Here's a portion of what Iowa's defensive coordinator told the media ahead of the Hawkeyes' open practice on April 25.
Q. With some of the new faces in the safety, Tyler Brown and Anthony Hawkins and all those guys, how have they progressed, number one; and number two, how important was it for you to get guys with multiple years of eligibility to really learn your system and to kind of take shape here over the next couple of years?
PHIL PARKER: Well, there are two things. They're coming from a different system, different coaching, different responsibilities. It's like a different language to them. I think that Tyler Brown has done a really good job adapting to what's going on.
I think you look at Hawkins. He's a great athlete, and he has a chance to play multiple positions for us. The good thing about it when you have Lutmer there as an experienced guy that can help both of those guys outs, I think it really helps. I think the more and more we go, the better they're going to get. I've seen great strides in both kids that are new kids in there, but it helps being with experience.
Getting them in here in January, February, March, and before we start really getting into spring, there's a lot of information they have to get there and a lot of things they aren't getting yet just because it hasn't happened.
Q. Two guys that we heard a lot of good buzz about in December were Iose Epenesa and Jacob Wallace. How have they built upon their springs, and what you do expect this season?
PHIL PARKER: Iose is doing good. He's making progress. Obviously he's a young kid that has a lot of expectations on him, and I think he's done a good job as far as improving.
Q. Along those same lines, you added a number of FCS transfers, guys who are moving up a level. What makes that player or a prospect that fits well with your defense? I guess just from the team perspective, the culture of Iowa, what makes that a player that fits at Iowa?
PHIL PARKER: Well, sometimes when you get a guy that has a little bit more hunger, a guy that he's played and he's shown that he has played at a different level, but still at a high level, but they're still going through a learning process of how we coach, what are our expectations and what we expect them to do.
Q. Phil, you have had countless great leaders on the defense throughout your career here and especially over the last few years. You lost a ton of leadership on the defensive side. How do you challenge the right guys to emerge in those leadership roles, and how do you coach guys to just find their voice and to be able to lead you guys as you transition to that next step of leadership on the defense?
PHIL PARKER: Really to become a good leader, you have to perform on the field. So you look like a guy that -- for example, Buffington, he's a really good player. When you have a really good player, is he vocal enough, or does he lead by example? That's a leadership by example.
Lutmer has been around enough. He's very confident. He's more of a vocal guy. Montgomery, another guy that's been around. A dad that coached, knows the system, all that stuff, and the leadership that they give. Now, you want everybody to start growing, but if you are going to be a leader, you have to do everything right.
Q. Zach Lutmer kind of played all over the place defensively in the secondary for you guys last season. Do you have a sense of is there a position that you would like him to play in particular this season, or do you feel comfortable moving him around again?
PHIL PARKER: Well, I think we'll do that, and it would be the best -- like, who is the next best guy to go in the game? So if we're looking at some of the guys in the depth chart that can go in there and play cash because he's played cash, he's played free, he's played strong. Right now his main focus right now has probably been the free safety position right now.