: Yeah, he's funny.

INTERVIEWER: And how about as a quarterback?

MARVIN: He's a smart kid. And he has a strong arm. And I have no doubt in my mind that when he finally does get going and get comfortable that he's gonna be a great quarterback.

INTERVIEWER: How does he compare to Stanzi?

MARVIN: Really, you know, the only difference I would say for the most part right now, I mean, he hasn't had a lot of game experience, is that he just hasn't had a lot of experience. We're seeing the game maybe when they start, there's going to be a little bit more differences they have.

INTERVIEWER: And how about in terms of the way the ball comes at you?

MARVIN: Yeah, it looks, I mean, he does have some velocity …

INTERVIEWER: Maybe a little more?

MARVIN: At certain times, yeah. But Stanzi could also throw it pretty hard if he wanted to.

INTERVIEWER: With Stanzi being gone or leaving, did that make you think more about leaving yourself?

MARVIN: That wasn't as big a part of it as much as the other stuff was, about graduating, and just being with my teammates. Because I know the skill level that Vandenberg has and it's just as high as Stanzi's.

INTERVIEWER: Tell me about the leadership group and what that involves?

MARVIN: It basically entails a group of guys. Each class picks a few and then there's kind of like a senior leadership. But when certain situations come up or decisions that Coach Ferenz kind of wants to bring to our attention, we'll talk about them and then maybe address them to the players to help them better understand stuff or we'll, or they'll ask us stuff that we feel might work out better if we do it this way, because we kind of have the opinion of the team behind us.

INTERVIEWER: Has there been in instance where you guys have had to deal with some kind of issue or something you've talked about?

MARVIN: There used to be a lot of, I mean, just a lot of different things. Sometimes maybe a, one different thing we could change to make things better or if we had any questions about like maybe some workouts, different things like that. What could we change or what could we make better.

INTERVIEWER: Do you subscribe to this theory that when Iowa comes into the season under the radar, you guys tend to do better?

MARVIN: Really, it's not really more of that. It's just, we just gotta educate more. I think that's the key. When we focus more on our practice and execution, I think that's when you have to get out …

INTERVIEWER: What are you getting your degree in?

MARVIN: Interdisciplinary studies for business. And hopefully get a certificate of entrepreneurial certificate.

INTERVIEWER: What will you be doing with that degree in 20 years?

MARVIN: Hopefully have a business where I can help with young adults in college and maybe even, I used to really want to make my own shoes, design shoes, and maybe being a part of Nike.

INTERVIEWER: Do you do that on the side? A sketchbook?

MARVIN: No, I don't have a sketchbook. I used to a little bit. Not for shoes. But it would be a release to kind of draw a little bit.

INTERVIEWER: So have you tinkered with shoe stuff?

MARVIN: Well, it was a dream to be a part of Nike. But to be another like … to help give them new ideas about stuff type thing.

INTERVIEWER: So then you have kind of played with that a little bit?

MARVIN: Just in my mind.

INTERVIEWER: Is there anyone in St. Louis you still rely on?

MARVIN: Oh, a lot of people. My best friend still lives there. My mom and dad. Grandmothers. I have a lot of family there. Ex-teammates. Still quite a few folks that I talk to and rely on for support. Even if I need a little extra cash.

INTERVIEWER: So what's this year in store for you? What do you think?

MARVIN: What I really hope to accomplish is making sure I put, I help the team the best way I can. Whether it's running down the field making a block, if it's catching the ball. Those things add up. And when you can help your team win games, that's a great goal.

INTERVIEWER: Do you create goals in numbers or statistically? Or does Coach do that with you?

MARVIN: Like I say, I might at time. You might put a goal down for what you want to hit in yards or something. But as far as, that's a goal I keep to myself type thing. You know, because you don't want to have that be the main concern of your season, you know? It makes sense to be highly … Because you can't control how many times the ball comes to you. But you control how much effort you put into it.

INTERVIEWER: When you were at Central, what was recruitment like?

MARVIN: I was looking at Mizzou, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, and Nebraska.

INTERVIEWER: What ended up drawing you to Iowa?

MARVIN: The thing that kind of got me was the friendly atmosphere and the fact that sometimes other people might have been at other schools kind of looking at other quarterbacks as well or something so I kind of maybe thought about Iowa. But Iowa was definitely, when I got here, there was just this atmosphere here that me and my parents both liked and thought it would be a good thing place for me to go to school here.

INTERVIEWER: Back to the thing that happened in the spring. I'm just curious. You all went through the same workout?

MARVIN: Yeah, we all did. Some people had lighter weights. Since I did have a shoulder injury, I had a lighter weight or things like this. But we all did the same workout. And it was tough, but we got through it.

INTERVIEWER: There weren't degrees of this? You either were stricken with it or they weren't.

MARVIN: I really don't know the, like I don't think I had any type of symptoms.

INTERVIEWER: When you were saying earlier that you felt like it kind of brought you guys more together again, can you elaborate a little bit more on that?

MARVIN: Well, when you see your best friends, your guys that you've grown to hang out with the last five years, in the hospital, you care for them and you want them to get better. So you have hospital visits and you just make sure that everybody is doing good. It was a process to get them back on the field as well. We had to make sure we did care for those guys and to make sure that they did get back out there. They're our brothers so we wanted to get them back with us.

INTERVIEWER: Was that scary?

MARVIN: It was scary.

INTERVIEWER: You got some pre-season honors. Field steel court team. Pre-season All-America. That type of thing. I mean, do you aspire to kind of get those honors at the end of the year?

MARVIN: We definitely want those honors. It would be great to have them. At the same time, it would be better if our team had, got to go to a huge Bowl game or the big one. That's a goal that individually you would love to have. At the same time, what's it matter if your team is not winning.

INTERVIEWER: Did you play basketball in high school?

MARVIN: Yes, and baseball.

INTERVIEWER: Give me some of your numbers.

MARVIN: I bat a 400. And we took, I hit a grand slam my junior year that took us to state. It was the semi-finals. We played … They did a story on that. And they did like three separate tri-athlete thing on that. And basketball, I don't remember how many points but I used to get up and dump over people quite a few times. But I was kind of an all-around type player. I was thinking pretty seriously about …basketball as well.

 INTERVIEWER: Are you still … in either of those?

MARVIN: I once in a while go out and play a little basketball. But not too much, because you don't want something to happen.

INTERVIEWER: Do you have a clause in your contract that says you can't play?

MARVIN: I think they do, but I think I get around it sometimes. I would love to do it, but it's hard to find time just to go out and play baseball.

INTERVIEWER: Do you have any … besides passing?

MARVIN: That was one last year we did. We didn't complete it. I almost completed it to DJ.

INTERVIEWER: Was that a …

MARVIN: It was, he just went out and I came around for the … and just kind of ran …

INTERVIEWER: Do you want to do that some more or?

MARVIN: I love to touch the ball every time I can, so.

INTERVIEWER: This is big time and it's always kind of fun to establish yourself as different than the … cold weather. What do you think about the fact they're playing indoor …championship game?

MARVIN: Really the only thing I can think of is that it gets pretty cold late in November and so I really haven't thought about that too much. Because Minnesota used to be indoors, they used to play indoors, which was alright. But like I say, I think you still have a great atmosphere towards it. I think nothing will really take away from it. It's just we get to play in an indoor facility.

INTERVIEWER: When Nebraska came into the Big Ten, there was a lot of talk about dividing. How much were you following? Were you saying, hey, I hope they do this, or I want to see them do this.

MARVIN: You really didn't do too much, because there was nothing that you really could do. I mean, if it happens, it happens. Your goal is that, okay, whatever division we get into or whoever we have to play, how are we going to prepare ourselves to win or to get a victory, so. That's the main thing about the thing is right now we're more concerned with our first game and trying to just make sure that we take it one step at a time.

INTERVIEWER: Do you like the division you ended up in?

MARVIN: Yeah, definitely. I mean, the Big Ten by itself is something that you are proud to be a part of. And with that being said, you welcome to play anything in the Big Ten because it's the Big Ten.

INTERVIEWER: And then you're part of the Legends division. Do you like the name? Because that was a huge thing, too. A lot of people made fun of the names.

MARVIN: Yeah, I mean, like I say, I'm not one for the whole naming process or how they named it or like even with the trophy game. They asked me about the Heroes Game. Right now, it's mainly about getting out on the field. Because we love doing this. This is what we love doing. So they could have named it anything they wanted and I still would have gone out and tried to represent the Big Ten as much as possible.

INTERVIEWER: How big of a responsibility do you have on your shoulders this year?

MARVIN: You know, there's definitely a bigger responsibility to play my best, hopefully, because I have been around and I have been played and I'm a senior. So I'm pretty sure that the young guys look to see by example. And that's a huge part about it. Teaching young guys how to work, how to finish and how to do the right things.

INTERVIEWER: How is James Vandenberg …

MARVIN: Really, you can't really put an actual air speed on it yet, because you haven't seen it. I haven't got to really fully like work through the season with him and things like that. But I mean, James is a funny kid. And he's a work horse, just like Rick was. So really the only thing I can put my finger on him right now is that he just hasn't had as much experience as Rick has.

 INTERVIEWER: So does he throw a good ball and all of that?

MARVIN: He throws a great ball.

INTERVIEWER: Do you ever talk with the quarterbacks about how good a quarterback you were?

MARVIN: Yeah, me and Vandenberg always joke around because he thinks he can beat me in basketball and tell him and tell him I can still come out and play a little quarterback if I have to. But we joke around. He's a good kid. It's a fun environment.

INTERVIEWER: Was it hard for you to finally give that up?

MARVIN: At first it kind of was.

INTERVIEWER: How did that happen? Was it your choice?

MARVIN: It was my choice. They came and asked me one day and I told them, you know, yeah, I wouldn't mind. We could see how it works. Because I wanted to help the team as much as possible. Then I started … and that helped.

INTERVIEWER: Who came to talk to you?

MARVIN: It was kind of both Coach Campbell, Coach O'Keefe. They both kind of asked me about it.

INTERVIEWER: Had it been your dream growing up to be a quarterback?

MARVIN: I mean, it was. I didn't start playing football until my sophomore year in high school. But it was definitely, as a kid, I definitely saw that I had to catch a ball pretty good. It was pretty natural. And it just was one of the things that I thought was something, if I went to another position besides quarterback, it would be receiving.

INTERVIEWER: I think I saw Stanzi say, I saw a headline that said, what should they do, get the ball to you. Did you see that?

MARVIN: Yeah. It's actually right. Especially coming from a guy who is now in the NFL and whose life went the way we all kind of loved to be as kids, to that level. And it's a great feeling. It's a great opportunity to have been a part of playing with Rick Stanzi. There are other … also. Everybody plays a part. That's the reason …

INTERVIEWER: You're kind of a Big Twelve area guy, aren't you? Growing up, who was your team?

MARVIN: You know growing up, I really wasn't a huge fan of football. Mizzou was always still …They were up there and I just liked watching sports period.

INTERVIEWER: What was the attraction to Iowa?

MARVIN: You know there was something about it. It was the kind of chemistry we got there. With the coaches and the players. It was sort of the family-atmosphere type of feeling. My parents thought that it would be a good fit and they thought that Coach Ferentz and the coaching staff would have my best interests at heart.

INTERVIEWER: Who did you have to tell no to then?

MARVIN: Indiana, Mizzou, Louisiana.

INTERVIEWER: Was there ever a moment when you first moved to receiver that you wondered if it wasn't going to work?

MARVIN: Yeah, definitely. The first few weeks. Because I started seeing a little strides, but at the same time, I wasn't getting playing time. I was working hard but I thought I'd never be able to get in condition as a receiver. But I felt I had to keep getting better at.

INTERVIEWER: How much did you change your body and your skill set basically? Because that Indiana game when you got to play your first year, I'll admit it, I wondered if you were ever going to make an impact as receiver, and then you looked like a totally different guy the next year. How much did you have to change your body and your conditioning?

MARVIN: I definitely saw that, I had to lose some weight a little bit. Because I think I actually started playing when I was about 218. And I needed to get weight down and be able to run. That was the main goal. Being able to run and be light on my feet.

 INTERVIEWER: How much did your 40 time change?

MARVIN: 4.72 to 4.50.

INTERVIEWER: Really?

MARVIN: Yeah, and I went from a .44 to like a 4.29 or 4.30 or something like that.

INTERVIEWER: How did you get that down?

MARVIN: When you start working with faster guys, your level of play has to improve and with that you have to start working harder. You have to work with the … and it just starts kind of feeling like in the right way.

INTERVIEWER: Could you feel it?

MARVIN: Yeah, definitely. That's when I started feeling it. I really started feeling it after the …year. I started noticing that I was really a receiver then. Your body was trying to tell you, you don't feel or look like a quarterback any more. You kind of know what you're doing as a receiver.

INTERVIEWER: Is there a change in the mentality, too?

MARVIN: Oh, definitely. As a quarterback, you go out, you have swagger as well. But, a receiver has the kind of swagger, too, that's a little different. That you feel like you'd kind of like, the pretty boy runners are my type thing on the team, so.

INTERVIEWER: So did you grow up watching like Steve Young, Mike Vick –

MARVIN: Yeah, Michael Vick was … because I started playing as a sophomore and he was one I would get compared to at times. Especially during state. I remember, I think one of the announcers… Marvin has a Michael Rick type game, or something like that. But him, and I just used to watch everything. Because I was a big basketball and baseball guy, too.

INTERVIEWER: So then who did you start following?

MARVIN: Well, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson. You know, you watch a lot of receivers, especially when you want to see what you want to know so you can get better. And then especially in college, it kind of changes the way you watch football. In high school, I really didn't know what really I was looking at. Whereas now, you know, you can start looking at people's releases and how their stance is, or what do they do to get out of their break type stuff. So things change the way you look at the way football was played.

INTERVIEWER: You were competing for a job with Rick then? How many years was that?

MARVIN: It was basically just one.

INTERVIEWER: When you're going against him do you think, I'm better than he is.

MARVIN: I mean, you kind of have to. The mentality to just kind of play better at the same time. It wasn't like a hate type of rivalry.

INTERVIEWER: So who suggested the change to receiver?

MARVIN: You know, I guess the coaches talked about it. They asked me about it. Coach Campbell and Coach O'Keefe both came to me and asked me would I mind working on receiver a little bit. But could I still work at quarterback as well. So I was doing kind of a little bit of both.

INTERVIEWER: Did you ever think it would evolve into this?

MARVIN: I was hoping it would. If this was going to be my path, I was hoping I would finally get to play and finally make plays that would help the team.

INTERVIEWER: Could you throw it as well as Rick?

MARVIN: I think I did. You know, maybe not with the …ball, but there's something about, I didn't like throwing it at first. When I first started, it was just different from high school. It just felt different.

INTERVIEWER: You run a 4.5 now? Do you have to get that down?

MARVIN: Yeah. Definitely. I'm working every day to try to improve every aspect of my game. And definitely speed is a huge part of being a receiver. So that's something you always work on and try to improve.

 INTERVIEWER: How low can you get?

MARVIN: Hopefully, we're going to try and get as low as I can. There's no ceiling on what I can do. I'll just try to keep improving.

INTERVIEWER: Do you have any goals about that?

MARVIN: Not right now. Just keep getting faster.

INTERVIEWER: Who's the fastest …

MARVIN: Right now I'm thinking it's Jordan Bernstine.

INTERVIEWER: We gonna be seeing a lot of him this year.

MARVIN: We might. I think that's his goal. You'd have to ask the coaches. We might see some of him.

INTERVIEWER: What year is he now?

MARVIN: A senior. He came in with me.

INTERVIEWER: Who's the closest to him?

MARVIN: Probably Prater. And a few of the young, like Don Shumpert might be pretty fast.

INTERVIEWER: Who's your 4 x 1 team?

MARVIN: Jordan … I think he ran that pretty good in high school. Jordan, Prater and Micah Hyde. Maybe some of the new freshmen. They look like they're pretty fast.

INTERVIEWER: Anybody in that class jump out at you so far?

MARVIN: No, not yet. I've really only got to spend time with the receivers and they're pretty good kids. They listen, and that's a huge part of being a freshman. Being able to listen and take coaching not just from the coach but from your peers as well.

INTERVIEWER: Know your place?

MARVIN: Yeah, they do their job and that's huge. And that's the first part of gaining ground here at Iowa.

INTERVIEWER: Was there ever a time when you thought this isn't working out for me.

MARVIN: Yeah, definitely. That year I decided to move to receiver. At the same time, there's a lot of stuff that goes through your head as a college student. And you start thinking, is this the place for me. But I prayed about it and God presented me with a new challenge and it was a blessing.

INTERVIEWER: You said you were at like 218. What are you at now?

MARVIN: 212. But it's a different type of 212. I was more like out of shape. I've been at 218 like sometimes now, but I can still do the receiver stuff.

INTERVIEWER: What kind of shape were you in, because you were like running 5-7 step drops versus –

MARVIN: Yeah, like I say, it's different. You're only doing 5, 5-7 step drops, and then all of a sudden you gotta run down the field 50 yards and then come back. It was just different.

INTERVIEWER: … rivals and …

MARVIN: Oh, definitely. Those games always have been close. And not just Michigan State but almost every Big Ten game could be considered a rivalry. Just because you know what's at stake. It's a championship caliber program here and just a championship caliber conference so, I mean, with that being said, you know there's gonna be competition that makes everything seem like a rivalry.

INTERVIEWER: Anything about the games that you've played with them that would make them stand out …

MARVIN: Well, besides last year, which …games with, the past years before that, it was, all the games were pretty close.

INTERVIEWER: Somebody ask about that play that …

MARVIN: Oh, definitely. That's definitely something that comes up a lot. They always ask me how did it feel. And I say, I really couldn't feel anything. I couldn't breathe.

INTERVIEWER: Do you think it adds to it, too, … now and this year it could be a pretty meaningful game as far as …

MARVIN: Definitely. I mean, every game is pretty meaningful, especially going towards the Big Ten championship. And with them, we know that they're a good team and they have great players, and so it's gonna be a competitive …

INTERVIEWER: What was it like to have Minnesota last year come on …

MARVIN: It hurt. You know, it's like having something taken from you. Like one of your most valuable positions. A piece of you kind of left you. But then you kind of want to, that's when you want to get back on the field. The day right after to see if we can do it again and try to get it back. But you're not going to wait until the next year to play in the game.

INTERVIEWER: On the other hand, it's fun going over there and taking it from them.

MARVIN: Yeah, it's definitely a good feeling to take it from somebody and it's the worst thing in the world when it gets taken from you.

INTERVIEWER: So now you're gonna have a Nebraska trophy or something.

MARVIN: Yeah, I don't know what it's gonna look like yet, but.

INTERVIEWER: Well, you know what it's like playing there. You've not paid there ever, but just being from that part of the country, I'm sure you know what it's like going there.

MARVIN: I haven't been there before, but I hear it's pretty cool. I heard the atmosphere is college football.

INTERVIEWER: It is, yes.

INTERVIEWER: So building off last year, what are you going to take over to this year? What are your main goals?

MARVIN: Really, take over, you gotta make sure you're practicing good and try to eliminate all the off-the-field distractions and make sure that you're finishing games.

 INTERVIEWER: Yeah, the off-the-field distractions. Did that contribute to the losing streak at the end of the year?

MARVIN: I can tell you, personally, I think it did. At the same time, it also comes down to execution in the fourth quarter. That was a huge part of it.

INTERVIEWER: So a lot of the guys that got into legal trouble are gone from the program now, so do you feel you have a chance to start again clean?

MARVIN: You know, every season is a chance to start again clean, but with those guys gone, you know, somebody, kids in college aren't perfect. So there's going to be mistakes made and different things like that. You just hope people don't make the same ones. That's the only thing.

INTERVIEWER: Whatever goes on in life, will always be in the program. It's just more magnified with you guys.

MARVIN: Yeah. It definitely is. But we kind of know we signed up for it when you sign a … We know there's no NFL team here. So you know, all eyes are focused on you. And when you do something good, you know it's gonna be put out there. At the same time, you do something that's on the negative side, it's also going to get more attention than normal.

INTERVIEWER: Do you feel that it's an advantage or disadvantage that if you go to school and you play a high profile program in the age of Twitter and Facebook and everyone is always –

MARVIN: You know, at the same time, there's a huge disadvantage again like you say. But at the same time there's an advantage. You know, people know kind of more about you as a person with the social media, but there's also more of, you can get yourself in trouble I guess you would say if you, you know, not watching yourself and doing the right type of thing.

INTERVIEWER: Is there anybody in the NFL you look up to?

MARVIN: Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald. Those guys … There's a lot of guys that do great things. Braylon Edwards. Santonio Holmes. Those guys. … I mean, there's great receivers almost all the time. Chad Johnson, they worked. They might have a lot of the, I guess, some of the negative things that come along with –

INTERVIEWER: The eccentricities –

MARVIN: Yeah, but like I say, they've been in the league for quite a while and still are doing it, which is impressive.

INTERVIEWER: What do you think you need to do to get there and conversely what do you think are your best selling points that you have right now in your game?

MARVIN: Well, to get there, hopefully, you have to change and make plays and change to increase basically almost every attribute that I have. You know, right now, I don't feel like anything I have is quite where I want it to be. But you can improve catching the ball and improve running. Make sure I catch everything. Improve getting the speed down, and improve coming off the ball better. At the same time, you know, you have moments when you feel like you catch pretty good and then you have moments where you try and get out of route runs. It's just being consistent with everything I think.

INTERVIEWER: Tell me about the transition from Stanzi to Vandenburg now.

MARVIN: Really, the ball is basically about the same. But the main transition is just seeing somebody else back there, it's different. And I mean, we've seen more of a, we'll be able to tell more of the differences here soon, but right now the main difference is that Vandenberg just hasn't had as much experience as Rick had.

INTERVIEWER: I guess one advantage he has over other first-year starters, that '09 deal sometimes …almost pulled it off there.

MARVIN: And that is the one advantage that Vandenberg has actually played a little bit and has played in a big game, so you don't really worry about if he can do it, because you've see it.

INTERVIEWER: Tell me about Coker and the tailback situation this year.

MARVIN: Oh, yeah. We have a couple guys coming up but Coker he's got what … He played his best. He needs to grow and get better. I mean, he's still kind of young. And of course, everybody's not perfect. So there's gonna be mistakes made at some positions, but we hope that he can keep running like he did and that way we can steadily improve his offense.

INTERVIEWER: Randy Petersen from the Des Moines Register. Are you familiar with the winning … rule that they're talking about?

MARVIN: Oh, you talking about if we celebrate before the end zone?

INTERVIEWER: Are you that kind of guy that does that?

MARVIN: No. I don't think I'd be there. I might want to sometimes. But I mean, I want to get to the end zone before I do anything you know.

INTERVIEWER: What are your thoughts on that? Good, bad?

MARVIN: I don't even know actually the rule.

INTERVIEWER: Well, what they're talking about is if, let's say, I'm using you as an example. You catch the touchdown pass, and you start going into the end zone and you start celebrating before the end zone, before you get to the end zone. Then you're gonna get flagged and it's going to be from the two yard line, 15 yard penalty and go back to the 17.

MARVIN: Oh, well, yeah. I mean, I think it will stop people from celebrating in the end zone. At the same time, I don't know how many people actually celebrate before the end zone.

INTERVIEWER: I remember a few years ago, who was it that did the somersault into the end zone?

MARVIN: See that's one thing that I don't really understand. I mean, if you want to dive into the end zone that's your body, whatever. I want to run into the end zone first and then maybe, you know. Like I say, I'm …like you've been there before.

INTERVIEWER: I want to get to know you better. Take me through these past couple of days.

MARVIN: Yeah. It's been a pretty cool day. I got to meet a few of the other team guys and see that they're actually not as different from you as you thought they were maybe. The freshmen had a pretty cool weekend. We got to do some things. We had a photo shoot. We got to talk to some people. And it's been a pretty cool week.

INTERVIEWER: I talked to a couple of guys about talking to … team and so on. I was expecting you guys to be pretty cool with each other, but some people, it seems like they're trying not to give too much away.

MARVIN: Most guys I've talked with are pretty cool. It's not like, we don't really talk football or anything like all the time. We might like discuss some stuff, but it's not like we're gonna discuss game plans or anything.

INTERVIEWER: So what are your expectations as a player?

MARVIN: Really basically you just hope you can help the team improve everything and to put the team in a position where I'm not hurting the team and I'm doing things to help them.

INTERVIEWER: …

MARVIN: Like every game, it's gonna be a tough one. It's gonna be one that definitely is a fun one. You know, we play a big time partner like Penn State. They're definitely someone you want to bring your A-game for, because if not you could be knocked off at any time. So you definitely want to bring your intensity, and that's going to come with it.

INTERVIEWER: And Kinnick Stadium is one of those stadiums with really strong traditions, and crazy fans and that kind of thing. What's that like coming out of that tunnel?

MARVIN: You know, it's crazy. It's fun. It's football. It's what you're there for.

INTERVIWER: Can you tell me about your expectations coming into the season?

MARVIN: Really, expectation-wise, it's hard to expect stuff, but at the same time you want to be able to expect one of your best seasons, especially if you're saying, you want to perform at your top level.

INTERVIEWER: How do you, as a senior wide receiver, how do you … as he comes into the transition of being the starting quarterback?

MARVIN: Mainly, the main goal is basically to take some of the pressure off of him by being in the right spot at the right time. If you do that as a receiver, it makes the job easier for a quarterback like James who hasn't had a lot of experience.

INTERVIEWER: And so you guys, the receivers, are you running routes with him over the summer?

MARVIN: Definitely. Trying to get timing down and trying to make sure that everything you do, you know, you're doing it as if it was a game. So you get a …

INTERVIEWER: And how important is that before the team actually goes back, to just kind of get a one-on-one rapport.

MARVIN: Well, it's been fun because you don't want to go into camp without doing anything, because it might take a little longer for you to find each other. To find that chemistry. And you kind of want to generate that as quickly as possible.

INTERVIEWER: And so you think that having a senior wide receiver kind of is helpful for him to make the adjustments so he knows he can count on someone who's been there before?

MARVIN: Oh, I think it will definitely help. Not only him, but younger players as well that haven't had as much experience at the receiver position and at other positions as well. They know how to handle themselves on the field and off the field.

INTERVIEWER: So last season you guys were 7 and 3. You had that rough game at Northwestern. How can you kind of second half of the season keep up momentum and really finish strong?

MARVIN: Well, maybe even taking a look back. Realizing that there are some mistakes we made as a unit, because we know we couldn't get past and just finish the game and went into the fourth quarter, which is something that you have to do if you want to be a successful team.

INTERVIEWER: And is that something you guys had the Bowl win, does that kind of propel you into this season a little bit?

MARVIN: We hope so. But, at the same time, that Bowl win was done with 26 seniors that left us. So you know, it's a new team. New season. At the same time you hope that you all can improve from that.

INTERVIEWER: So you say you have 26 seniors leave. You're one of the seniors now. What are you trying to do to help these young guys with that?

MARVIN: Basically lead by example is definitely something. And stay positive. We know they're young so things won't always go the way we want it to, but being a leader and lifting them up when they need to be lifted and at the same time being able to talk to them when they need it.

INTERVIEWER: Obviously you're trying to be a leader pre-season, but when it gets really into game time and maybe 4th quarter and down a touchdown or something like that, how important is it for you to really kind of taking charge, talk to the guys, keep them where they need to be?

MARVIN: I think it's pretty important. Especially if it's needed. You gotta, there are times when you know someone needs to lead and when the people really aren't, you know, if they haven't been through the situation before and you have plenty of times, it's easier for you to talk to somebody than it is for somebody who hasn't. So you know the situation and being able to be in it is pretty cool.

INTERVIEWER: Do you expect James to kind of take on a leadership role himself as the quarterback? Is that something you guys hope for?

MARVIN: Oh, definitely. And you've seen it if you've been working out with him like I have. You definitely see he's taken a leadership role. And he's taken control over the situation that he's been put in. He's a competitor and that's exactly what we need.

INTERVIEWER: And how important is that to the team to have the quarterback be a leader?

MARVIN: It's a huge part of our offense. It will be a huge part of being successful.

INTERVIEWER: I'm Lee Barfknecht from the Omaha World Herald. Tell me about … for Shaun Prater --

MARVIN: Oh, he's a character. We compete at everything. And every time I make one touchdown, he's gonna hear about it. Just as much as he intercepts a pass or something, he's … We joke around. And we both lose sleep over it … each to the other. But it's a …

INTERVIEWER: There's gotta be a big value in that. One against each other.

MARVIN: It's definitely a big part of, I think, each other's success that we have gained since we've been here.

INTERVIEWER: You guys share secrets with each other on how you try to beat a guy and how he tries to cover a guy?

MARVIN: Definitely. Because we know that, I know that me telling him by helping him out will help him in a game … what receivers maybe look for or things like that, so we definitely talk to each other about, oh, you should have done this on this time, because this is what I did. So it's definitely, it's gonna help us get better.

INTERVIEWER: Sure. Coach was just talking a little bit about when you first changed positions at Iowa. Do you have any regrets at all about that?

MARVIN: Not at all. Not at all. It's truly been an honor and a blessing to get this far, even just in school. I will be the first one to graduate in my family. That will be an honor in itself as well as being able to play in front of … at least every game. It's been a great honor. And Coach Ferentz saw something in me that I might not have saw it first, but when I got going, I thank him for the honor and the privilege.

INTERVIEWER: Most guys just want to play.

MARVIN: That's what it is. A lot of guys might want to stay but at the same time, there's also guys that just want to be able to put themselves out there and maybe even just get in front of somebody and play football, because that's what we love.

INTERVIEWER: Do you and Shaun talk about playing Nebraska?

MARVIN: It hasn't really come into the conversation as much. Because they're so late in our schedule. But that has been chatted about quite a bit. I'm sure he's definitely ecstatic to go back home and play in front of his home town.

INTERVIEWER: As a team, do you think you're undervalued a little this year. There's not much conversations about you guys –

MARVIN: We kind of know that going in. We probably wouldn't be. I mean, definitely, we lost a lot of great seniors. I mean, I'm sure people also know that Iowa, Coach Ferentz's teams always seem to stay around somewhere. So I mean, like I said, we don't like where we're at right now, but at the same time, we don't mind it. It doesn't really matter right now. It comes out later.

INTERVIEWER: What are you studying?

MARVIN: …administration, business. And get my entrepreneurial certificate.

INTERVIEWER: Do you know what you might want to do in life?

MARVIN: Yeah, I thought about like, hopefully if I can be successful at the next level, maybe coming back and helping younger kids to get into college. Maybe that didn't have the privileges that I did, as well as maybe working with a part of Nike some day or something like that.

INTERVIEWER: Michigan State, aside from last year, the close game where you guys were …, things like that, has that started to develop as a big rivalry?

MARVIN: That's definitely a game where you know that it's going to be a dog fight going into it. That you can't ever just give up because you know that this might come down to one play, like it has the last few years. But it definitely has been growing. But that's almost with any Big Ten team. I mean, especially last year, every game we had was a close game except that one maybe. So we definitely treat every game, try to treat every game as a rivalry.

INTERVIEWER: And you guys were the only Big Ten team to beat Michigan State last year and it wasn't even close. How did you do it?

MARVIN: Sometimes you just have days where everything just clicks. And our execution was really a big part of it. We made a few plays early in the game that made us fuel the rest of it. It kind of gave us momentum throughout the rest of it that we may have needed. I think that may have been a big part of it. But sometimes it just happens.

INTERVIEWER: Where do you see them this year?

MARVIN: Michigan State is gonna be one of the teams that's always pretty good. I think they have a lot of good talent coming back. They'll be right back up there. You never know exactly how the season plays out, but they're a good team.

INTERVIEWER: How about you guys? With all those close games last year, how much do you think that can help you this year?

MARVIN: You know, hopefully we've learned how to handle situations, so we hope that we can maybe finish games better this year, but for the most part we're going to try and take every team one at a time and basically improve each game.

INTERVIEWER: Michigan State and Iowa have been battling for a lot of the same recruits recently the past couple of years. In your case, what made Iowa the best option? Why do you think it is such an attractive place?

MARVIN: I think one of the things is basically just the family atmosphere that my parents felt when we got here that Iowa had. They were good people and my parents felt like they could trust them with me.

INTERVIEWER: I think I talked to you at the Bowl game when we were talking about the possibility of going to the NFL and we talked about, I don't know if you consider yourself a stepdad or –

MARVIN: That's kind of eventually what I do. You're talking about my girlfriend right? Yeah, I treat him like my own son. He looks up to me. He calls me his father, daddy.

INTERVIEWER: How does that change your life? I mean, that's a lot of responsibility.

MARVIN: I think it definitely has kind of made me become more of a man, and step up into a responsibility type role, to understand that I can't always put myself first. And I think that even like maybe it helped off the field. I mean, on the field stuff, you gotta help your teammates. You gotta be able to step up. And you know, you may not like blocking as much as you like catching a football, but at the same time, it has to be done. And you want to help your running back. And you want him to block for … on a pass. So.

INTERVIEWER: Your responsibility… in college life. A lot of free-wheeling, parties, and this and that. Is that always in the back of your mind?

MARVIN: I mean, you have to watch yourself. There's temptation everywhere. But at the same time, when you think about stuff like that, what really matters to you, what's more important, it's not really a hard decision when it comes down to maybe take care of him or my girlfriend.

INTERVIEWER: How long have you been in this relationship?

MARVIN: About a year and a half now.

INTERVIEWER: Do they come to the games?

MARVIN: He has a jersey that says Little McNutt.

INTERVIEWER: How does that work in terms of the Iowa football fans? I know you guys always talk about it being a big family. Is that just an extension of that?

MARVIN: Definitely. Definitely. Like we, you meaning like her? They have a family, her family is, they're supportive, I mean, I have family everywhere. So, I think I have a lot of supporters that have now become Iowa fans because I've been here. And that's, being out of St. Louis, whereas, you know-- My granddad, the one I call my grandfather, my granddaddy, he's not my dad's biological father, but he raised my dad, which made it a lot easier for me to be able to help raise Christian. He's great. …and at the same time I know my Dad was touched by my grandfather. He really respects him. And I respect my granddaddy. He raised my daddy.

INTERVIEWER: How much of coming back and getting another chance to be in this family, the Iowa football family, how much did that play into your decision to return to college?

MARVIN: It was a huge part. That was one of the main things. Besides graduating, you know, being able to be with my football family again. My teammates, coaches, the fans. That was a huge part. It's a hard thing to leave at …. And to do it … and I figured, why not do it if you can graduate, if you can … I have a lot of fans. And I love my teammates and coaches.

INTERVIEWER: You have to want to leave on a high note.

MARVIN: Definitely.

INTERVIEWER: So what goes into that this year? How do you guys avoid maybe what happened to you last November?

MARVIN: Really just, first from a, maybe taking the weight off-the-field distractions. As well as being able to execute a fourth quarter. That's something that we look back and decided we, we had finished … And maybe even earlier in the game. But being able to finish and get good starts is huge.

INTERVIEWER: How about for you? What's this year for you in terms of your role as a leader and –

MARVIN: Well, for me, it's mostly about consistency. Whether it be catching the ball. Whether it's always running route …, whether it's always blocking down the field. It's just consistency. If I can do that, I feel like it will help improve my part of the game, which in essence helps improve the team. Because if one person improves, everybody improves. And with that, people kind of look to me, like I played a lot. One of the most out of the people on the team. So, you have to understand that people are looking for you to see what you're doing and kind of get an example.

INTERVIEWER: Talking about the off-the-field stuff, reflecting back on that, did that hit you pretty hard when that all came out and went down?

MARVIN: Yeah, it really did. You never know about everybody's personal life. And at the same time you want to help them and you want to figure out what you can do to make it better. So it did. He's my brother and I want to see the best for him, but I'm glad that he's moved on and he has a chance to play in the next level.

INTERVIEWER: How has the wide receiver position, just this summer, looking at the few guys coming in and returning guys, where do you feel like you guys are at as a unit?

MARVIN: Well, right now this is a very close-knit unit. You always see each other messing around or something like that. And that's huge. That's a huge part of being a team. Because you know, these are guys that when you … they're gonna be down field looking to block for you. But you have guys like Kevonte, Shhumpert, Steven Staggs, that you know, of all, they're pushing themselves and each other to get better, and that's what we needed is this competition. Because that way when the game time comes it's just go right over for practice to the game.

INTERVIEWER: What's the key of getting from that point of playing the game at the right tempo and being consistent. So for guys, Keenan, and the guys you mentioned, they gotta take that next step for the team to be successful.

MARVIN: I think one main key is when you're out there, don't let too much stuff get to you. Being able to focus and try to concentrate. A football game is so much, you know six inches from here to here, you know? It's mental. You've gotta be able to focus and get into a zone to where you know what you're doing and it just happens. You know, it's a thing that you just do.

INTERVIEWER: It becomes natural.

MARVIN: It becomes very natural.

INTERVIEWER: I got an email from Trey Stross, saw you posted on your Facebook about Kyle Spading. Can you talk a little bit about that?

MARVIN: Yeah, really just, you know, I went up to see him. And I stayed, and he's in my prayers. I asked for other people just to pray for him as well. He's in a situation right now … He's definitely my brother and I want to see him do well and we ask that you all pray for his family in this and him as well.