Rusty Feth Adding to Iowa's O-Line Efforts

Former Miami (OH) Standout Adjusting to Jump in Competition

Iowa's Rusty Feth at Kids Day practice on Aug. 12, 2023 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

When talking to Iowa offensive lineman Rusty Feth, of course there’s going to be a question about his beard.

Feth’s long growth of facial hair is his trademark — there is even a t-shirt dedicated to it.

Asked when he started to grow it, Feth said, “Probably my freshman year of college was when I just kind of said, ‘Screw it. I'm not going to cut it.’ And then I just got to where it is now and I can't picture myself without it.”

The beard, he said, isn’t going anywhere, unless it’s for a special reason.

“Maybe my wedding, someday, I won't have it,” Feth said. “But other than that, there's nothing that will make me cut it.”

Feth’s t-shirt is popular among the offensive linemen.

“Honestly, when I just thought of something that I would put on a t-shirt, I just thought of my big, ugly beard, and it worked out perfect,” Feth said. “The company that I did it with, I told them what I wanted and they kind of made it for me.”

It’s taken a while for Feth, a graduate transfer from Miami (Ohio), to work his way into the starting lineup. He has started the last two games at left guard, and is No. 1 on the depth chart at the position heading into Saturday’s game at Wisconsin.

“At the end of the day, it's still football, which I knew coming into it, but obviously the guys are a little bigger and faster,” Feth said of the transition from playing in the Mid-American Conference to the Big Ten. “So it was an adjustment, but I went against a really good (defensive line) during camp so it helps me get ready for the season.

“Other than that, it’s just go out there and play. Just play my game.”

Feth, though, made an impact on the rest of the offensive linemen before the season even started. Feth committed to transferring to the Hawkeyes in the spring, but had to finish his course work at Miami.

“Rusty Feth helped change our room that day he decided to come,” said Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett, who had coached Feth at Miami before taking a job on Kirk Ferentz’s staff. “The big mistake he made is he went back (to Miami). “And he wasn't here, so he scared the hell out of everybody (when he arrived at Iowa). Everybody was like, Hey, we're going to get to work here. We just saw this guy's played a lot of football.’”

“He helped the room just at that second, because everyone upped their investment in my opinion. And I'm not putting it all on Rusty but, like, that helps when you have that seniority and things like that.”

Barnett appreciates Feth’s confidence.

“I knew him when he was a sophomore in high school, but he's grown up a little bit, a little bit extra facial hair,” Barnett said, smiling. “Just the way he carries himself and acts in the room, that's huge. You know when you have tough days, tough plays, he's real steady. So that part of it is huge.

“And then you take his individual improvement. He's really starting to come into his own a little bit — you can see the thinking-in-detail get a little bit less and there’s a little bit more rhythm, just feel, in him while he's playing. You're starting to see a little bit of his attitude when he plays and I think that's what he was missing a little bit early.”

Feth appreciated the praise.

“It’s not that I come in every day and I'm like, the reason we're getting better is because of me,” Feth said. “No, it's not like that at all. From what I've seen, the guys are dedicated and they work really hard. And joining a room like that, it’s just been great for me and great for everyone else. Like, it's just just cool to be a part of.”

Barnett said he doesn’t see moving parts in Iowa’s offensive line — “I see concrete pillars, man. I see stability,” he said.

It’s what he sees in the familiar, bearded face of Feth.

“He started to hit his stride a little bit,” Barnett said, “and I'm just glad he's here.”