We continue the ever-popular coaching debate, this time heading to the Big Ten West with Kirk Ferentz of Iowa vs. PJ Fleck of Minnesota.
The case for Ferentz:
The dean of Big Ten coaches has been inordinately consistent during his tenure in Iowa City, with two losing seasons in the Hawkeyes’ past 22. His defenses have also been consistently excellent, especially under coordinator Phil Parker, and the program continues to produce outstanding defenders and offensive linemen on a yearly basis.
The case against Ferentz:
The last few seasons off the field have been pretty disastrous, between the Chris Doyle scandal and the creation and subsequent dissolution of a panel of Hawkeyes to look at issues of racism and abuse that keep creeping up around the program. But the biggest issue is the complete inadequacy of the offense under his own son. The nepotism is startling, and that side of the ball has been so bad that they have squandered some historically great defenses. As long as Brian Ferentz is coaching the offense, they won’t be a true factor even in the Big Ten, especially as USC and UCLA join the conference in 2024.
The case for Fleck:
The former Western Michigan coach has done an excellent job rebuilding a Minnesota program that had fallen on some serious hard times. He not only broke the Gophers’ nearly two-decade-long losing streak to Wisconsin but has since taken the upper hand, winning three of the last four against their historic rivals. And while some may smirk at some of his gimmicks, they’re clearly working as they continue to move up the recruiting rankings.
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The case against Fleck:
Accusations of Fleck being all sizzle and no steak are somewhat misguided but not entirely untrue either. Additionally, his teams have become more and more one-dimensional as they have struggled to find a passing game since the departure of Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman.
The verdict:
The nepotism of Ferentz is what will ultimately bring him down, as the cries for his job get louder and louder with every three and out. So despite his antics, it’s hard to deny that Fleck is the better coach at this moment in time, despite Ferentz’s long track record of success.
