Kirk Ferentz indicated that he has already had pre-draft conversations with one of Iowa’s star players from the 2020 season.

On Sunday, Ferentz met with the media following the cancellation of this year’s Music City Bowl. It was a disappointment to many involved, including the Hawkeyes who missed out on Christmas to continue preparing for the bowl game that was scheduled for this Wednesday.

In the end, Iowa’s 2020 season is over with a mark of 6-2. After completing every regularly-scheduled game, the Hawkeyes saw their last two opportunities canceled due to issues with the opposition.

It has been a year unlike any other, but two Iowa stars were big standouts. Defensive lineman Daviyon Nixon and starting center Tyler Linderbaum both had strong performances and were each nominated for national honors after the season.

During his media appearance, Ferentz indicated that he has had pre-draft conversations with Nixon regarding a potential jump to the NFL. He did say he has not had any discussions yet with Linderbaum as he is unsure if Linderbaum is even considering the move that this point.

Scott Dochterman with The Athletic shared Ferentz’s comments:

Nixon is a redshirt junior who spent 2017 at the junior college level before redshirting his first season with the Hawkeyes in 2018. This season, Nixon was phenomenal with 13.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks to go with an interception return for a touchdown and a forced fumble.

Linderbaum is a redshirt sophomore, making him a draft-eligible sophomore. He redshirted in 2018 before starting all 13 games at center as a redshirt freshman in 2019. But with just a season and a half of games under his belt, it will be interesting to see if Linderbaum tries to make the jump to the NFL in 2021.