By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – At some point, Kirk Ferentz will have to start preparing for the difficult task of replacing his son as the Iowa offensive coordinator.

It probably isn’t a priority right now with three games left in the regular season, and with Iowa (7-2, 4-2) in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten heading into Saturday’s game against Rutgers (6-3, 3-3) at Kinnick Stadium.

Kirk Ferentz said as much shortly after the news broke that Brian Ferentz would be relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator after the season 2023 season.

The decision to fire Brian Ferentz, which was made by Iowa Interim Athletic Director Beth Goetz, and approved by UI President Barbara Wilson, obviously didn’t sit well with Kirk Ferentz because it’s his son, and because Kirk Ferentz isn’t used to having football decisions made for him.

Gary Barta, who preceded Goetz as the Iowa Athletic Director, pretty much gave Kirk Ferentz free reign, and the freedom to do as he pleases from a hiring standpoint, including hiring family members.

That decision ultimately backfired, however, as the Iowa offense has suffered a staggering decline since the start of the 2022 season.

Goetz was so concerned about the state of the offense that she took the highly unusual stance of firing a coach in season.

The fact that it was the son of the head coach that was fired just adds to the awkwardness.

Kirk Ferentz has since released a statement saying that he wants to keep coaching the Hawkeyes, and part of that responsibility will be hiring his fourth offensive coordinator at Iowa.

He can only delay that process for so long.

As for who might emerge as candidates, an obvious choice would be Jon Budmayr since he is already a member of the Iowa staff.

Budmayr is in his first season as senior special assistant to the head coach, and in his second season overall with the Hawkeyes.

He served as an offensive analyst in the 2022 season.

He is also a former Wisconsin quarterback and assistant coach, and he was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for Colorado State in the 2021 season.

So, Budmayr certainly has the credentials that would deserve consideration.

But the offense, and the quarterback position, both have gotten worse in the nearly two seasons with Budmayr on the staff, and that has to be a concern.

Some might view it, fair or not, as settling, and as Kirk Ferentz going the easy route if he were to promote Budmayr.

It’s easy to assume that Kirk Ferentz won’t hire someone that is highly coveted due to the condition of the offense, and because he’s 68 years old and set in his ways when it comes to offense.

But you never say never.

Maybe Kirk Ferentz will step out of his comfort zone and try to hit a home run with this hire because there is a lot riding on who he ultimately picks.

Here are two other names to consider, including one who is familiar to Iowa fans, while the other might be an expensive long shot at best.

The one familiar to Iowa fans is former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst, who seems cut from the same mold as Kirk Ferentz from a personality standpoint, and from an offensive philosophy standpoint.

Chryst is probably over-qualified for the job, given his head coaching experience.

But he was also fired from Wisconsin, so his reputation and his value have taken a hit.

Chryst, who currently works as a special assistant to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, might jump at the chance to fix Iowa’s offense, especially if he were paid between $1.5 million and $2 million annually to do it.

Iowa, of course, would have to pay defensive coordinator Phil Parker at least that much to be fair, given everything he has contributed to the program since 1999.

But that’s just the cost of doing business, and the money would be there in this age of massive television revenue payouts.

Chryst already is familiar with Iowa’s offense under Kirk Ferentz after having faced the Hawkeyes multiple times as an opposing head coach. He and Kirk Ferentz also supposedly share a strong mutual respect.

Chryst also has a family tie to the Iowa program as his nephew, Keller Chryst, is in his first year as an analyst for Kirk Ferentz.

The concern with Chryst is that the Wisconsin offense steadily got worse under his watch and many of his quarterbacks were average at best.

Okay, now for the long shot, Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who wouldn’t come cheap as he reportedly makes at least $1.5 million annually.

This might be a pipe dream, but maybe not if Kirk Ferentz were to make landing him a top priority, and if Grubb were intrigued by the chance to come home.

Grubb grew up on a farm in northwest Iowa and got his start in coaching as the offensive coordinator for his high school alma-mater, Kingsley-Pierson, for two seasons in 2003 and 2004.

Grubb earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Buena Vista University in 1999 and his master’s in sports pedagogy from South Dakota State in 2006.

He also played football for Buena Vista as a running back and receiver.

Grubb has deep roots in the state of Iowa, and just imagine how he would be perceived and treated if he were to come home and fix the Iowa offense.

If that were to happen, Grubb would be a hero, and a serious candidate to replace Kirk Ferentz as the Iowa head coach.

Grubb’s performance as the Washington offensive coordinator has been nothing short of extraordinary.

He has helped Michael Penix Jr. go from being an inconsistent quarterback at Indiana to a leading candidate for the 2023 Heisman Trophy as the Washington quarterback.

Penix has passed for 3,201 yards and 26 touchdowns so far this season after having set the UW single-season passing record with 4,641 yards last season.

Penix has combined to throw 57 touchdown passes since the start of last season.

To help put those numbers in perspective, the Iowa offense has only completed 14 touchdown passes since the start of the 2022 season.

It is worth pointing out the some of the Pac-12 teams don’t play defense at a high level, whereas in the Big Ten, defense is a priority as the Washington Huskies will soon find out as a future member of the conference.

Washington is one of four Pac-12 teams that will join the Big Ten next season, along with USC, UCLA and Oregon.

Kirk Ferentz’s job will become more challenging with the addition of four Pac-12 teams, and if his offense continues to perform at a historically low level, it could be asking too much from the defense and special teams to keep carrying the load.

Grubb has a close relationship with Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer that dates back to when they coached together for three seasons at the University of Sioux Falls from 2007 to 2009.

Grubb was the first staff member that DeBoer announced after becoming the Washington head coach.

During Grubb’s time at Sioux Falls, the team posted a 75-13 (.852) record, as Grubb helped guide USF to two national championships and four Great Plains Athletic Conference championships.

Grubb also coached for Eastern Michigan and for Fresno State with DeBoer, and wherever Grubb has been the offense has thrived.

A skeptic probably would roll their eyes at the thought of Kirk Ferentz trying to convince a person in Grubb’s position to be his offensive coordinator.

But what would be the harm in reaching out just to see if Grubb would have any interest?

Kirk Ferentz is 68 years old and nearly 20 years older than Kalen DeBoer, who is 49 and in the prime of his career.

Unless he leaves for another head coaching job, DeBoer could be the Washington head coach for a while.

Kirk Ferentz stepped outside the program to hire Greg Davis as his offensive coordinator in 2012.

Davis was highly accomplished as the former Texas offensive coordinator, but he was also in latter stages of his coaching career when he came to Iowa.

And while he helped lead Iowa to a 12-2 record in 2015, Davis also struggled in his five seasons as offensive coordinator before retiring shortly after the 2016 season.

Again, landing Grubb would probably be a long shot, and he might not even be willing to consider the chance to join Kirk Ferentz’s staff should the opportunity present itself.

Kirk Ferentz would also probably have to give Grubb the freedom and flexibility to make changes with the offense, but that could be a deal breaker because Kirk Ferentz is very set in his ways and stubborn when it comes to his offense.

But on the other hand, Grubb grew up in Iowa, so he knows how devoted Hawkeye fans are to their football program.

Iowa also has a lot to offer as a Big Ten football program that has played in 20 bowl games since the start of 2001 season.

If ever the were a time for Kirk Ferentz to shock the world by hiring a rising star whose area of expertise is offense and developing quarterbacks, and who has a connection to the state of Iowa, this is it.

Because just imagine what Iowa could accomplish as a team if the offense were just average.