CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: Hawkinole on September 25, 2023, 01:56:49 AM
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This poll is, who will be the next Iowa football coach. I am not so sure Kirk will be around next year. He is 68. I don't think son Brian is in the running, but we don't know, without a poll.
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Brian Ferentz knows the Iowa way.
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BERT
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None of the above
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that would be my vote if it was available
Bobby played there in the 80's and broke into coaching there, but hasn't been there since 87 and the old guy is 63. He could get a better gig if he wanted one.
Mark Stoops? same as Bobby. It's been a while since he's been there. Stoops is the all-time winningest head coach in the history of the Kentucky Wildcats football program. and probably gets paid better than Kirk. Easier to recruit to Kentucky.
Bert? Why leave Illinois for Iowa?? Better recruiting? not by much. Better money? not by much.
It obviously won't be Brian.
I voted for Phil, but I'm not sure he wants the job.
He might sign a contract for the money at his age of 60. only making $600K this season.
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None of the above, which I added.
The coaching tree is not great either.
Phil Parker?
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I would like to see Phil Parker get a chance but I did not vote for him. He just turned 60 years old. People say he is not interested in being a head coach, which I think is BS. Do you seriously think he would turn it down if offered?. But he won't be offered the job.
I also did not vote for Brian Ferentz. I think at one time Kirk had a plan to groom Brian to be the next head coach, but I think that ship has sailed. Making Brian both the OC and QB coach in 2022 has been a complete disaster. There is no way Brian will ever be the head coach for Iowa. No way ever.
I think if Iowa does promote internally, they would probably go with Iowa special teams coach LeVar Woods. Woods would be good for recruiting in the NIL era. And he has a good mix of experience.
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I always get a kick out of Iowa fans are still the only fans that refer to him as Bobby Stoops instead of Bob Stoops.
There are probably only 2 jobs in college football that would draw Bobby Stoops out of retirement. Ohio St and Iowa. But I just don't see him returning to coach at Iowa. You need someone who is young and hungry.
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I would like to see Phil Parker get a chance but I did not vote for him. He just turned 60 years old. People say he is not interested in being a head coach, which I think is BS. Do you seriously think he would turn it down if offered?. But he won't be offered the job.
I also did not vote for Brian Ferentz. I think at one time Kirk had a plan to groom Brian to be the next head coach, but I think that ship has sailed. Making Brian both the OC and QB coach in 2022 has been a complete disaster. There is no way Brian will ever be the head coach for Iowa. No way ever.
I think if Iowa does promote internally, they would probably go with Iowa special teams coach LeVar Woods. Woods would be good for recruiting in the NIL era. And he has a good mix of experience.
I have strong doubts that Brian Ferentz will coach anything, anywhere. Maybe some school will let him coach OL. Nothing more than that.
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high school for Brian
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I have strong doubts that Brian Ferentz will coach anything, anywhere. Maybe some school will let him coach OL. Nothing more than that.
As long as Bill Belicheck is around, Brian Ferentz can probably get an assistant job in the NFL. That's most likely his destiny now, to be an OL coach in the NFL.
But yeah, as far as head coaching jobs, I can't see any FBS school hiring him, not even the MAC. Even a head job at a FCS school might be a stretch.
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Brian Ferentz as a head coach? What would be the up side?
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Brian Ferentz as a head coach? What would be the up side?
.
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Brian Ferentz as a head coach? What would be the up side?
Iowa might then have a capable OC.
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Iowa might then have a capable OC.
LoL.
I voted Parker. I think he deserves a shot.
I do strongly suspect that Kirk Ferentz may decide to step down after this year. His son simply cannot continue as OC so what does he have to stay for?
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Brian Ferentz knows the Iowa way.
Take that back
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I have strong doubts that Brian Ferentz will coach anything, anywhere. Maybe some school will let him coach OL. Nothing more than that.
Pop Warner but he'll have to empty the cans after the parents leave
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LoL.
I voted Parker. I think he deserves a shot.
I do strongly suspect that Kirk Ferentz may decide to step down after this year. His son simply cannot continue as OC so what does he have to stay for?
There is this weird stat that counts the total number of wins as a head football at a Big Ten conference school., where Kirk Ferentz is currently 4th.
Stagg - 232 wins
Hayes - 205
Bo - 194
Ferentz - 189
Paterno - 162
Fry - 143
So there is a couple things wrong with this stat in my opinion. It counts all wins, conference and non-conference, while they are head coach at a Big Ten school. So all the wins Paterno had before PSU joined the Big Ten don't count. But all the conference wins and non-conference wins Joe had while PSU was a part of the Big Ten do count.
Now if you look at conference wins only
Hayes - 153
Bo - 143
Stagg - 115
Ferentz - 115
So let's say Ferentz wins 5 conference games this year. That would tie him for 3rd with Bo for the first stat. That would also put him in 3rd in total conference wins ahead of Stagg. That would also leave him with 194 wins while at Iowa.
So maybe he comes back 1 more year to get 200 total wins at Iowa.? But in the end I don't he would stick around just to pile up wins. We have seen that ruin too many coaches reps when they hang on too long.
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I don't think Bob wants to come back.
Mark has a good thing at Kentucky. I know some coaches hate being the basketball coach at a football school, or vice versa, but Mark doesn't strike me as one of those guys. He's well paid, has the program on solid footing, and while he will likely never reach an SEC Championship Game, I think the fan base is fine, as long as they continue to have the higher floor he has given them.
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So there is a couple things wrong with this stat in my opinion.
A couple more, too... Comparing career stats against previous eras where there were fewer games played each season, fewer bowl games, etc, is the biggest one.
And then with Kirk the bigger issue is that he has only been allowed to amass those wins because he's just good enough to not get fired--and he's only just good enough to not get fired because their stupid AD made him too expensive to fire.
It kinda seems like he doesn't want to be there, the fans don't want him to be there, but he wants to force the school to fire him and pay the buyout b/c his son has proven himself unemployable going forward so he needs a nest egg to pass down to Brian when he dies.
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BrianEra
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I think we all agree that the OC situation is laughable and needs to be updated but I would caution Iowa fans a bit about getting too excited about moving on from Kirk Ferentz.
In the last 45 years (1979-2023) Iowa has only had two head football coaches. Both were over .600 overall and right around .600 in league games but lets look at some perspective:
In the last 100 years Iowa has had only 14 head coaches. Three of them: Evashevski (3), Fry (3) and Ferentz (2) won at a .600 clip and won multiple league titles. The other 11 had a combined zero league titles and the very best of those other 11 only barely exceeded .500.
In the 18 years prior to Fry's arrival Iowa had four coaches and none of them won at even a .400 clip.
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Kirk will coach there until he is an octogenarian, like Joe Pa.
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I think we all agree that the OC situation is laughable and needs to be updated but I would caution Iowa fans a bit about getting too excited about moving on from Kirk Ferentz.
In the last 45 years (1979-2023) Iowa has only had two head football coaches. Both were over .600 overall and right around .600 in league games but lets look at some perspective:
In the last 100 years Iowa has had only 14 head coaches. Three of them: Evashevski (3), Fry (3) and Ferentz (2) won at a .600 clip and won multiple league titles. The other 11 had a combined zero league titles and the very best of those other 11 only barely exceeded .500.
In the 18 years prior to Fry's arrival Iowa had four coaches and none of them won at even a .400 clip.
By going back 100 years you are just barely missing one of Iowa's golden runs from 1921-22 under legendary coach Howard Jones. Jones went undefeated in both 1921 and 1922, winning back to back conference titles and one mythical national championship, at least in retroactive polls.
Jones coached at Iowa from 1916-1923. After 1923 Jones left to coach USC from 1925-1940.where he won 4 national titles. Jones had a career record of 194–64–21.
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By going back 100 years you are just barely missing one of Iowa's golden runs from 1921-22 under legendary coach Howard Jones. Jones went undefeated in both 1921 and 1922, winning back to back conference titles and one mythical national championship, at least in retroactive polls.
Jones coached at Iowa from 1916-1923. After 1923 Jones left to coach USC from 1925-1940.where he won 4 national titles. Jones had a career record of 194–64–21.
I know. I stopped there specifically to NOT include Jones. I guess you could call that "cherry picking" but I'm looking at a full century.
Without Jones, Iowa has three successful and 11 unsuccessful coaches in the last 100 years. With Jones they have four successful and 11 unsuccessful coaches in the last 108.
That does not substantially alter my underlying point which is that when Iowa replaces Ferentz the likelihood that they get another Jones/Evashevski/Fry is not very good.
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I know. I stopped there specifically to NOT include Jones. I guess you could call that "cherry picking" but I'm looking at a full century.
Without Jones, Iowa has three successful and 11 unsuccessful coaches in the last 100 years. With Jones they have four successful and 11 unsuccessful coaches in the last 108.
That does not substantially alter my underlying point which is that when Iowa replaces Ferentz the likelihood that they get another Jones/Evashevski/Fry is not very good.
I know. I was not disagreeing. I just thought it was interesting that's all since it was literally 101 years ago when Howard Jones won back to back conference titles for Iowa. That's all I was trying to say. I guess it probobly looked like I was arguing but that was not my intention.
I could have also brought up, just for entertainment purposes, Iowa's 1939 season too, where Nile Kinnick won the Heisman and Iowa was the highest ranked team in the Big Ten, but that also does not change the overall point. 1939 was clearly a one year wonder for Iowa and technically, it's Big Ten record that year was not the conference champion. Although some story tellers about 1939 like to embelish it as kind of a virtual tie for first place because Iowa and OSU both had 1 loss. It makes Kinnick's Heisman story a little more inspiring, I guess.
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I know. I was not disagreeing. I just thought it was interesting that's all since it was literally 101 years ago when Howard Jones won back to back conference titles for Iowa. That's all I was trying to say. I guess it probobly looked like I was arguing but that was not my intention.
I could have also brought up, just for entertainment purposes, Iowa's 1939 season too, where Nile Kinnick won the Heisman and Iowa was the highest ranked team in the Big Ten, but that also does not change the overall point. 1939 was clearly a one year wonder for Iowa and technically, it's Big Ten record that year was not the conference champion. Although some story tellers about 1939 like to embelish it as kind of a virtual tie for first place because Iowa and OSU both had 1 loss. It makes Kinnick's Heisman story a little more inspiring, I guess.
Sorry, I shouldn't have been so reflexively defensive.
The Kinnick story is great. When we (brother, dad, a buddy, and I) traveled to Iowa City for a tOSU/IA game in 2006 one of our big priorities was to find and get pictures at the Nile Kinnick statute.
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It kinda seems like he doesn't want to be there, the fans don't want him to be there, but he wants to force the school to fire him and pay the buyout b/c his son has proven himself unemployable going forward so he needs a nest egg to pass down to Brian when he dies.
There's some parallels to the White House situation only Kirk' is much brighter than Brandon - sad but true
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Some suggestions I saw on Iowa message boards (yes they are talking about this too)
I propose Iowa getting Jonathan Smith from Oregon State as Head Coach, Warren Ruggiero from Wake Forest as Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach & AJ Blazek (former Hawkeye) from Vanderbilt as Offensive Line Coach.
Ryan Grubb, Washington Huskies OC. Played at Buena Vista University, raised in North West Iowa
I'd even make a run at Washington's current head coach Kalen DeBoer. He's a South Dakota guy originally. You never know. He is massively underpaid. Maybe you throw a 5 year $60 million offer at him and see if you can catch UW napping. He's 94-11 as a head coach.
Chris Klieman KSU
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There's some parallels to the White House situation only Kirk' is much brighter than Brandon - sad but true
Sir, this is a Wendy's.
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5 year $60 million
Iowa is willing to pay this?
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5 year $60 million
Iowa is willing to pay this?
Good point. Iowa would never pay that to a new head coach. Maybe if a guy came to Iowa and won a national championship (don't laugh). then maybe Iowa would pay that much to keep him. Maybe.
It's funny, when Kirk Ferentz first came to Iowa, it was still pretty novel to pay new head coaches over $1M a year. Then Oklahoma offered Bob Stoops $2M to take the Oklahoma job over Iowa. It was a mind-blowing number at the time. Now you got OC Brian Ferentz making close to $1M a year. It still blows my mind even today.
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Sir, this is a Wendy's.
(https://i.imgur.com/34ptgXu.png)
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Some suggestions I saw on Iowa message boards (yes they are talking about this too)
I propose Iowa getting Jonathan Smith from Oregon State as Head Coach, Warren Ruggiero from Wake Forest as Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach & AJ Blazek (former Hawkeye) from Vanderbilt as Offensive Line Coach.
Ryan Grubb, Washington Huskies OC. Played at Buena Vista University, raised in North West Iowa
I'd even make a run at Washington's current head coach Kalen DeBoer. He's a South Dakota guy originally. You never know. He is massively underpaid. Maybe you throw a 5 year $60 million offer at him and see if you can catch UW napping. He's 94-11 as a head coach.
Chris Klieman KSU
Jake Dickert - Football Coach - Washington State University Athletics (wsucougars.com) (https://wsucougars.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/jake-dickert/4235)
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Some suggestions I saw on Iowa message boards (yes they are talking about this too)
I propose Iowa getting Jonathan Smith from Oregon State as Head Coach, Warren Ruggiero from Wake Forest as Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach & AJ Blazek (former Hawkeye) from Vanderbilt as Offensive Line Coach.
Ryan Grubb, Washington Huskies OC. Played at Buena Vista University, raised in North West Iowa
I'd even make a run at Washington's current head coach Kalen DeBoer. He's a South Dakota guy originally. You never know. He is massively underpaid. Maybe you throw a 5 year $60 million offer at him and see if you can catch UW napping. He's 94-11 as a head coach.
Chris Klieman KSU
Several good suggestions.
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Colorado State's Jay Norvell is another prospect. I think of him as being young, but he is already 60. He is another branch on the Hayden Fry coaching tree.
Kirk Ferentz doesn't really have a coaching tree, does he?
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Colorado State's Jay Norvell is another prospect. I think of his as being young, but he is already 60. He is another branch on the Hayden Fry coaching tree.
Kirk Ferentz doesn't really have a coaching tree, does he?
You mean other than Brian?
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5 year $60 million
Iowa is willing to pay this?
(https://y.yarn.co/c5b15e26-4d82-4e0d-a766-3835123852db_text.gif)
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Colorado State's Jay Norvell is another prospect. I think of him as being young, but he is already 60. He is another branch on the Hayden Fry coaching tree.
Kirk Ferentz doesn't really have a coaching tree, does he?
Probably can give him some credit for Bielema. Also, credit to Fry and Snyder and Alvarez for BB.
Fry gets credit for all of those guys.
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Colorado State's Jay Norvell is another prospect. I think of him as being young, but he is already 60. He is another branch on the Hayden Fry coaching tree.
Kirk Ferentz doesn't really have a coaching tree, does he?
Joe Philbin is an offensive analyst at OSU with NFL head coaching experience. If that's your style
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Jake Dickert - Football Coach - Washington State University Athletics (wsucougars.com) (https://wsucougars.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/jake-dickert/4235)
Poor Wash St and Ore St. When their budget craters in 2024 and goes down even more in 2026, some Big Ten conference School is going to steal away their young hot shot coaches. Welcome to the odd new world of the MWC/PAC2 merger.
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How about this guy
(https://i.imgur.com/S5DGA44.jpg)
sports.com/college-football/college-football-coach-biff-poggi-outfit-charlotte-vs-florida
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Joe Philbin is an offensive analyst at OSU with NFL head coaching experience. If that's your style
Don't forget Chuck Long, who was head coach at SDSU. Although he also was more of a Hayden Fry product. He spent one year under Ferentz before leaving, but I guess he still counts.
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Sir, this is a Wendy's.
No Oktoberfests for YOU - 1 YEAR
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How about this guy
(https://i.imgur.com/S5DGA44.jpg)
sports.com/college-football/college-football-coach-biff-poggi-outfit-charlotte-vs-florida
Looks not that far off what an AI would say Europeans think about an Iowa HC...
https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/european-ai-american-list
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Poor Wash St and Ore St. When their budget craters in 2024 and goes down even more in 2026, some Big Ten conference School is going to steal away their young hot shot coaches. Welcome to the odd new world of the MWC/PAC2 merger.
Most MSU fans have put the WSU coach solidly in their top 3. I think the Oregon State coach, being an alum, would be a tougher sell in their time of desperation. At least for an MSU or Iowa. If Notre Dame or the like came calling, sure
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How about this guy
(https://i.imgur.com/S5DGA44.jpg)
sports.com/college-football/college-football-coach-biff-poggi-outfit-charlotte-vs-florida
If I told my wife he WAS the Iowa coach, she would 100% believe it
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Looks not that far off what an AI would say Europeans think about an Iowa HC...
https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/european-ai-american-list
I sense a common theme where Europeon AI thinks all Americans are either fat white guys, or hillbillies, or fat white hillbillies.
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I sense a common theme where Europeon AI thinks all Americans are either fat white guys, or hillbillies, or fat white hillbillies.
If they don't live in a major metro area...yes. They have a view of New Yorkers, and of Los Angeleans, and everyone else is the same
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they need to be informed of Florida man
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AI Brian Ferentz:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1706164745743589378 (https://twitter.com/HeavensFX/status/1706164745743589378?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1706164745743589378|twgr^4565dfa3a62755c4b69fcc4d89f2b933036deba8|twcon^s1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawkcentral.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fiowa%2Ffootball%2F2023%2F09%2F26%2Fiowa-kirk-ferentz-ai-generated-news-conference-brian%2F70974081007%2F)
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that's gold, Jerry
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AI Brian Ferentz:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1706164745743589378 (https://twitter.com/HeavensFX/status/1706164745743589378?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1706164745743589378|twgr^4565dfa3a62755c4b69fcc4d89f2b933036deba8|twcon^s1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawkcentral.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fcollege%2Fiowa%2Ffootball%2F2023%2F09%2F26%2Fiowa-kirk-ferentz-ai-generated-news-conference-brian%2F70974081007%2F)
I like this fake video buried inside the comments of the Brian Ferentz video. This one is poking fun at Ryan Day.
https://x.com/DNPSportsShow/status/1706030925652394027?s=01
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They should get the Kansas guy.
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they need to be informed of Florida man
They don't deserve him.
I assume everyone has done the thing where you Google your birthday and Florida man, to find your spirit animal?
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not yet
youse guys keep me from that level of boredom
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If I told my wife he WAS the Iowa coach, she would 100% believe it
If I told my wife he was a US Senator, she'd 100% believe it.
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US Senator from Arkansas
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Speaking to the media Tuesday, McNamara was asked why Iowa's wide receivers have just 14 receptions through four games. Most of the targets have gone to tight ends Luke Lachey and Erick All.
Instead of steering around the question, McNamara decided to throw shade at Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz.
"I mean, I’m just a quarterback," McNamara said, via Eliot Clough of Rivals. "I’m not calling the plays or doing any of that. That’s not my decision. I’m just going to run the play, and I’m going to throw it to the open guy."
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Wowzers.
That's gonna leave a mark.
And that's a good thing.
I still can't believe he signed up for that position. Kid probably had 50+ choices and he chose Brian Ferentz.
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Wowzers.
That's gonna leave a mark.
And that's a good thing.
I still can't believe he signed up for that position. Kid probably had 50+ choices and he chose Brian Ferentz.
High risk, high reward.
If Cade would have pulled it off, he would become a Big Ten legend, leading 2 different teams to the Big Ten CCG.
And his ego was probably big enough to think he could actually make a difference.
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That makes sense.
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Speaking to the media Tuesday, McNamara was asked why Iowa's wide receivers have just 14 receptions through four games. Most of the targets have gone to tight ends Luke Lachey and Erick All.
Instead of steering around the question, McNamara decided to throw shade at Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz.
"I mean, I’m just a quarterback," McNamara said, via Eliot Clough of Rivals. "I’m not calling the plays or doing any of that. That’s not my decision. I’m just going to run the play, and I’m going to throw it to the open guy."
As bad as that was, it was better than flat out saying Brian does not know how to call plays or saying Iowa's WR's have no talent.
But yes, he should have fallen on the sword. He should have said he does not know, that they will need to work together as a team to find the answer, that he himself needs to getter better as a QB, blah, blah, blah
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Blah blah blah is always the best response.
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As bad as that was, it was better than flat out saying Brian does not know how to call plays or saying Iowa's WR's have no talent.
But yes, he should have fallen on the sword. He should have said he does not know, that they will need to work together as a team to find the answer, that he himself needs to getter better as a QB, blah, blah, blah
WHY? Nice to see someone be upfront about the 800 lb Gorilla in the room or in this case the monkey in the mango tree that is the real debacle. Why make things easier for this blatant case of nepotism that is at the heart of the problem? The Ferentz's walk away obscenely rich at least shred every last bit of dignity KIRK once had - eff them
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WHY? Nice to see someone be upfront about the 800 lb Gorilla in the room or in this case the monkey in the mango tree that is the real debacle. Why make things easier for this blatant case of nepotism that is at the heart of the problem? The Ferentz's walk away obscenely rich at least shred every last bit of dignity KIRK once had - eff them
This is pretty much where I am.
It would be different if this year was an outlier or if Brian's offenses were merely not good.
Neither of those are the case. Brian's offenses have been consistently awful with this year's and last year's being comically awful. It is hard not to laugh when watching a B1G school with B1G resources field an offense that wouldn't cut it in the MAC.
The work-around that Iowa/Barta contrived to evade Iowa's nepotism law is transparent and at this point Brian Ferentz is a walking personification of the need for such laws.
A lot of this, IMHO, is on the Trustees or Regents or whoever holds power over the University. When they authorized the ridiculous work-around they should have demanded that THEY conduct annual performance reviews and made it crystal clear that underperformance would NOT be accepted.
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I would guess this might be Kirk Ferentz's last season. I have to wonder how the conversation between Barta, Kirk and Brian went at their annual review after last season. Don't you think there had to be a discussion concerning how many more seasons Kirk planned on coaching, while Barta is considering whether Brian will continue as o-coordinator?
The Ferentzes must have thought that when they got the transfer portal players on the offense like Kaleb Brown (a 4* recruit from tOSU who is an Iowa second team WR), Erick All, Cade McNamara, and the two offensive linemen (who are not starting because apparently the existing o-linemen are better than the transfer portal o-linemen) that Brian's reputation as a coach would be redeemed. They thought they were going to show that the offensive performance the past two seasons was a player talent problem, not a coaching problem. Brian could then find another job in football at a high level after this season's redemption.
Brian's coaching acumen is what it has been demonstrated to be throughout his tenure. Brian's offenses have underperformed his predecessor Greg Davis's offenses, and Greg Davis's 5 offenses were well below average.
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I am not the one calling the plays:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1706738191892353495 (https://twitter.com/EliotClough/status/1706738191892353495?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1706738191892353495|twgr^0d4964a6f45710c050a49214a0e9c0a4a5e29c88|twcon^s1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhawkeyeswire.usatoday.com%2F2023%2F09%2F27%2Fiowa-football-hawkeyes-quarterback-cade-mcnamara-defers-wide-receivers-involvement-to-offensive-coordinator-brian-ferentz%2F)
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I would guess this might be Kirk Ferentz's last season. I have to wonder how the conversation between Barta, Kirk and Brian went at their annual review after last season. Don't you think there had to be a discussion concerning how many more seasons Kirk planned on coaching, while Barta is considering whether Brian will continue as o-coordinator?
The Ferentzes must have thought that when they got the transfer portal players on the offense like Kaleb Brown (a 4* recruit from tOSU who is an Iowa second team WR), Erick All, Cade McNamara, and the two offensive linemen (who are not starting because apparently the existing o-linemen are better than the transfer portal o-linemen) that Brian's reputation as a coach would be redeemed. They thought they were going to show that the offensive performance the past two seasons was a player talent problem, not a coaching problem. Brian could then find another job in football at a high level after this season's redemption.
Brian's coaching acumen is what it has been demonstrated to be throughout his tenure. Brian's offenses have underperformed his predecessor Greg Davis's offenses, and Greg Davis's 5 offenses were well below average.
Is it possible that either:
- Barta knew he was going to retire anyway so he just decided to kick the can down the road (and thus to his successor), or
- That this catastrophe was a major reason for Barta's decision to retire?
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Is it possible that either:
- Barta knew he was going to retire anyway so he just decided to kick the can down the road (and thus to his successor), or
- That this catastrophe was a major reason for Barta's decision to retire?
If the "he" referred to in #1 is Kirk Ferentz, then I suspect this is a possibility that he knew Kirk was only going to work one more season. I am entirely speculating, but it would seem that would be a logical explanation why you allow Kirk to keep his son on staff after the disastrous offense Brian has led.
I have never seen an official explanation why Barta decided to retire, other than what he said, “This decision didn’t come suddenly, nor did it come without significant thought, discussion, and prayer. As I’ve reflected, I came to the conclusion there’s never a good time to step away…because there’s always more to be done. That said, I’m confident this is the right time for me and for my family."
I suspected that the timing of Barta's retirement relates to the racial bias lawsuit brought by former Iowa football players that the State of Iowa settled in March for $4 million. Rob Sand, the State Auditor, voted against approving the settlement unless Barta would be terminated, contending it is one a number of lawsuits filed against persons in the Athletic Department while Barta was A.D. Other members of the state tort claims committee voted to approve the settlement without terminating Barta. I have wondered whether pressure was placed on Barta by the university president to step down. He was only 59-years old when he retired.
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I know a few years ago Barta had been diagnosed with early stage prostate and cancer and took some time to get surgery/treatment. As far as I know he got rid of it, but the threat of the cancer returning always has a way of lingering, like a ticking bomb that you never know will go off.
So even if Barta is healthy now, cancer has a way of playing with a person's head. Gets you thinking about what's important in life, especially once you reach the point where you are set financially. Life's too short, man. Why put yourself through all that stress if you don't have to?
Or maybe it was possible he had been doing the same job for a long time, and was tired of it. He just needed a change
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If the "he" referred to in #1 is Kirk Ferentz, then I suspect this is a possibility that he knew Kirk was only going to work one more season. I am entirely speculating, but it would seem that would be a logical explanation why you allow Kirk to keep his son on staff after the disastrous offense Brian has led.
I meant that "he" to refer back to Barta himself.
My thinking was that if Barta was planning on staying then he (Barta) had to decide between firing Brian now or firing Brian later. In that case, might as well get it over with.
OTOH, if Barta knew that he (Barta) was going to retire then he (Barta) had to decide between firing Brian and dealing with the fallout or leaving that mess for his (Barta's) successor to deal with.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨BREAKING ! 🚨<br>Reliable sources tell MBG that Brian Ferentz is out at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Iowa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Iowa</a>. <a href="https://t.co/qSuASyqQJC">pic.twitter.com/qSuASyqQJC</a></p>— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) <a href="https://twitter.com/BoardGeniuses/status/1719013910454436068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Wow that's big news if true. The rumors are definitely circulating. I am guessing Brian will finish out the regular season but I don't know that for sure.
Other rumors from Iowa insider that Brian Ferentz could step down as soon as today on a "mutual separation."
Then the big question becomes will Kirk follow Brian out the door at the end of the season?
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Brian Ferentz will not return to Iowa next season. On Monday, David Eickholt reported the program and the 40-year-old offensive coordinator will be parting ways following the 2023 season.
The separation is no surprise. In 2022, Iowa only averaged 17.7 points and 156.7 yards passing per game. Even worse, Iowa finished 130th out of 131 FBS teams in total offense at 256.1 yards per game. Consequently, Iowa revised Ferentz’s contract ahead of the 2023 season.
The program docked his salary from $900,000 to $850,000. Further, Iowa added a clause which stated Iowa must score 325 total points in the regular-season games for Ferentz to retain his job in 2024. For reference, 85 programs reached this mark in 2022.
Eight games into the season, Ferentz isn’t remotely on track to reach this target. Iowa has averaged just 19.5 points per game, ranking No. 116 in the country. Iowa fans are all-too-familiar with the underwhelming offensive output.
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Who will be the next Iowa Football Coach?
Jim Harbaugh or Mel Tucker comin' to clean things up
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They should just do it now so they can see if Jon Budmayr could handle things better.
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/who13.com/news/brian-ferentz-job-status/amp/
I guess the interim Iowa AD has made it official. Brian will remain with the team until the end of the 2023 season, but will not be returning to Iowa in 2024.
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/who13.com/news/brian-ferentz-job-status/amp/
After conversations with head coach Kirk Ferentz, coach Brian Ferentz and President 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. 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.
It is not my practice to be involved in assistant coaching decisions and certainly not to make public such a change during a season. Our priority is to put all our student-athletes in the best position to have both short-term and long-term success, on and off the field. Our football team has a group of outstanding young men and talented athletes, who at 6-2, have a lot to play for. As a former athlete, I know every opportunity to put on the jersey is a cherished one.
As Hawkeyes, let’s continue to support all our coaches, staff and student-athletes in their pursuit of a Big Ten Championship and bowl game victory.”
Beth Goetz, University of Iowa interim Athletic Director
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a good decision but, it seems to be her practice today
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Clearly there's a right to terminate clause in the footnotes if any Iowa game has an over under below 30 points.
This week's game opened at 29.5.
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Brian Ferentz released a statement through ESPN’s Pete Thamel. He pointed to the opportunity to work at Iowa as “an honor” and said it was always his goal to contribute to the football team’s success.
“For the vast majority of my adult life, I have had the privilege to represent the University of Iowa as a football player and coach. I have always considered and will always consider it an honor,” said Ferentz.
“In that time my singular goal has been to contribute to the football team’s success. As long as I am employed by the University of Iowa my stated goal will not change. My priority will continue to be the well-being of our students and the success of our team.”
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seems odd to me that Barta or Kirk could not accept this responsibility
Especially the head coach, Father or not
instead, leave this to Beth Goetz, University of Iowa interim Athletic Director????
where's the leadership of the football program?
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Conor Stallions
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My take on this, Iowa needs to name Goetz the AD asap or watch her walk. I admire her tact on this. Outside of being hypercritical of timing (last week vs this week), I feel this was a move of a leader.
I've been led to believe Iowa can't name her permanent AD until year end or something.
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probably a good look for her
but a bad look for Barta and Kirk
really tarnishes their legacies IMO
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They should just do it now so they can see if Jon Budmayr could handle things better.
I have concern Jon Budmayr will ascend to OC after the season is over. Budmayr could coach QBs, but I am skeptical of him ascending to OC in that this offense has not performed well with him in the position of "Analyst." You have a point to give him a test drive, but this late in the season, I don't think it would be fair to Budmayr, as bad as this offense has been all year. I doubt an interim OC would make much, if any, difference.
There are plays Iowa doesn't run that it should run to throw off a defense.
As OC at Colorado State, Budmayr's 2021 offense averaged 23.67 points per game. The Colorado State defense was even worse than the offense.
The article I read at HawkCentral said Beth Getz (temporary athletic director) will in some manner be involved in the selection of an OC. I don't know how that works in that the HC ordinarily has full authority over assistant coach hiring decisions.
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seems odd to me that Barta or Kirk could not accept this responsibility
Especially the head coach, Father or not
instead, leave this to Beth Goetz, University of Iowa interim Athletic Director????
where's the leadership of the football program?
Interesting points. There are actually three men involved -- including Brian. None of the three could take a leadership role. Brian could have resigned, rather than become the laughingstock of the entire nation. I understand how difficult it would be to resign because where else can Brian earn $850,000 + a chance at a $50,000 bonus just for doing his job only moderately below average. Sadly, since his pay is so much higher than his market value as a coach it makes it easy for Brian to just hold on until the university shows him the door.
Beth Goetz seized the opportunity to endear herself to the fanbase, and it no doubt will help assure that she gets the permanent position of athletic director. It took a woman to take some leadership and make the obvious call, where three men could not.
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I think whoever gets hired should keep Phil Parker on as DC if he'll stay. Their best bet would be to get an offensive guy and keep as much of the defensive staff as they can. Iowa has a culture of developing stud defensive players. Don't get rid of that.
A guy that could be a fit....and I'd hate to see him leave but he's probably going to anyways because Jeem going to the NFL....Sherrone Moore. He'd modernize that offense and build great OLs at Iowa, and if he kept Phil Parker around that'd be a winning combo imo.
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The article I read at HawkCentral said Beth Getz (temporary athletic director) will in some manner be involved in the selection of an OC. I don't know how that works in that the HC ordinarily has full authority over assistant coach hiring decisions.
this would lead me to think that Kirk is gone
can't imagine an old school head coach like Kirk allowing a woman to hire his OC or anyone for his staff
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I think whoever gets hired should keep Phil Parker on as DC if he'll stay. Their best bet would be to get an offensive guy and keep as much of the defensive staff as they can. Iowa has a culture of developing stud defensive players. Don't get rid of that.
A guy that could be a fit....and I'd hate to see him leave but he's probably going to anyways because Jeem going to the NFL....Sherrone Moore. He'd modernize that offense and build great OLs at Iowa, and if he kept Phil Parker around that'd be a winning combo imo.
He better portal like booger - if you don't have the horses you can't win the race
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On 11/1/23, Kirk cleared up any misunderstandings from his 10/31/23 news conference where he addressed the Brian will not coach beyond the bowl game, fact.
..I love coaching and my intent is to continue coaching here at the University of Iowa. We have built something very special here and I plan to coach until I am no longer passionate about the game, players, or coaches.”