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Graves fitting in at Iowa

—Julie Vinsand Aaron Graves

IOWA CITY — Kirk Ferentz had nothing but encouraging words to say about freshman sensation Aaron Graves here on Friday as Iowa hosted media day.

“Really good,” Ferentz said about the all-stater from Southeast Valley. “He’s an impressive guy.”

Graves is a 6-foot-4, 271-pound freshman defensive lineman. He will wear No. 95 for the Hawkeyes this year after a prep career that included being named an Adidas All-American, to the elite all-state team and the Gatorade Player of the Year.

On campus since July, Graves, the defensive MVP of the Shrine Bowl, has been a quick learner.

“I was just commenting to Reese Morgan about that like two hours ago,” Ferentz said. “He goes hard. Really didn’t know what he was doing a week ago, but he goes hard.

“He’s got really good effort and was a quick study. We’ll see.”

Graves was a four-year letterwinner for Southeast Valley, helping the Jaguars claim the Class 2A state title last fall. The team went 22-2 during his final two seasons, as he set school-records for sacks in a game, sacks in a career and career tackles.

But Graves was far from a one-sport standout, placing at the state wrestling meet and track meets, while also becoming a 1,000-point scorer in basketball.

The defensive line features returning starters Logan Lee, Noah Shannon and John Waggoner, along with returning letterwinners Yahya Black, Deontae Craig, Logan Lee, Louie Stec, Lukas Van Ness and Joe Evans.

“We’ve got a lot of guys right now doing good things up front,” Ferentz said. “That’s good to see. He’s got a little maturity to him, which is really unusual for a guy his age.”

Kyler Fisher, also a Southeast Valley graduate, is a junior linebacker for the Hawkeyes who has earned two letters. Jamison Heinz, a former Humboldt standout, is a sophomore defensive back.

Fisher is listed as the backup behind Seth Benson at weakside linebacker.

Iowa is set to open the season Sept. 3 vs. South Dakota State. The following week they host Iowa State. The Big Ten opener will be Sept. 24 at Rutgers.

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