By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – On Monday’s Hawk Fanatic radio show and podcast, we had two calls that I want to share with you.

The first caller said that it’s time for Kirk Ferentz to step down as the Iowa football coach, even if it means giving him the boot, while the other caller accused me of drinking the Kool-Aid for not agreeing with the first caller.

Neither call was contentious as these were regular callers to the show, both huge Hawkeye fans who have an opinion that I just happen to disagree with at this time.

Fans certainly have a right to wish for a coaching change, and for some fans, there probably is Ferentz Fatigue with this being his 26th season as the head Hawk.

And let’s face it, his offenses aren’t very entertaining unless Kaleb Johnson breaks loose for a long touchdown run.

But the reason I disagree with the callers is simply because in the case of Kirk Ferentz, the good still far outweighs the bad.

That’s it, plain and simple.

It’s easy to become a prisoner of the moment with Iowa (3-2, 1-1) having laid yet another egg against an elite opponent.

Last Saturday’s 35-7 loss at Ohio State was more of the same against an elite opponent as the defense held strong for about one half, but the defense eventually unraveled because the offense never really fired a shot, especially the passing game.

Iowa hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 2004, and from an entertainment standpoint, Kirk Ferentz’s teams usually leave a lot to be desired, at least on offense.

Kirk Ferentz also made a huge miscalculation by promoting his son, Brian Ferentz, to offensive coordinator in 2017.

The situation on offense became so bad under Brian Ferentz that Beth Goetz, who was Iowa’s interim athletic director at the time, fired him with four games left in the 2023 season.

So, that will always be part of Kirk Ferentz’s legacy, his unwavering devotion to his son and how it ultimately backfired.

Brian Ferentz has since been hired as a Senior Offensive Assistant for Maryland, while his father replaced him with former Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester in a move that has paid some early dividends, namely the dramatic improvement in the running game.

Kirk Ferentz, who turned 69 on Aug. 1, certainly has his flaws, but he is also tied for second with Amos Alonzo Stagg with 199 wins overall as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

He trails only Woody Hayes’ 205 wins with Ohio State.

But if the record books and body of work don’t concern you at this point, and you want more recent success, Iowa has won 10 games in three seasons since 2019, along with two Big Ten West Division titles in two of the last three seasons.

The Big Ten West Division is no more, but those accomplishments and 10-win seasons don’t just go away.

To help put them in perspective, Iowa State has never won more than nine games in a season, while only once has Purdue won more than nine games as its 1979 squad finished 10-2.

Iowa has seven games remaining this season, and each is winnable on paper.

But lose just once and Iowa’s already slim hope of making the 12-team playoff would be gone.

Washington should pose a formidable challenge on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

The Huskies, under first-year head coach Jedd Fisch, are 4-2 overall and are coming off a 27-17 win at home over Michigan last Saturday in a rematch of last season’s national championship game, although both rosters have changed considerably.

Washington to this point has been better than what was expected, while Michigan has been worse than expected.

Iowa will have its hands full with the Huskies, and should Iowa lose, the anti-Kirk Ferentz rhetoric would intensify.

His decision to pursue Cade McNamara from the transfer portal was praised and celebrated when it happened, but now almost a season-and-a-half later, McNamara’s popularity has fallen due to his performance on the field.

McNamara had three turnovers on three straight possessions in the second half against Ohio State, and he’s only averaging 137.2 passing yards per game this season.

A growing number of fans want Kirk Ferentz to give backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan a bigger role, but Kirk Ferentz doesn’t like to use multiple quarterbacks, and rarely has he strayed from that mindset, much to the dismay of some fans.

Sullivan has been used almost exclusively in goal-line packages to this point.

Kirk Ferentz has been accused of being too loyal to certain players, especially his starting quarterbacks, and that’s happening again right now with McNamara, causing frustration to grow.

Kirk Ferentz is certainly not above being criticized, but he is above being treated unreasonably, which relieving him of his duties anytime soon would be.

It’s just silly to even think about Kirk Ferentz’s historical era ending anytime soon without him leaving on his terms.

Maybe he will decide to retire after this season.

But if so, it would be his decision, and on his terms.

The only way the leverage would start to shift is if Iowa has a losing season, which hasn’t happened since the 2012 squad finished 4-8.

It ultimately comes down to numbers, and the numbers are still on Kirk Ferentz’s side, including his lucrative buyout in a contract that runs through the 2029 season.

From his winning percentage and staying power to the number of fans in the seats, the good still far outweighs the bad with Kirk Ferentz if you just judge him reasonably.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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