By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Given what Kirk Ferentz said at his press conference on Wednesday, it would be easy to say, “I told you so.”

But that would be petty and juvenile and some Hawkeye fans probably are upset enough already after hearing that Kirk Ferentz plans on making no changes to his coaching staff without having me rub it in.

Those who assumed that Kirk Ferentz would either fire or demote his son, Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, or get rid of any other assistant coaches on offense should use this as a lesson, or as yet another reminder, that Kirk Ferentz is dug in deep with his belief that Iowa just has to execute better on offense, and that his son still deserves to be in charge of the offense despite what happened last season when Iowa finished next to last amongst the 131 FBS teams in total offense.

“I think we have the right coaches in place, history would prove that,” Kirk Ferentz said. “I think we’ve seen success with this coaching staff, and plan on moving forward. I think we’re prime to have a good year.”

I wrote a column shortly after the 2022 season in which I said I’ll believe it when I see it in regard to Kirk Ferentz making significant changes on offense.

Some fans thought I was being obtuse and naive by pushing that narrative, but I was simply basing my opinion on Kirk Ferentz’s track record, and because Brian Ferentz is his son.

Kirk Ferentz and Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta both emphasized body of work when explaining to the media on Wednesday why no coaching changes would be made on offense.

Kirk Ferentz didn’t rule out the possibility that some schemes might change on offense.

But as he starts preparing for his 25^th season as the head Hawk, Kirk Ferentz believes that Iowa’s problems on offense can be fixed with better execution, and with his players gaining more experience and staying healthy.

“First of all, I didn’t say the same scheme, but it’s not going to look radically different,” Kirk Ferentz said. “I don’t predict anything wild or absurd there.

“I think we’ve been pretty consistent in our approach really for 24 years. We own it. We own the stats.”

Kirk Ferentz pointed out that when Iowa scores at least 24 points in a game that its record is 55-3 in those games.

The problem is that Iowa only averaged 17 points per game last season and lost five games despite having one of the best defenses and special teams in the country.

Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker is considered one of the best in the business, while special teams coordinator LeVar Woods is considered an emerging star.

“I’m more focused on the winning, me personally,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Until somebody tells me that’s not important, that’s where we’re looking. That’s kind of where I operate as a head coach. Ultimately that’s my direction.

“Just I’m not calling plays for Brian. I’m not calling defenses for Phil. But I think they understand if they’re throwing the ball over our heads, that’s not a good thing. I think Phil knows that better than anybody.”

Iowa should look a little different on offense next season just from the addition of Cade McNamara at quarterback.

McNamara came to Iowa via the transfer portal, and he brings an impressive resume after having led Michigan to the 2021 Big Ten title and to the college playoff.

McNamara also has more mobility than Spencer Petras, who started for Iowa at quarterback for most of the past three seasons.

“Cade is a little bit more mobile, so yeah, it will look a little different,” Kirk Ferentz said of the offense.

Kirk Ferentz was also quick to point out that Iowa had a lot of success under Petras – he had a 20-11 record as a starter – and under previous starter Nate Stanley, even though both quarterbacks lacked mobility.

“We won a lot of games with Nate, who was not the most mobile guy, and then Spencer, we won a lot of games and had good success with him in ’20,” Kirk Ferentz said of Iowa’s 6-2 record in the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season. “Our offensive numbers were good in ’20.

“I do know, the quarterback, whether he’s mobile or not mobile, has got to be able to make some throws. If he can’t do that, it’s going to be tough.”

The fact that Iowa added McNamara from the transfer portal seems to have fueled the belief that major changes were about to happen on offense as the 67-year old Kirk Ferentz prepares for his 25th season.

And it wasn’t just fans clinging to that belief as some in the media also have predicted that major changes were about to happen on offense.

“I don’t pay a lot of attention to what’s being said out there, but I am aware when things are being said just because people are telling me,” Kirk Ferentz said.

Kirk Ferentz blamed injuries at receiver and inexperience on the offensive line for hampering the offense this past season, and for making it hard to fairly evaluate his assistant coaches.

And while there might be some truth to that, it seemed as if he was making excuses and creating distractions for his son, who makes nearly $1 million annually.

Kirk Ferentz was asked on Wednesday what makes Brian Ferentz an effective offensive coordinator, but Kirk dodged the question by lumping Brian together with Phil Parker and LeVar Woods, both of whom excel at their job.

Kirk Ferentz also made several historical references when defending his decision to keep Brian Ferentz as the offenive coordinator.

The problem with history, however, is that Iowa hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 2004, and the game has changed considerably on offense during the past two decades.

Barta addressed the media after Kirk Ferentz on Wednesday, and Barta basically echoed everything that Kirk Ferentz said about the offense, and about Brian Ferentz.

Brian Ferentz reports directly to Barta due to concerns about nepotism and Barta said Wednesday that he has had many conversations with Kirk Ferentz and Brian Ferentz since the season ended.

“The conversations started right where Kirk took ownership, and that is, obviously, offensively the performance that we had last year is not going to cut it. It’s not acceptable for anybody involved,” Barta said. “Then we had deeper conversations. I’ve had conversations with Brian about my expectations going forward.

“And those conversations are ongoing. We haven’t quite finalized those yet. But moving forward and starting Monday, the plan right now is for all the staff to be intact.”

There was hope for some fans that instead of firing his son that Kirk Ferentz would help Brian Ferentz land another job, perhaps in th NFL.

However, that is easier said than done, even for Kirk Ferentz, partly because Brian Ferentz still is a defendant in a racial discrimination lawsuit, and that probably wouldn’t sit well with most NFL teams where a majority of the players are black.

It almost seems that Iowa is stuck with Brian Ferentz right now, although, his father probably doesn’t see it that way.

Kirk Ferentz and Barta both promoted the fact that Iowa ranks third in the Big Ten behind only Ohio State and Michigan for most wins over the past five seasons.

“The success that Kirk has had over 24 years, that’s a lot of data,” Barta said. “In most cases, you don’t have the opportunity to evaluate a coach and their system and their approach over that many years.”

Barta also has a message for those that believe that Brian Ferentz, a former Iowa offensive lineman, isn’t qualified to be the offensive coordinator.

“To indicate that Brian is not qualified, that’s a bad narrative,” Barta said. “I would indicate he’s uniquely qualified.

“He grew up here around this program. He played offense in this offense. And over the past ten years, one of our best decades in Hawkeye football, he’s been an integral part of that staff.”

Some would argue that Brian Ferentz is uniquely qualified only because he is Kirk Ferentz’s son.

“Success of Kirk and Brian and our staff over the past 24 years, and certainly including the last five, is pretty hard to argue with,” Barta said.

Actually, it isn’t hard to argue against that narrative because for a lot of coordinators at the collegiate level, having the kind of offense that Iowa put on the field last season, and the season before, would put them on the hot seat, or maybe even get some of them fired, whereas with Brian Ferentz, it’s just business as usual and that gives the impression that he’s being protected simply because he is Kirk Ferentz’s son.

The reaction was swift and decisive on social media after Kirk Ferentz said that no coaching changes would be made.

Some fans threatened to stop purchasing tickets, while other accused Iowa of nepotism.

The Iowa marketing department faces a daunting task of trying to sell tickets to a fan base in which frustration and anger with the offense is building.

“My wife, Mary, said it four years ago; if you win, everything is great, and if you lose, it ain’t so good,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Hate to say she’s smart, but she’s pretty smart, especially when it comes to football and life.

“We’re just going to keep trying to get better at what we do. I think we’ve had a fair amount of success. I just want to make sure everybody understands, we’re taking ownership. Nobody is running from this; that would be ridiculous.”

Kirk Ferentz probably doesn’t see it this way, but he’s taking a big risk with his legacy by hitching his saddle to his son because that decision has alienated some fans, and made the Iowa offense a national laughingstock and a punchline.

There is enough talent and stabilty on defense and special teams right now to help compensate for the deficiencies on offense.

But what if that changes?

It’s asking a lot from your defense and special teams to carry the load for your offense, and it’s asking a lot from the fans to keep believing that the offense will get fixed with Brian Ferentz running it.

Some might say that Kirk Ferentz’s approach to offense right now is how Albert Einstein supposedly defined insanity in that Kirk Ferentz is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Whether Einstein actually said it or not is open for debate.

But the definition certainly fits in this case.