A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Irons played college football as a linebacker at the University of Michigan from 1993 to 1996.
As a senior, he was selected as a consensus first-team linebacker on the 1996 College Football All-America Team.
[8] One of those tackles was a forced fumble by Kordell Stewart that led to a touchback on a key goal line stand.
[9] The other occasions that Irons accumulated 16 tackles were as a redshirt freshman against the Wisconsin Badgers and as a fifth-year senior in his final regular season game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
In 1993, the Penn State Nittany Lions played its first season in the Big Ten Conference.
On October 16, 1993, the Nittany Lions entered the game 5–0 (2–0 Big Ten) and ranked number seven, while Michigan was struggling at 3–2 (1–1).
The subsequent drive for Penn State resulted in a field goal from the eight-yard line.