Stone made an impact right from the start at Iowa. He was awarded the team’s Next Man In Award as a true freshman for his contributions on special teams.

As a sophomore, Stone saw action in every game, including finding his way into the starting lineup at strong safety eight times.

Stone broke onto the scene in his second year as a Hawkeye. He was named as an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection after compiling 39 tackles and four interceptions on the year.

In his return to his home state to play Penn State, Stone made it clear what the Nittany Lions had passed on, intercepting a pass and taking it back 24 yards for the first touchdown of his college career.

“We knew that wherever he landed he was going to be impactful, because that’s just the kid he is,” Cowart said. “He’s just so incredibly persistent and competitive. Once he snuck his way onto the field, you aren’t getting him off. I think he felt maybe a little bit vindicated from that. And like a lot of really good athletes, he’s got a chip on his shoulder, and I don’t think that chip is going anywhere. That fuels him to be the type of player that he is.”

Now in his junior season, Stone continues to make plays all around the field.

Whether it be coming out of nowhere to make an NFL-caliber open-field tackle against Michigan or making big hits and forcing a turnover in front of former Hawkeye and Pennsylvania native Bob Sanders when he served as honorary captain against Purdue, Stone has emerged as the leader in Iowa’s secondary.

That leadership has been especially necessary this season with multiple injuries sustained in Iowa’s defensive backfield.

“There’s always going to be things that you don’t want to take place,” Ferentz said. “That’s the beauty of having veteran leadership, and Geno is not a senior, but he’s a veteran player that everybody respects and knows that he’s going to be ready to go.”

Stone has cemented his status as one of the premier players in the conference, while at the same time making other schools wonder what could have been.

But that’s just the type of competitor Stone is — he’s going to work for it.

“With Geno, there’s no better kid to root for,” Cowart said. “If you’re someone in Iowa who isn’t sure who you want your kid to look at and root for, put No. 9 on and root for that guy. He’s been behind the eight ball, he’s been under the radar, he’s been the underdog. All he does is fight and get after it. We couldn’t be more proud of the type of human being that Geno Stone is.”