With Brian Ferentz’s departure, it’s time for Iowa to dig itself out from rock bottom
IOWA CITY, Iowa — On a cold January afternoon in 2017, one week after losing to Florida in the Outback Bowl, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz handed the keys to his offense to his oldest son but always kept his foot on the chicken brake.
Now, nearly seven years later, Brian Ferentz will exit as offensive coordinator effective at season’s end, triggering the release valve on a situation where the pressure had reached untenable levels. From stadium chants of “Fire Brian” to locally produced apparel calling for his dismissal to daily references about the “Drive for 325,” the frustration that swirled among Iowa fans about the offense was so combustible the only place left for it was to dissipate into apathy. Mercifully for Iowa football, interim athletic director Beth Goetz did not let that happen. Instead, Goetz ended the speculation and announced Brian Ferentz would not return next season.
“After conversations with head coach Kirk Ferentz, coach Brian Ferentz and President (Barbara) Wilson, I informed Brian that our intention is for him to be with us through the bowl game, but this is his last season with the program,” Goetz said in a statement. “Making this known today is in the best interest of the program and its loyal fans; it provides clarity during this pivotal time in the schedule.”
This is the only workable solution for the Iowa football program, one that was here 110 years before Kirk Ferentz took over as head coach in 1999 and one that will be here centuries afterward. Brian Ferentz is an outstanding coach in several areas, but coordinating an offense isn’t one of them. Kirk Ferentz is a potential Hall of Fame coach, but his resistance to offensive evolution and his unwavering loyalty to his assistant coaches — especially his son — prevents him from being considered a generational coach. Collectively, that combination has made Iowa a good, but limited, program.
Iowa fans are a patient lot, but witnessing the worst statistical offense in the Big Ten in at least 25 years was too much for them to bear. They’re tired of watching and reading national media joke at their expense. The Hawkeyes sit last nationally in total offense at 232.4 yards per game, which is 26.4 yards below the No. 132-ranked offense. It’s also nearly 20 yards below Iowa’s offense in 2022. Every time the numbers seemingly hit rock bottom, quicksand dragged the Hawkeyes offense to another depth. It needed to stop at some point, and Goetz did that Monday.
It’s unusual, as Goetz conceded in her statement, for an administrator to step in and make such a change. But it wasn’t her move that initiated this situation; that belonged to former athletic director Gary Barta. In February, Barta halted Brian Ferentz’s two-year rollover contract and cut his salary by $50,000, which actually was $122,000 based on earned bonuses. Brian Ferentz’s performance objectives for 2023 included seven wins and 25 points per game. If he met those goals, his contract would be reinstated with a bonus. If not, then the contract would expire.
Because of university nepotism laws, Barta was Brian Ferentz’s supervisor. The high-profile clauses gave the university an out in the event the offense could not exceed its woeful performance in 2022. But Barta retired Aug. 1, which elevated Goetz to interim athletic director. When she came aboard, she said the contract remained in place and shrugged off questions about the situation.
“We certainly know that we’d like to have more offensive production and understand the frustration when we don’t,” Goetz said earlier this month. “But we’re excited about what we’ve done to this point, and we’re going to continue to evaluate the team and support them, week in and week out.”
Since Goetz’s comments, the Hawkeyes have continued to struggle offensively. Against Purdue, they didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver for the first time since 1978. At Wisconsin, they passed for 37 yards. In a loss to Minnesota, they gained just 12 yards after halftime. In those three games, Iowa’s offense totaled four touchdowns. As a testament to the defense and special teams, the Hawkeyes won two of those games and nearly a third before a punt return was called back in controversial fashion.