By Rock Westfall
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz lost credibility by skirting nepotism laws for his son. But Brian Ferentz was fired as offensive coordinator last year in a fully justified move by athletic director Beth Goetz. Now, Kirk Ferentz attempts to restore success, win back the faithful, and defy age.
The Seeds of Lost Credibility
Kirk Ferentz began his head coaching career at Iowa in 1999, facing a full rebuild. By 2002 he went 11-2 to qualify for the Orange Bowl. It was the first of three consecutive seasons in which Iowa had a final AP national ranking of 8th. Since then, Ferentz has produced three more top-10 finishes. Iowa has been an AP top 25 program 11 times under Ferentz, including five of the past six seasons.
However, the Hawkeyes finished 99th or worse for scoring offense in the previous three years and 88th or worse in five of the last seven campaigns.
Iowa’s lack of offensive production wasted the outstanding work of defensive coordinator Phil Parker. Parker was the 2023 Broyles Award winner as the nation’s top assistant coach. Additionally, Iowa’s special teams have been in the elite class during this time.
The last three seasons were such an abomination that no offensive coordinator could have survived it unless that OC’s father was head coach. Brian Ferentz was spared termination for his incompetence because his father was never going to fire him.
Kirk Ferentz and former athletic director Gary Barta found a creative workaround for the state’s nepotism laws. Brian Ferentz became a direct report to Barta. But when Barta left before the 2023 season, the scheme lost its protector. Goetz pulled the trigger against Kirk’s wishes.
More Sports News
For 2024, Tim Lester replaces Brian as Iowa’s OC.
Iowa Football’s Nepotism runs much deeper than Kirk Ferentz hiring and refusing to fire his son at the helm of the worst offense in D1 football.
His son-in-law Tyler Barnes is head of football recruiting.
Tyler helped land QB Deacon Hill!
Yeh nepotism! pic.twitter.com/krBiL7B8ef
— Society of Golf Historians (@SHistorians) January 1, 2024
More of the Same?
Tim Lester’s resume is a mixed bag of success and failure. But the bigger question is how much influence will Lester have? Kirk Ferentz made it clear that Iowa will continue its philosophy of complementary football. And it is a formula that has worked more than not.
Ferentz needs Lester to jumpstart the offense out of its current state of being a liability. If Lester can merely make the offense mediocre, that might be enough for Iowa to be a Big Ten threat.
One clue that Iowa’s offense may continue to be stalled is that former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst interviewed for the position but turned down an offer. Chryst is no Air Raid guy and prefers the complementary football that Ferentz demands. Yet his decision indicates that not much is likely to change in Iowa City under Kirk Ferentz’s heavy hand and watchful eye.
One advantage that Lester is likely to have is a serious QB. Grad transfer Cade McNamara, formerly of Michigan, is expected to run the offense after missing nearly all of 2023 because of injury.
McNamara offers the opportunity to improve the offense from being worthless into something that could complement the defense and kicking teams and yet stay within the Kirk Ferentz system. Certainly, that is the vision.
Iowa needs to hire Paul Chryst or an OC with an ability to develop QBs. Outside of the OL, which is no longer good enough, the lack of development of QBs is holding Iowa back
— Rick Webster (@TheRickWebster) January 1, 2024
Ferentz Attempts to Defy the Times and Father Time
When Nick Saban retired at age 72, he did so not only as the GOAT of college football coaches but as one of the few who defied the magic number of 60.
Age 60 is the Mendoza Line of college football coaches. Few coaches succeed at or close to the age of 60. The further coaches advance to age 70, the worse things tend to go. Kirk Ferentz will be 69 when the season kicks off. He is not about to change his ways, especially as the all-time winningest coach in Iowa history.
But Ferentz is confronting an era where offense is king and trying to do so in a Big Ten Conference that will be more difficult than ever. The conference has abolished its divisional format for a single 18-team conference in 2024. Iowa can no longer hide in the weaker West Division.
https://twitter.com/BigGameBoomer/status/1620912069070536704
The Ultimate Irony and The Only Path Forward
Iowa has never been a top recruiter and will likely never become one. Instead, Iowa ranks with programs such as Wisconsin, Kansas State, and Minnesota as a top developmental program. Thus, Ferentz’s formula makes the most sense to sustain Iowa’s future.
The only chance Iowa has to contend for the Big Ten championship is to add a competent offense to its elite defense and kicking teams. Tim Lester and Cade McNamara could partner to produce what is needed.
But the damage of Kirk Ferentz’s nepotism wasted several potentially big years at Iowa. It damaged his reputation and that of the university. And it alienated fans into anger and cynicism.
Beth Goetz potentially saved Kirk Ferentz from himself and his blind, embarrassing misdeeds.
But Ferentz remains defiant of his age and the new factors of college football. Iowa has a decent NIL program but is not an elite recruiting or portal participant. Ferentz will rely on the development of solid players with strong work ethics. In 2024, it is the ultimate contrarian bet, which is what makes it so intriguing.
It is Ferentz’s consistent philosophy that has brought Iowa so much success. But there are times when Ferentz appears so stubborn as to prefer failure to change.
In 2024, college football will get an interesting revelation on the future of Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Full Q&A with new Iowa Offensive Coordinator, Tim Lester. pic.twitter.com/ccSOWEAo5u
— Joe Hugen (@Joe_Hugen) February 6, 2024
