IOWA CITY, Iowa – James Vandenberg became the next man in on an extreme level. He established himself as the prime example of that Iowa football mantra.

For the first nine games of the 2009 season, the redshirt freshman quarterback helped prepare starter Ricky Stanzi for action. When the latter went down with a leg injury in Week 10 against Northwestern, Vandenberg was called to duty.

The Hawkeyes were unbeaten and ranked in the Top 10 at the time. They were challenging for a Big Ten Championship.

With Stanzi sidelined the following week at Ohio State, Vandenberg started for the first time in his college career in The Shoe. He helped the Hawkeyes put up a strong fight before they fell in overtime.

Vandenberg went on to start two seasons after Stanzi’s graduation. He experienced the highs and lows of being the Iowa quarterback. He played served as the No. 1 for one season under offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe and the other under Greg Davis. It turned out to be a tough transition.

We caught up with Vandenberg for our latest Hawkeye History Podcast, in which he talks about the coaching change, stepping in for Stanzi as a freshman and what he learned from all of his college experiences.

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