Disappointment often leads to unreasonable reactions in this age of social media
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Since the calendar turned to 2025 just a month ago, it has been suggested on social media, and in some cases strongly suggested, that the following Iowa head coaches who are listed alphabetically should be fired:
Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands.
Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz.
Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen, that’s right, even with it being her first year.
Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery.
Social media has made it so easy to post knee-jerk/unreasonable reactions during times of frustration and disappointment.
And with college sports, one of the most popular knee-jerk reactions is to say that a head coach should be fired regardless of the circumstances.
The reaction on social media to the Iowa wrestling team’s 30-8 loss to top-ranked Penn State on Friday in State College, Pennsylvania was just the latest example.
Fans certainly have a right to be upset and concerned about Iowa losing eight of 10 matches, and with being reminded that the gap between Iowa and Penn State continues to widen.

But to say that Tom Brands should be fired is a knee-jerk reaction, with a knee-jerk reaction defined as responding to something in an unthinking way.
Knee-jerk is just another way of saying unreasonable or unfair.
Tom Brands certainly has some work to do as the Penn State dynasty shows no signs of letting up.
The Nittany Lions did to Iowa on Friday what Iowa used to do to its opponents on a regular basis for nearly four decades starting in the 1970s.
Tom Brands is trying to conquer something that is very similar to what he used to be a part of as both an Iowa wrestler and as an Iowa assistant coach.
Penn State is the new Iowa in wrestling, though, it isn’t new anymore with the Nittany Lions having won 11 national titles under head coach Cael Sanderson, who was hired away from his alma mater, Iowa State, in 2010.
If Iowa fans are frustrated with Penn State’s prolonged dominance, imagine how Iowa State fans must feel.
Because losing Cyclone wrestling legend Dan Gable to Iowa in the mid-1970s was bad enough, but to lose Sanderson, another Cyclone wrestling legend, after just three seasons as the Iowa State head coach cut deep.
The Cyclones finished second, fifth and third at the NCAA Championships in Sanderson’s three seasons as head coach in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Iowa State was clearly on the rise under Sanderson, but then Penn State made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, and the sport of college wrestling hasn’t been the same since.
What is even more discouraging about Iowa’s loss at Penn State on Friday is that Iowa spent a considerable amount of NIL money to bolster its roster, but it had little effect against the Nittany Lions.
Tom Brands was asked after Friday’s loss if he was pleased with his team’s fight and effort, and the person who asked the question apparently wasn’t joking.
“Next question,” Tom Brands fired back. “Are you serious?”
As for why Tom Brands shouldn’t be fired, the answer is simple in that the good still outweighs the bad in terms of his overall job performance.

Iowa still consistently ranks among the top three or four programs in the country and still has tremendous fan support.
Iowa just isn’t Penn State, and apparently for some, that is a fire-able offense, which is just silly.
As for the other three head coaches that were previously mentioned, the good still outweighs the bad with Kirk Ferentz and with Fran McCaffery, while to even suggest that Jan Jensen should be fired in year one is just ridiculous.
The hard thing to tell with comments on social media is whether the person is actually being serious or just trying get a reaction.
It’s probably a little of both.
With Kirk Ferentz and Fran McCaffery, part of their problem is how long they’ve been in their current position.
Kirk Ferentz just finished his 26th season as the Iowa football coach, while Fran McCaffery is in his 15th season as the Iowa men’s basketball coach.
Ferentz Fatigue and Fran Fatigue are both real mindsets with some fans, and fair enough.
Fans certainly have a right to wish for a coaching coach, but that doesn’t mean it should happen.
Kirk Ferentz hasn’t had a losing season since 2012, and Iowa has won 10 games three times since 2019, while Fran McCaffery has led Iowa to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons, and to a Big Ten Tournament title in 2022.

And while Fran McCaffery’s current team is just 4-6 in Big Ten play, it’s still too early to know where this season is headed.
Fran McCaffery’s biggest problem, besides Iowa not making it out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament with him as head coach, is declining fan support as the Iowa men often play home games with Carver-Hawkeye Arena more than half empty.
That could ultimately help lead to Fran McCaffery’s demise, but the circumstances just aren’t there yet due to his overall body of work.
The Iowa football team still sells out most of its home games and probably would have to have back-to-back losing seasons before Kirk Ferentz’s job would be in serious jeopardy.
Maybe Beth Goetz sees it differently as the Iowa Athletic Director.
But it’s just hard to see her firing Kirk Ferentz if the Iowa football team were to finish with a losing record next season, unless maybe Iowa finished 0-12 or 1-11.
It seems more likely that that 69-year-old Kirk Ferentz would step down before allowing himself to get fired, and the same with Fran McCaffery.