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"You start out as a freshman and your head is everywhere because you're not familiar with the program," Kirksey said. "It feels good to see yourself comfortable in a leadership role." As a freshman in 2010, Kirksey was a member of the Hawkeyes' Insight Bowl championship team that defeated four nationally ranked opponents, including No. 12 Missouri, 27-24, in the postseason. Iowa followed that with a return trip to the Insight Bowl in 2011, where it lost to No. 14 Oklahoma; the Hawkeyes started 2012 with a record of 4-2 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten. "Once you go 4-8, you want to find a way to have a different outcome for the season," Kirksey said. "We turned it up a notch in our training and we're doing a lot of things different, whether it's conditioning or weight lifting. (UI strength and conditioning coach) Coach (Chris) Doyle will tell you we're going places this team hasn't been before." 50 When the Hawkeye defense needs a drum roll this season, chances are good that Kirksey will be responsible for the momentum surge. "He is a tremendous individual who works hard and is all about the team," Ferentz said. "He is a very, very selfless guy. The other part about Chris is that he brings a positive energy to anybody he is with, and when he walks into a room, he picks everybody up. He has an energy that is unique and it's positive for any team or group." Kirksey has always been on the defensive side of the ball in college, although he dabbled with being a running back and tight end before specializing at linebacker in high school. "You know what they say, the offensive players get all the glory," he said with a laugh. Still, Kirksey prefers linebacker.