By Rock Westfall
On Monday, Iowa Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz resigned but will stay with the team through the remainder of the 2023 season.
Iowa’s putrid offense has been the butt of rage for fans and jokes for everyone else during the past several seasons. An arrogant, entitled, disgraceful end run around the state nepotism laws was thrown for a final loss when Iowa lost to Minnesota 12-10 on October 21.
The Hawkeyes gained a mere 127 yards against an above-average but hardly dominant Golden Gopher defense. A bye week followed that debacle. Iowa will play the suddenly upstart Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday at Wrigley Field in Chicago, home of the MLB Cubs.
With all credibility lost, Iowa, Kirk, and Brian were forced to end the clown show. But will it matter?
NEWS: Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz is out at the end of the season. pic.twitter.com/slxse1gfPS
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) October 30, 2023
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I’ve Got Your Nepotism Law
Nepotism is illegal at the University of Iowa per state law. But Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, now in his 25th season and the winningest coach in program history, is above the law. His son, Brian Ferentz, was named OC in 2017 after serving five years as an offensive line coach for the Hawkeyes.
Brian’s hiring was a blatant, in-your-face end run around the law. Instead of reporting to the head football coach (his dad Kirk), as any other college football OC would do, Brian became the direct report of athletic director Gary Barta. Kirk and Barta laughed in everyone’s faces. Nobody bought the arrangement. However, nobody cared, either. Why? Iowa is afraid of a ghost.
The Ghost of Bob Commings
The late and unfortunate Bob Commings coached Iowa, his alma mater where he played football, from 1974 through 1978. Commings posted a record of 18-37 in his five seasons as HC, ending at 2-9 in 1978.
Hayden Fry replaced Commings in 1979. By 1981, the Hawkeyes were in the Rose Bowl and have been consistent winners ever since. Fry went 238-143, led Iowa to three Rose Bowls, and made Iowa a regular in the top 25 rankings.
Ferentz replaced Fry in 1999, surpassing him with a record of 309-192. Early in his career, Ferentz led Iowa to three consecutive final national rankings of 8th (2002-2004). In 2015, Ferentz produced a Rose Bowl season. He also has produced two Orange Bowl bids.
Whenever fans complain about Kirk Ferentz, the older generation will cry, “You don’t know how bad it was with Bob Commings; be grateful for what you have.”
Indeed, Iowa fans have heeded this advice. As has the Iowa administration. And it led to an inexcusable crisis.
A Chip Off the Old Blockhead
Brian Ferentz ran mediocre offenses in three of his first four seasons as the Iowa offensive coordinator. Brian’s unit was nothing prolific but also not an embarrassment. It was the typical basic offense that Kirk has run since taking over as HC. However, Brian’s offense began a free-fall in 2021 that has not stopped. Iowa is in its third consecutive season of having one of the worst offenses in college football.
The question is, would the offense have been much better under another OC? Not much is the realistic answer. The offense is Kirk’s, not Brian’s. As OC, Brian was tasked with the minutiae and game planning. But the playbook was Kirk’s.
Kirk Ferentz would never go for a Zone Read, West Coast, or, God Forbid, Air Raid. Regardless of who the new OC is, changes will be nominal. But there are bigger problems at Iowa.
The Same Players and System Remain
Iowa’s recruiting is not what it used to be. A Series of off-field incidents a decade ago forced Kirk Ferentz to dial back his recruiting of at-risk or players of questionable character. The Iowa administration was infuriated at the negative publicity and made it clear such problems must not happen again. It was the closest thing to accountability that Kirk Ferentz has faced as HC.
The unlucky Welton Copeland inherits a roster without game-breaking playmakers. And he will game plan off the same dusty Pop’s Gun playbook that Brian used.
Changes to and production from the Iowa offense will be minimal. Still, an initial sugar rush may produce a brief increase in production. However, there will not be a sustainable improvement in 2023.
A Loss of Strength
Another factor in Iowa’s decline was the departure of strength coach Chris Doyle. Doyle was forced out during the George Floyd Summer of 2020. Multiple black players complained about Doyle’s mistreatment of them. Additionally, other players said that Doyle used bullying tactics and would disparage them.
Iowa’s once-respected offensive line has never been the same since Doyle left. Getting Iowa’s physical strength and conditioning back up to par is another problem without an immediate solution.
BREAKING: #Iowa reaches separation agreement with strength & conditioning coach Chris Doyle, as reported by @Brett_McMurphy.
Doyle will receive $1.11M buyout and full health benefits for the next 15 months as part of settlement. pic.twitter.com/sZkzRhvLZp
— Stadium (@Stadium) June 15, 2020
Karma Finally Delivers, But for What?
Monday’s announcement was a long time coming. It resulted from the entitled, privileged arrogance of Kirk Ferentz, a corrupt former AD, and a fan base with an inferiority complex that is too scared to change. The blatant end run around the nepotism laws was a call to Karma. She finally delivered Monday in 12-inch heels.
As for the future, if the late great Bill Walsh came back to life and took over the offense, it wouldn’t matter. The offense will remain Kirk’s baby, with an OC serving as his cog.
Kirk Ferentz is now reporting to new AD Beth Goetz. She has no ties or loyalty to Kirk or the old ways. Kirk may be next out the door unless he gets better players or adds wrinkles to his old playbook. As is often the case, coordinators will leave a program as a prelude to the Big Enchilada getting consumed.
