Right Guard Marshal Yanda Wins Team MVP

December 30, 2015
By Garrett Downing

Marshal Yanda has arguably been the Ravens’ best overall player for the last few seasons.

And on Wednesday he received much-deserving recognition as the Ravens’ Most Valuable Player for the 2015 season.

The award is voted on by the local media, and this is the first year the veteran offensive lineman has received it.

“It’s a good honor, that’s for sure,” Yanda said. “We all want to be great at our jobs, and it’s great to be recognized. Obviously you understand that you don’t get there alone. Obviously football is the ultimate team sport, and I just feel like it’s all of us together as a group out there wanting to be great.”

Yanda, 31, has clearly established himself as one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. His five Pro Bowl selections put him in an exclusive group along with other franchise greats like Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata.

His selection as team MVP comes in a year where his durability is particularly impressive. Yanda has missed just two games the last seven years, and he hardly missed a snap in a season where the Ravens finished with 20 players on injured reserve.

“I’ve had some luck involved with that, and I’ve also played through a lot of stuff too,” Yanda said. “You’re going to get hurt no matter what in this business, so it’s just a matter of having to play through injuries because your team needs you. You just owe it to the guy next to you.”

The other finalists for the award included wide receiver Kamar Aiken, defensive tackle Brandon Williams, outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil and punter Sam Koch.

In addition to the vote for Yanda as MVP, cornerback Jimmy Smith was selected as the team’s Media Good Guy. This award is given to a player who makes himself readily available to media members and also provides quality material or information.

Smith has been one of the go-to veteran players for quotes throughout the season, and his wit often makes for entertaining podium sessions or group interviews.

Ferentz Wins Bobby Dodd Trophy

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz has been named the recipient of the 2015 Dodd Trophy. The announcement was made Wednesday by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Presented annually by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted coaching award, honors the head football coach whose program embodies the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field throughout the season.

“It is an honor to be recognized with the Dodd Trophy, knowing what this award represents in college football on a national level,” said Ferentz. “I appreciate the recognition for the hard work of our entire coaching staff and every member of our football program and appreciate the acknowledgment of our accomplishments. I am honored to share this recognition with our staff, our players and our great fans and I am grateful to the University of Iowa for providing the necessary support for our success.”

“On behalf of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation, we congratulate Coach Kirk Ferentz,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Dodd Foundation. “His success on and off the field this season made our decision an easy one. He represents the pinnacle of coaching achievement and loyalty and has built a program that is admired by many throughout the country. His leadership has prepared a community of young men to be leaders in the world, ensuring that Coach Dodd’s legacy will continue for generations to come.”

Ferentz has also been recognized as the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (FWAA), the Woody Hayes Coach of the Year, presented by the Touchdown Club of Columbus, and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 3 Coach of the Year.

Ferentz was named both the Dave McClain and Hayes-Schembechler Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year on Dec. 1, marking the fourth season he has earned the league honor.

Ferentz is in his 17th season as Iowa’s head coach. He guided the Hawkeyes to a perfect 12-0 regular season mark, the most wins ever for a Hawkeye football team. Iowa, ranked fifth in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, has earned a spot in the 2016 Rose Bowl against Stanford (Jan. 1, 4:10 p.m. CT, ESPN). The Hawkeyes lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game, 16-13 after winning the West Division.

The Hawkeyes began the season unranked, before moving into the top 25 following a 10-6 win at Wisconsin. Iowa steadily climbed in the rankings and was ranked as high as fourth in the CFP rankings.

Ferentz ranks seventh in Big Ten conference wins (76) and eighth in total victories (127). He has led Iowa to 13 bowl games in the last 15 seasons, including eight January bowl events. Ferentz has led Iowa to nine first-division finishes in the Big Ten, including winning the conference in both 2002 and 2004.

Iowa has won seven or more games in seven of the last eight seasons, including eight wins in 2010 and 2013, nine wins in 2008, 11 wins in 2009, and a school-record 12 wins in 2015.

Ferentz has been very involved in his local community, having served as the honorary chair of the University of Iowa’s United Way campaign and currently serving on the National Advisory Board of the Bethesda Family Services Foundation. He and his wife, Mary, have given multiple major financial gifts to the University of Iowa, including a $400,000 gift to the University’s College of Liberal Arts and University’s Children’s Hospital and a $100,000 gift to the University’s College of Liberal Arts. They have also served as advocates for the Children’s Hospital across the state by hosting and speaking at events to raise support for UI Children’s Hospital, to their personal generosity in establishing the “Ferentz Family Pediatric Research and Education Endowment Fund” in 2007.

With a head coach leading by example, members of the Hawkeye squad have also thrived in the community. A crucial component of character building for the Hawkeyes is community service. From 2013 to 2015, the Iowa football team combined for more than 1,500 community service hours.

While Ferentz has guided the Iowa program to great success on the field, the Hawkeyes have also made their mark in the classroom. In the most recent release on academic standings, Iowa’s football team compiled a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) that ranked above the national average. The 2014-15 Academic Progress Report (APR) showed a score of 966 for Iowa football, a score that ranked 10 points above the national average for football programs.

In addition, defensive back Jordan Lomax was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America second team. The senior who finished third on the team in tackles earned academic All-Big Ten honors each of the past two seasons. Lomax carries a 3.49 GPA, has been a member of Iowa’s Leadership Group the past three seasons and was named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week in November.

“We’re proud to present college football’s most prestigious coaching award, and strongly believe in the tenets it represents,” added Gary Stokan, president and CEO of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. “Coach Ferentz has long exhibited the ideals that are emblematic of Coach Dodd – scholarship, leadership and integrity – so we are honored to recognize him and the impact he has had on his student-athletes and in the Iowa City community.”

Six of the nation’s top head coaches (Mark Dantonio, Kirk Ferentz, Jim McElwain, Ken Niumatalolo, David Shaw and Dabo Swinney) were named finalists for this year’s award by a panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member.

Marshal Yanda Selected To Pro Bowl

The veteran punter will make his first trip to Hawaii, and Yanda earned his fifth-straight selection.

December 22, 2015

By Garrett Downing

Sam Koch is finally going to his long-deserved Pro Bowl.

The veteran punter is one of two Ravens who have been selected for the NFL’s annual all-star game. Right guard Marshal Yanda is the other selection, and this will be his fifth-straight Pro Bowl nod.

The news is particularly exciting for Koch, a 10-year veteran.

He has clearly established himself as one of the NFL’s best punters – he leads the NFL in net punting average, and also led the league in that category last season – and he is now getting overdue national recognition for his impact on the game.

“This has definitely been a long time in the making,” Koch said. “This is a very surreal and exciting moment for my family and me. I can’t wait to represent the Ravens in Hawaii.”

Koch earned the nod thanks to strong support from his peers and NFL coaches. He finished fourth at his position in the fan voting, but got a bump from the players and coaches who make up two-thirds of the vote.

Ravens Special Teams Coordinator Jerry Rosburg, who has openly campaigned for Koch to get the nod, correctly predicted that votes from the players and coaches would send Koch to Hawaii.

“Sam is richly deserving of that honor,” Rosburg said. “Perhaps the rest of the league has figured that out, as well. We certainly are looking forward to that.”

Koch also had plenty of people he wanted to thank for helping him get to this point.

“A lot of hard work and practice have gone into this. I’m grateful for the support I’ve received from family in Baltimore – my wife, Nikki, and kids, Ryan, Braxtyn, Kamdyn and Gianna – and our family in Nebraska,” Koch said. “I want to thank my coaches – John Harbaugh, Jerry Rosburg and Randy Brown – for all they have done by believing in and helping me. There is also the support from our great fans, because without their votes, this dream probably wouldn’t have come true.

“Last, but certainly not least, I must give a ton of credit to my teammates, especially Morgan Cox, Brynden Trawick, Kyle Juszczyk, C.J. Mosley, Terrence Brooks, Albert McClellan, Zach Orr and Anthony Levine [Sr.]. They are the frontline guys who work their tails off – in addition to all the gunners we’ve had this year – to make sure we’re the best punt team in the league”

For Yanda, the trip to the Pro Bowl is almost routine at this point. The right guard has clearly put himself into the upper echelon of the NFL’s offensive linemen, and he continues to cement his legacy as one of the best players in franchise history.

Yanda joins Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Jonathan Ogden, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata as Ravens selected to five Pro Bowls in their careers.

“Football is the ultimate team sport, and you don’t do anything in this league on your own,” Yanda said. “I want to thank the coaches and my teammates for helping me along the way. We all grind together with the goal of achieving greatness.”

In addition to Koch and Yanda, the Ravens also have a pair of alternates. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk and inside linebacker C.J. Mosely are both third alternates, and they will make the trip if players in front of them can’t participate because of injuries or their team makes the Super Bowl.

The Pro Bowl will take place in Honolulu on Jan. 31.