Picking Big Ten Coach of the Year in football is tough with two candidates both so deserving
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – If ever there were a year to have two head coaches share Big Ten Coach of the Year in football, this is the year.
Because trying to choose between Northwestern interim-turned head coach David Braun and Iowa veteran head coach Kirk Ferentz is extremely difficult, almost a hopeless cause.
But sharing an award also could be perceived as being sort of weak, so if you pressed me on who should win between Braun and Kirk Ferentz, I’d pick Braun by the slightest margin because of what I believed about both teams heading into the season.
I had Iowa finishing either 10-2 or 9-3 and competing with Wisconsin for the Big Ten West Division title, while I said on KCJJ radio that Northwestern would be lucky to win more than two games.
Iowa’s offense has since been hit hard by serious injuries to key players, including starting quarterback Cade McNamara, and without those injuries, there wouldn’t be as strong a debate because Braun at 7-5 would have the edge because of the mess that he inherited.
The injuries matter in this debate, however, even more so since star cornerback and punt return Cooper DeJean also suffered a season-ending lower leg injury in practice nearly three weeks ago.
The controversy surrounding Brian Ferentz also matters because that is another obstacle that Kirk Ferentz has had to overcome on the way to finishing 10-2 overall and 7-2 in conference play.
Ten wins is a significant amount more than seven, and Iowa also defeated Northwestern 10-7 on. Nov. 4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
So, the case for Kirk Ferentz is certainly strong.
The case for Braun is also compelling and strong, though.
Northwestern had combined to finish 4-20 in the previous two seasons under former head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
The Wildcats finished 1-11 last season, and were just awful in so many ways, bringing back memories of the 1970s and 1980s when Northwestern rarely was competitive.
Some of the glow had rubbed off Fitzgerald as a head coach and game strategist and motivator.
And then came the investigation into hazing, which led to Fitzgerald being fired this past July, and less than two months before the start of the 2023 season.
A team that for back-to-back seasons had looked vastly inferior on the field was now suddenly without its legendary head coach, who is also a former Northwestern linebacker, and one of the best and most beloved in program history.
It was a devastating blow that I thought would not only hurt the roster, but also create a sense of hopelessness and disillusionment.
I knew very little about David Braun, who was promoted from defensive coordinator to interim head coach for the 2023 season shortly after Fitzgerald was fired.
I would learn that he came from perennial FCS power North Dakota State and was known for maximizing his players’ talent, but the maximizing part describes a lot of coaches climbing the ladder.
I didn’t give serious thought about Northwestern being anything other than an overmatched bottom feeder, and I certainly didn’t give any thought to Northwestern winning seven games and finishing with a winning record (5-4) in conference play.
It’s my fault for under-estimating Northwestern, but that mistake is now helping to form my opinion on coach of the year.
Some will say with my belief that Braun should win the award that I’m now wrong in both cases, and fair enough.
But what Braun has accomplished under brutal circumstances is extraordinary.
The team that often looked overmatched under Fitzgerald just last season, and with many of the same players, is now heading to a bowl game with a chance to win eight games.
Braun was rightfully named the permanent head coach just recently and whether he adds Big Ten Coach of the Year to his budding resume will come down to he and Kirk Ferentz, and deservedly so.
There isn’t a bad choice in this case as both head coaches have defied the odds and overcome both professional and personal setbacks to win on game day.
This is clearly a two-person competition since Ohio State and Ryan Day lost to Michigan on Saturday, and with Michigan being 6-0 in games without the twice suspended Jim Harbaugh on the sideline this season.
Braun lost his new boss and his friend when Fitzgerald was fired, while Kirk Ferentz lost the chance to keep coaching with his son beyond this season when Brian Ferentz was fired.
So again, this is a tough choice between two head coaches that have excelled at different stages in their coaching careers.
Braun just has the slightest edge because of how bad I assumed Northwestern would be this season.
Ten wins is certainly more than seven wins, but more doesn’t always necessarily mean better.
But if Kirk Ferentz were to win the award, then more power to him because winning 10 games under any circumstance as the Iowa head coach is also impressive.