By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – What gets lost with Brian Ferentz having been fired by his college alma mater is that he knows how to coach football.

Give him an offensive line to build and mold or a group of tight ends to develop and he would do just fine at any level.

Brian Ferentz wasn’t fired as the Iowa offensive coordinator because of his inability to coach football.

He was fired because he was in over his head as his father’s offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, and because the Iowa administration knew that fans were beyond fed up with what they were seeing from arguably the worst offense in the nation.

Even Kirk Ferentz couldn’t save his son from being fired last season, and that shows just how serious the situation had become.

But now a year later, Brian Ferentz is nearing the end of his first season as a Special Offensive Assistant for Maryland head coach Mike Locksley.

And with Iowa and Maryland set to square off Saturday in College Park, Maryland, the Brian Ferentz storyline has resurfaced.

Kirk Ferentz knew he would be asked about his son coaching for the opposition at his weekly press conference on Tuesday, and sure enough, it was the third question asked.

It probably would have been the first question asked if not for all the drama and uncertainty at quarterback.

“I haven’t given it a lot of thought, quite frankly,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Obviously I knew it was coming. But the bottom line is this, to your point, it’s the best I can come up with, it’s weird coming back here — whether it be Barry Alvarez the first year or Bill Snyder year two, Dan McCarney, Bob Stoops, four guys that I worked with, and Bob played for us on top of it. Tremendous respect for all those guys.

“It’s a weird dynamic, but the bottom line is this: the reality is when you get to game day, that’s what’s silly about coaches exchanges greetings and all that. I fully know what the other coach wants to do, just like he knows what I want to do, and how we hope the day goes.”

Alvarez, Snyder, McCarney and Stoops all coached with Kirk Ferentz at Iowa under Hayden Fry in the 1980s.

All four of them also coached against Kirk Ferentz as head coaches.

This situation is different, though, because Brian Ferentz is Kirk Ferentz’s son, and the oldest of Kirk and Mary Ferentz’s five children.

Brian Ferentz in addition to playing for his father at Iowa as an offensive lineman, coached under him for 12 seasons and it was assumed early in Brian’s time as an Iowa assistant that he was being groomed to eventually replace his father as head coach.

Kirk Ferentz never said that publicly, nor did Brian Ferentz.

But that was the assumption until the offense sunk to historically low levels and that ultimately cost Brian Ferentz his job.

It has to be awkward for both father and son to be on opposite sides after being together for so long.

“It’s probably not a great time for a family reunion or just even seeing old friends,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Everybody is cordial, but the bottom line is we’ve all got business to take care of on Saturday. We’ll see where it all goes.

But I think his experience has been good, what I know about it, and as a parent I’m glad he’s with good people, and Mike (Locksley) is a guy I’ve got a lot of respect for.”

Locksley was asked about his decision to hire Brian Ferentz at Big Ten Media Day this past summer.

Brian Ferentz helped Iowa win three Big Ten West Division titles under his father despite the problems on offense.

Locksley said it made sense because he was adding an experienced coach without having to spend a lot of money.

“I can tell you having Brian on my staff, he brings an expertise in running the football, and offensive line play,” Locksley said in late July. “They’re the gold standard for what o-linemen and tight ends look like.

“Why wouldn’t I take him and add him to my team to bring a skill that we need to get better at? He also brings some championship pedigree to it at a discounted price.”

The Maryland running game still is very much a work in progress as it only averages 115.5 rushing yards per game.

The Maryland passing game, on the other hand, is averaging 305.7 passing yards per game

Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards has completed 268-of-412 passes for 2,855 yards and 15 touchdowns.

To put those numbers in perspective, Iowa has only passed for 1,389 yards as a team.

Maryland has been wildly inconsistent this season as evidence by its 4-6 overall record.

The Terrapins are just 1-6 in Big Ten play, so wins have been hard to come by in Brian Ferentz’s first season on the Maryland staff.

Maryland is often its own worst enemy, with having committed a whopping 68 penalties, while Iowa has only been penalized 31 times.

There is only so much of an impact that Brian Ferentz can have in his current role.

The Maryland job is the first step in Brian Ferentz resurrecting his coaching career.

Just because he failed as his father’s offensive coordinator and quarterback coach doesn’t mean that Brian Ferentz would fail in other coaching jobs.

He grew up around the game of football and knows how to teach, mentor and inspire.

Brian Ferentz’s reputation took a hit in the summer of 2020 when multiple former black Iowa players accused the program of racism. Some of the accusations involved Brian Ferentz.

A settlement was ultimately reached, much to the dismay of Kirk Ferentz.

It might just be a coincidence that Brian Ferentz now works for a black head coach, or maybe it isn’t.

Locksley wouldn’t have hired Brian Ferentz if he had any concerns about Brian’s character.

By working for a black head coach, and with multiple black assistant coaches, this is a way for Brian Ferentz to show that he isn’t what some have accused him of being.

Iowa tight end Luke Lachey spoke very highly of Brian Ferentz on Tuesday.

“I think he’s a great guy and I’m really looking forward to seeing him again,” Lachey said.

Brian Ferentz was fired with four games left in the 2023 season, but he was allowed to coach through the end of the season.

“When I heard the news I was pretty upset,” Lachey said. “It’s a hard thing to hear. He was my (tight end) coach for two years.

“Obviously, it was tough. It was hard. I had a lot of hard feelings about that. But life goes on. He’s got a good opportunity there and we’ve got a great thing going, too. I’m just super excited to see him and everything. But the past is the past.”

Brian Ferentz helped to recruit Lachey out of Ohio and then coached him for two years as the tight end coach before switching to coaching quarterbacks.

Kirk Ferentz’s decision to make Brian Ferentz the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach would prove to be the beginning of the end because Brian Ferentz wasn’t ready for the responsibility.

He had never coached quarterbacks at any level, and the quarterbacks failed to develop under his watch.

Kirk Ferentz took a chance on his son, but it backfired and now Brian Ferentz is trying to prove himself like he never has had to before.

Brian Ferentz doesn’t have his father to lean on anymore, although, his father’s influence could be beneficial as Brian tries to rebuild his image, and his coaching career.

A team could do a lot worse than hiring Brian Ferentz to coach in some capacity.