Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Hawkeye parent and super fan Roy Higgins III joins the show today to talk about Hawkeye nation, parenting a recruit, and more

Episode Date: August 13, 2020

We've got a special guest on the show today as Roy Higgins III, parent of Iowa football player Jay Higgins, joins the show to talk about Iowa football, family, and his relationship with his son Jay. We discuss what the recruiting process was like through the eyes of a parent and what Roy's thoughts were on the recent allegations towards the program. More importantly, we talk about the importance of family, Roy's role as a father to Jay, how strong their relationship is, and how excited he is to watch his son play college football!Get Higginized on today's episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I thank God I was born on the good arms of the Midwest, and not on the battlefields of the U.S. It's a time of panic, and it's intercepted! It's picked off right away! Intercepted by Marty Hooker! Pick six! Eight seconds into the game! Buffen sets up deep in the pocket, goes down the field for Smith!

Oh! He's got it! Smith! Touchdown. 85 yards. High on. Touchdown, 10. Taking a shot in the end zone.

It is caught. No offense. Touchdown. That's either one or you have it. Go ahead and three. Yes. Two-point lead for the Hawkeye Nation, to a Thursday morning episode of the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast, your daily podcast covering your Iowa Hawkeyes on the Lockdown Sports Network.

And today we have a fantastic show for you. We are joined by Roy Higgins III, father of Jay Higgins, the 2020 linebacker commit, who is now with the Iowa Hawkeyes. He is a true freshman there. And we had a blast talking to Roy. So we're going to jump into that interview here in a few moments. But we do need to take care of a few housekeeping items, like the fact that if you like this episode,

please make sure to like, review, and subscribe wherever you downloaded this podcast at. And follow us on Facebook Twitter and Instagram the reason why is if you like the show there's gonna be plenty more coming out we have a show every single Monday Wednesday and Friday and we have some really great interviews coming up along with this Roy Higgins interview we have some really great interviews coming up over the next couple of weeks we have a couple recruits we've got a former major leagueball player from the Iowa Hawkeyes who's going to be joining on as well. And we also have another father of an Iowa Hawkeye player that you all will enjoy listening to as well. So lots of great stuff

coming right here on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. With that being said, though, let's hop into our interview with Roy Higgins right now. All right, so I am joined here by Class of 2020 Commit, Jay Higgins' father, Roy Higgins III. Roy, how are you doing today? I'm doing good. How are you doing, Andrew? I'm doing well, man. I'm really great to have you on. Obviously, we've been playing a little bit of phone tag, mostly on my fault, of course,

but I definitely appreciate you jumping on the show. I know it's getting late tonight in Indiana. Obviously, it's a work week as well, but I do appreciate you hopping on the show i know it's getting late that you know late tonight in indiana obviously it's a work week as well so but i do appreciate you hopping on nonetheless so what do you do for work uh i drive i drive i'm a truck driver nice are you doing like day shifts or do you typically do like the cross-country type of stuff uh local local yeah local that's nice that way you can be home at night. Yeah, exactly. I'm a family man. I need to be with my wife and my family. I definitely understand that.

I mean, it definitely seems like you're pretty active with your family. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to talk to you is you're very active on Twitter, obviously very vocal of your support for your son, and obviously the Iowa Hawkeyes, which I think all of Hawkeye Nation has really come to respect you as one of the parents of the son. So I wanted to get your take on Hawkeye Twitter itself. I mean, were you as active on Twitter prior to kind of the recruiting period for Jay and then obviously joining the Iowa Hawkeyes as a commit? I was active during the recruiting, but I noticed the fun that the Hawkeye fan base and how much they love the Hawkeyes. And I kind of like jumped on a bandwagon with it, kind of introduced myself to people and just wanted to be a Hawkeaholic, you know, amongst the social media.

And so it's been fun. It's fun for me. I look forward to the tweets, reading the tweets about the love of Iowa. Lately, the negativeness going on about Iowa. But I try to remain positive, and I like the good stuff and the positive things that they talk about Iowa on Twitter. Definitely, man.

I mean, when all this stuff kind of came out, I actually saw a tweet from you that said, from my heart as a father, Iowa City, Iowa Police, Iowa University, Iowa Football, Iowa coaching staff, Iowa administration and faculty, Iowa fan base, next weekend I'm giving you my best. Please handle my son with care. Let's swarm together and love so it's definitely something I've noticed as well as a parent has there been you know ever any doubt or concern I mean it is a it is an interesting time in Hawkeye Nation and I can

only imagine being a parent and kind of seeing some of those things come out I wanted to get your thoughts on kind of the impact of that and and how you think Jay can really make a big change with that and how you can as a parent as well. Well, when Jay was getting recruited, we didn't know nothing about carrying the issues that have been shared by past players. So we were in the dark about that. And so when it came out, we were able to adjust because we hadn't experienced that. So, I mean, we were new. Everybody has thus far treated us fair,

treated us equal, treated us with love, treated us with support. treated us equal, treated us with love, treated us with support. So not condoning or not discrediting what past players said about the program, but in light to our situation, we have had not experienced nothing but positive things about Iowa football and Iowa administration. Absolutely, yeah. I mean, it makes sense. And I think one of the things that has been so impressive to me is how powerful the,

the new incoming classes have been. I feel like the class of 2020 almost feels like they have bonded even better. I've talked to some of the recruits in the class 2021 and same thing. It feels like if anything has brought them together to think we're going to be this change, we're going to be a big part of this. So I want to get your thoughts on that as well.

Definitely. When Jay's last week here in Annapolis, the Lord put it on his mother, Shelly's heart to have a prayer circle instead of having an open house because of COVID going on and everything. So we just wanted to have a prayer circle. And we had a prayer circle. And that prayer circle led me to invite the class of 2020 when we came to Peterson Hall to join in a prayer circle. And that was so powerful to see those young men holding hands

and the parents holding hands and touching the green. We're here. We don't know what's been going on, but what we want to display from the class of 2020 is unity and love among each other, and it was powerful to see the coaching staff to join in with us. Also I invited people who were just walking in Peterson they weren't even student athletes they were they were just dropping their son off to be at Peterson and I just invited them they came and joined the circle but Mr. Van

Ness really he told me said man that would be an awesome thing if we were to do a prayer circle with the boys. And I said, great, as well. That's super cool. It was powerful. It was really powerful. And it set the tone. It really did. Yeah, I mean, obviously I wasn't there, but I got chills kind of thinking about that

and the idea of spreading the positivity and the idea of being inclusive of not even just football players but anyone that's in there to be a part of that because I think that's a really, really cool thing. So obviously love hearing that. As a parent, obviously you talked about being a big family man. This is the first time you haven't spent time with Jay, right? So how tough was that for you to send your big boy to college?

I'm struggling daily. When I tweeted the tweet, handle my son with care. Jay's not only my son, he's my best friend. So I'm struggling. I'm going to do well, but there are times that I struggle not having my dog with me, not being able to talk to my son. But I know it's all for the best. But he reassures me and he calls me when he can. he reassures me and he calls me when he can. But because of his schedule change, I don't get to talk to him like I want to. Definitely.

I'm going to be all right. Yeah, definitely. So I'm assuming your plan is, I mean, obviously barring COVID type of stuff, the goal would probably be to be at a lot of games. What was your initial plan coming into this year as far as going to the games and enjoying the experience of big 10 football were you planning on trying to make it to as many games as possible if my son is on the sideline on the field or in a stadium anywhere i will be there so if it's out of town in town town, wherever, I will be there. I even told my job that my first job is my family.

So if I have to sell aluminum cans to do what I got to do to be with my family, that's the type of man that I'm going to be. So I will be with Jay wherever they go. If they go to a bowl game and he makes the depth chart, I will be at the bowl game next year if they have it right you are the man um I I love that I love that that commitment to it um have you been to I mean I'm assuming you've been to a couple games already with Jay on recruiting trips what has your experience been like on that game day um I mean obviously I've been to a bunch of games as

well and I I personally think it's it's electric and there's nothing else like Kinnick but I wanted to get your personal experience of what Kinnick is like to you man when I went in Kinnick I was just I was amazed I will football is ran like a professional football team I thought I was at the Pittsburgh-Stiller game. I mean, from everything, you know, the parking, when you come in, the host, Tyler, over the recruiting, he was awesome. I mean, Coach Bell, Coach Wallace, I mean, just the hospitality was there. But back to the Wallace, I mean, just the hospitality was there.

But back to the game, I mean, it's just electrifying. I was there having a chance to talk to Bob Sanders on the sideline. Oh, man, that's a legend. Yeah, I talked to Bob Sanders, and I said, hey, man, my son's a linebacker. He said, oh, really? I said, yeah. He said, this is where you want him. He said, you want him here.

They'll help develop him to be even better than what he already is. He said, trust me. And then I talked to Dallas Clark. Dallas said, man, I was the place to be. He said, so make sure your son gets here. He said, I was a place that you leave and you come back because that's how good this place is. I also talked to Chad, to Greenway.

Oh, man. And Chad told me the same thing. He said, man, he said, I was a place to be. And, you know, I to be and you know i believe that you know i went we went to different places in uh jay's recruiting but i never ran into a dallas clark i never ran into a bob sanders i never ran into a chad to reinforce what coach bell and uh coach wallace had already been saying in the past definitely i mean I mean, I listened to what they say, but I also watch,

I have a spirit of discernment to see if what they say matches what they're doing. Definitely. That's so awesome. And I think obviously, I mean, those are three of the most legendary guys in the Kirk Ferentz era, three guys who really kind of worked their way from being two-star, no-star recruits.

They kind of worked their way up through the program. So I think it means even more coming from a former player and the fact that they're coming back and the fact that they are still committed to the program. I mean, coaches can always say – they can say a bunch of things, right? But when you're seeing people continue to come back, it almost reinforces like you said which i think is really cool exactly exactly that's super cool um while you're in iowa city did you get any good food any any good places you ate at um well i gotta be honest um on our official visit um i forgot where we was maybe at the hilton wherever we was we went upstairs on the balcony

and you could look over the city. And, man, the food was just great. Also, during the visits, we had whoever that host is who cooks for the kids. Yeah. The caterer. Oh, my gosh. We had, like Like Ribs and steak

For breakfast It was awesome They feed you like a king They take care of you Oh man You got treated well Yeah They treated us well

I guess it's The Iowa way of eating Yeah Yeah Iowa's very much Meat and potatoes I mean I grew up there my whole life And it is Meat, potatoes and, and that's your jam.

Yeah. That's awesome. So, growing up yourself, were you an athlete? What sports did you play as a child? Were you big into football? I wanted to get your background for that. or kind of your background for that? Yeah, I played football. I played football, Little League, and then played in high school. I could have been like Jay, but I made some bad turns in life. Thank the Lord that he saved me, and I was able to turn my life around by meeting Jesus Christ

so that's why I put so much in Jay because I've seen the same thing I've seen the potential that I had I've seen it in Jay at an early age so that's why I groomed Jay from the ground up to be what he is today it's kind of like I don't know if it's

guilt or like a debt that I wanted to pay by making sure that my son wasn't like me or I want my son to have a better past than I have. I want my son not to experience the things that I have experienced in the past. That's why I put him in the best position me and his mother did yeah I mean I think that's that's being a good parent though right I mean that's the goal is to always make your kid or allow your kid to have the opportunities you didn't have and give your kid the next step as much as you can it seems like that's exactly what you did so you mentioned thank you yeah I mean I'm, seriously, very impressed overall. At what age did you think Jay could become a D1 football player then?

I mean, I'm not going to lie. I'm going to be honest. When Jay hit the ground, at two years old, he had something that the other kids didn't have. And he kept that all his his life in every stage. In every stage of his life, his motor is different. His football IQ is just J. After a while, I mean, I can't explain it.

Even if he wasn't my son, the kid is a gifted young man. Even if he wasn't my son, the kid is a gifted young man. Even if he wasn't my son. If I was to put on blindfold, be blindfolded and come to a game and you put another number on him, I would ask, what number is seven? What number is six? Who is that? He just stands out like that.

Not only on the field, but just among his peers. He's a leader among his peers. He's just a good old big-head son of mine. I'm very proud of him. I can tell you. I mean, I think one of the things with Jay, coming from my experience, obviously Iowa offered him a scholarship, and then you start looking at his tape.

And at first you see, you know, it's kind of a fringe two-, three-star prospect, and you start looking at his tape, and you're like, how? he like how was he even ranked that well you start looking at his tape and you're like this kid is all over the field um just lighting everyone up so um i think iowa got incredibly lucky to get it sounds like a player of his caliber and a man of his caliber as well so very excited for the i Iowa football program. I have one big kind of question I have left. You just created a jersey with the Higginized. Higginized.

Yeah, Higginized on the back. Hold on, you have to say it right. If you're going to say it, you got to say Higginized. Higginized, like that? Higginized. You got to have some soul with it. All right. Let me, let me, let me work up my soul. Give me a second. Is that good? Okay. I was like, I'll try. I think it's fun. Um, so where did that, where did that come from then? Where did that kind of, you know,

because it seems like you have some background on that inspirational quote. Yeah, it's just my personality. It's me. It's love for others. I mean, it means unity. It's charisma. It means unity. It's charisma. It means excellence. It means very competitive.

It's just Higgin' I. It's different. It's not the norm. That's what it is. That's what it is. It's Higgin' I. I might tease somebody else. Like, if I see something good, if I see something great,

or if I see something different, then I'll call out, take your last name or whatever, and I'll be like, man, that's Johnson Eyes. You know, like, that's so. I love it. See a young man, see a young man dressed real nice, you know, nice shirt, nice tie, whatever, he got on Blazer. I said, dang, man. I said, man, you're a William.

I said, looks good. I like it. I don't think my name would go very well with that. It's just Wade. What's your last name? What's your last name? Wade. W-A-D-E.

Wade Knott. All right, ID-E. Wade Knott. All right, I'll take that. Wade Knott. I was curious how you were going to make that work, but that was good. I'll take that. I got a dragon. Well, I will try to be Wade Knott as much as possible. But, Roy, I mean, I really appreciate you obviously hopping on the show.

Last thing I have for you is the – are you going to start selling those shirts then? I mean, I saw some Iowa fans get pretty excited about that jersey you have. So is there any talks about maybe producing some gear for people? Well, we're going to wait and follow the NCAA guidelines, and then we'll probably go from there. But it's probably a thought. But right now we're going to, you know, just be patient

and just wait on the legal, what we're supposed to do legally and not violate no, you know, nothing. You know what I mean? I mean, the NCAA is kind of a, I have my thoughts on the NCAA and none of them are very good, so.

Yeah, yeah, we don't want to do nothing we want to be decent and in order in everything we try to do yeah you will see some Higgin' I's trust me when the time comes they will be there heck yeah man before we drop off the show

what is one thing you'd like Hawkeye Nation to know about you and your family? We're part of the family. We're full of love. We're pumped up. We're not just for our son. We're for everybody. I'm a hawkaholic.

I know I'm a hawkaholic, you know. I mean, I know I'm in Indiana, you know. I have one guy teasing me, you know, because all I talk about is Iowa. Whatever I'm a part of, that's what I talk about. So, I mean, my son's a hawk guy. I'm a hawk guy. My son takes a knee. I'm going to take a knee. My son stands for the national anthem. I'm a Hawkeye. My son takes a knee. I'm going to take a knee.

My son stands for the national anthem. I'm going to stand for the national anthem. I love it. I'm supporting my son. I'm supporting my family and everything. And now, since I'm a part of the Hawkeye family, I'm supporting the Hawkeyes. Go Hawks. Heck yeah, man.

Well, I think, as you probably know, we I think As you probably know We're glad to have you We're glad to have your son Glad to have your family And once a Hawkeye Always a Hawkeye Roy So hey man I've taken up A lot of your time

I'm going to let you go though But I really appreciate You hopping on the show And thank you so much Hopefully we can do this again That was fun Maybe I'll get better At saying way to nized

But until then I'll say hey to nized You're fine Hey I wanted to give A shout out to Coach Bill, man. Coach Bill recruited Jay. And, man, he's just a jewel to our family. And I also appreciate Coach Wallace for staying in touch with us during the time

with the COVID and stuff going on. And I appreciate the personal call that I got from Coach Ferris as well, just being in support of me and my family. So I just wanted to let you know that how Iowa football coaching staff has been in support of me and my family. I love that. I mean, that's, I think, you know, for me, that is one of the things that I love about Iowa football.

That's why I think the last couple months have hurt so much. Just being a fan, but I love hearing that Coach Bell and Coach Wallace and Coach Ferenc have personally reached out and talked to you about what is going on. I think that speaks volumes to the character of them as men. You make a mistake, and if you make

a mistake, it's okay as long as you try to rectify and correct and fix your behaviors and your actions going forward. Be a man and take responsibility. So I love hearing that, man. Yeah, you're welcome, man. I appreciate it. I'm happy to be able to talk to you tonight. Definitely.

Absolutely. Well, have a good night, and hopefully there will be some Hawkeye football games this fall, and as soon as the next time there's some Kinnick magic going on, I'll have to hit you up, and we can go grab a beer somewhere. Well, I ain't going to drink no beer, but we can grab an orange juice, hot Coke, Pepsi. Hey, I like Sprite. I'll get a Sprite or a root beer. That'll work.

We can do that thing then. Sounds good to me, Rob. I'll talk to you later. Have a good night. All right. Take care, man. All right. Wade root beer. That'll work. We can do that thing then. Sounds good to me, Roy. I'll talk to you later. Have a good night. Take care, man. All right. Wade Knives. Wade Knives.

Well, that will do it for our show today. I hope you all enjoyed the interview with Roy. I had an absolute blast talking to him. One of my most fun interviews I've ever done before. And I hope you all understand what the word Higginized means. And I hope you all got what the word Higginized means. And I hope you all got Higginized today. Make sure to just take your last name and add the N-ized on it like I did Wade-inized. Lots of fun with Roy. So make sure to go give him a follow on Twitter as well. He

obviously provides some great content out there and great perspective from an Iowa Hawkeye parent. And one of the best followers you can find on Twitter, you can follow him at Higginized, H-I-G-G-I-N-I-Z-E-D. Make sure to give him a heads up, say hey, whatever, if you see him ever tailgating or see him out there at Iowa Hawkeye football games, whenever we do end up having those as well. But again, thank you all for tuning in to today's show. Please make sure to go like, review, and subscribe. Give us that five-star review wherever you downloaded this podcast at and follow us on facebook twitter and instagram and as always

have a fantastic thursday hawkeye nation and let's go hawks you