Kirk Ferentz on the challenge of meeting high expectations
CHICAGO, Ill. – Recent history suggests that the Iowa football team will fail to meet expectations this fall.
Or does it?
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday that there are two sides to this story.
He acknowledged that his teams haven’t always lived up to high expectations, the most recent example being the 2010 season when an Iowa that was loaded with future NFL players sputtered to an 8-5 record after being highly ranked.
“Yeah, but I’ll also add that we’ve flourished in these environments, too,” Ferentz said Tuesday at Big Ten Media Day.
Ferentz used the 2009 season to support his argument. Iowa finished 11-2 that season after having won nine games the year before.
The Hawkeyes also combined to finish 31-7 during a three-year stretch under Ferentz from 2002-04.
“The illustrations are just so plentiful,” Ferentz said. “The difference is last year we handled those things in a real positive way. In 2010, we didn’t quite get there.
“So why? What can we do to avoid that? So that’s the challenge, certainly.”
Iowa was picked as the overwhelming choice to repeat as the Big Ten West Division champion by members of the media.
That is in contrast to last season when the media showed little confidence in the Hawkeyes, who were coming off a disappointing 2014 season in which they finished 7-6.
“It’s really pretty simple there,” Ferentz said. “The predictions didn’t prove to be very fruitful last year. And that’s one of the first messages that we’ll send to our team. We were picked fourth or fifth last year and it really had no bearing on the season. It goes both ways. Elevators go up and down and it’s the same thing here.
“So really, what we need to be focused on is what last year’s team did. How they operated and how they handled things, how did they meet the challenges that were presented to them? That’s going to be the key for us.”
Iowa returns 14 starters, including eight on defense, from a team that finished undefeated during the regular season last year.
Ferentz was asked Tuesday if last season’s success has helped to fuel an attitude change within the program.
“Not necessarily way different, but I think people are upbeat right now, certainly outside of our building probably more so,” said Ferentz, who is entering his 18th season as the Iowa head coach. “I think that’s where things fluctuate a little bit more dramatically. But I think everybody right now is confident, although, we were confident last year.
“But at the end of the day, it really comes down to what you’re doing and what you’re investing and how willing are you to follow through with it on day-to-day basis right through the end of December and January and whenever it is you stop playing. That’s really the key.”
Roster update: Ohio defensive back Lance Billings didn’t last very long as an Iowa football player.
Billings quit the team in June just a few days after arriving on campus as a true freshman.
“Lance went home shortly thereafter he got here in early June,” Ferentz said. “He just decided this wasn’t for him. I think he’s going to continue playing college football. I hope he does. I think he’s come to that conclusion now.”
Fellow Ohio native Brant Gressel, who played on the defensive line, also quit the team this summer.
“And then Brant is going to finish up his degree,” Ferentz said. “He’s in engineering right now and his plan is to finish up his degree.”
Gressel would have been a fourth-year junior this coming season.
Ferentz said he expects to sign approximately 20 players in the 2017 recruiting class. The class currently has 15 players committed to it.
“I think that’s a safe number right now,” Ferentz said. “It could go one or two the way. But that’s probably the ball park.”
Ferentz isn’t sure if losing Billings and Gressel would have an immediate impact on recruiting.
“Obviously, it creates two more openings if you will,” Ferentz said. “We over-sign like everybody does. So we’re comfortable with where we’re at right now. Now down the road, with our needs for next year, it’s expanded that a little bit.”
Ferentz pays tribute to Bob Brooks: Ferentz ended his interview on Tuesday by paying tribute to broadcasting legend Bob Brooks, who died on June 26 at the age of 89.
“Obviously, I just want to recognize Bob’s passing,” Ferentz said. “One of the great guys in this profession, one of the great guys in general. You could go on and on about Bob.
“The thing I always appreciated about him was not only his knowledge and expertise of the game, but more importantly, just his awareness of the people who were involved in it, whether it be the players, the coaches.” He had a real respect for that.”
Brooks covered the Hawkeyes for more than a half century as a radio broadcaster. He stopped doing play-by-play after the University of Iowa switched to an exclusive network in the mid-1990s.
However, Brooks stayed active on the Iowa beat, almost until the time of his death.
His hometown of Cedar Rapids will show its appreciation on Wednesday by having a ceremony in honor of Brooks at Kingston Stadium.
“Just one of the all-time great people,” Ferentz said. “So certainly our thoughts are with the entire Brooks family.”