Kirk Ferentz has to replace nearly half of his offensive assistants
Ferentz confirms that Tim Polasek and Derrick Foster have left the Iowa staff
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Kirk Ferentz’s winter has just become a lot busier.
In addition to his regular coaching duties, Ferentz now has to find a replacement for at least one assistant coach with Tim Polasek having been hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks for the University of Wyoming.
Polasek had coached the Iowa offensive line since 2017.
Ferentz also confirmed on Wednesday that Derrick Foster has resigned as the Iowa running backs coach to coach in the NFL. Foster is expected to join the Los Angeles Chargers as its new running backs coach.
So that’s nearly half of Kirk Ferentz’s offensive coaching staff that will have to be replaced, along with offensive tackle and Bettendorf native Mark Kallengberger, who according to Ferentz, will forgo his fifth-year senior season.
Foster joined the Iowa staff in 2018 and helped to develop Tyler Goodson into a first-team All-Big Ten running back as a sophomore this past season, while Polasek helped turn Tristan Wirfs, Tyler Linderbaum and Alaric Jackson into stars on the offensive line.
Iowa had 12 offensive linemen who received All-Big ten recognition during Polasek’s four seasons on the staff, including Wirfs, who was named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2019.
Wirfs was also selected 13th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then started at right tackle throughout the 2020 season for the eventual Super Bowl champion.
Assistant coaches come and go as they climb the coaching ladder, so it never should be a real surprise when somebody on the Iowa staff leaves.
Money doesn’t appear to be a big motivating factor in either case, considering Wyoming paid its previous offensive coordinator, Brent Vigan, $300,000 in 2020, while Polasek was making $440,000 at Iowa.
Vigan left Wyoming to become the head coach at Montana State.
While it’s uncertain how much Foster would make for the Chargers, the average NFL salary for an assistant coach is approximately $400,000 annually.
Foster is currently making $290,000 at Iowa, but the cost of living in Iowa City is substantially less than in Los Angeles.
So again, money doesn’t appear to be the driving force in either case.
So many different factors, both professionally and personally, cause coaches to leave jobs for other jobs.
For Polasek, perhaps the chance to run his own offense, and to work for a close friend was too good to pass up, even without a huge financial incentive.
Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl used to be the head coach at North Dakota State from 2003 to 2013 where he helped to build a dynasty that still exists to this day.
Bohl hired Polasek as a graduate assistant in 2006 and Polasek would go on to coach at North Dakota State for 10 season, including serving as offensive coordinator and running backs coach from 2014-16.
Polasek also spent the 2013 season as the tight ends and fullbacks coach for Northern Illinois before returning North Dakota State.
“To reunite with Coach Bohl, a true mentor of mine, is very special,” Polasek said in a release. “A long time ago Coach Bohl took a chance on me and helped me learn how to be a teacher and a leader. He laid the foundation of what is my coaching philosophy and teaching style. I will do everything I can to help him continue his success with Cowboy Football.
“A huge thank you to Kirk Ferentz for taking a shot on an offensive coach who had never coached the O-line. I’ve learned so much in my four years at Iowa, and I will forever be grateful. He taught me what is really important in this business and what is just noise. In my time at Iowa, I can honestly say that I learned something from him every day. Coach Ferentz and his staff exemplify what it is to be true professionals. I wish them all the best moving forward.”
In Foster’s case, the chance to coach in the NFL and to leave behind the brutal Midwestern winters as an Alabama native might have been too good for him to pass up.
What is certain, however, is that Kirk Ferentz now has to hire two assistant coaches. Ferentz could always shuffle his current assistants, so it’s unclear at this point what two positions will be available.
Ferentz, as the longest-tenured head coach in college football, has had plenty of practice with hiring assistant coaches. And it’s fair to say that most of his hires have paid dividends at Iowa.
But Ferentz is also 65 years old and his program still is dealing with the fallout from a tumultuous summer in which multiple former Iowa black players accused the program of racial disparities.
Ferentz’s son, Brian Ferentz, is also the Iowa offensive coordinator, so that throws another wrinkle into the hiring process.
And, of course, there is the COVID-19 global pandemic, and the obstacles and challenges that come with it, to also consider.
But on the other hand, Kirk Ferentz also has much to offer as the head coach of a Power Five program that won its last six games in 2020, and that combined to win 47 games, including three bowl games, from 2015 to 2019.
The challenge now will be finding the right fits.