Timing of Kirk Ferentz’s Thursday press conference didn’t make sense at first
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The timing of the press conference just didn’t make any sense.
When it was announced on Wednesday that Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz would hold a press conference on Thursday to mark the end of preseason camp, it led to speculation that perhaps he was planning to name his starting quarterback.
At least, that was my first thought.
But why would Kirk Ferentz do that with more than a week before the Aug. 31 season opener against Illinois State?
Again, it just didn’t make sense, especially with Kirk Ferentz scheduled to hold his first in-season press conference next Tuesday.
Now we know the reason behind Thursday’s 1:30 p.m. press conference.
Kirk Ferentz and Iowa receiver coach Jon Budmayr both will miss the Illinois State game as part of a one-game suspension for an apparent recruiting violation involving quarterback Cade McNamara.
It will mark the first time that the 69-year old Kirk Ferentz will not be on the sideline coaching the Hawkeyes on game day.
I received several text messages late Wednesday night from people, including my nephew, asking if I had heard about Kirk Ferentz possibly being suspended for one game.
At the time, I hadn’t heard anything, but that would soon change with a little digging.
I couldn’t confirm it before going to sleep on Wednesday, and by Thursday morning, the Athletic had broken the news.
I have since confirmed through my own sources that Kirk Ferentz and Budmayr both will serve a one-game suspension.
There has been talk that Iowa might have committed a recruiting violation with McNamara since McNamara said on a podcast last year that he knew where he was going before he entered the transfer portal.
McNamara entered the transfer portal on Nov. 28, 2022 as a graduate student after having played for three seasons for Michigan.
His comments on the podcast certainly raised some eyebrows and led to speculation that Iowa might have tampered with McNamara.
Kirk Ferentz is expected to share details about the suspension during Thursday’s press conference.
It appears that Iowa was trying to stay ahead of the news by scheduling a press conference for Thursday, but that approach didn’t work as the news broke late Wednesday night.
What seems odd is that it took nearly 20 months for the story to break.
My guess is that Michigan might have filed a complaint about Iowa tampering with McNamara after hearing what McNamara said on the podcast.
Why it took so long for the suspension to be handed down is hard to say. And it’s uncertain if Kirk Ferentz and Budmayr are being suspended by Iowa or by the NCAA.
Those answers could come during Thursday’s press conference.
Kirk Ferentz is entering his 26th season as the Iowa head coach and he ranks third all-time among Big Ten head coachers with 196 career wins.
His program has mostly stayed clear of committing recruiting violations, although, in February Iowa self-reported a potential NCAA violation surrounding the recruitment of offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor.
Proctor transferred from Alabama to Iowa in January, but the former five-star recruit from Southeast Polk has since transferred back to Alabama where as a true freshman he started every game last season at left tackle.
Iowa self-reported the potential violation after learning that football staff member Tyler Barnes had reached out to Proctor via a text message while Proctor was an Alabama student.
Tyler Barnes, who is Kirk Ferentz’s son-in-law, was recently given a new title as Iowa football’s chief of staff.
It seems likely in Kirk Ferentz’s absence that Iowa Assistant Head Coach Seth Wallace will handle the head coaching responsibilities during the Illinois State game.
Iowa will now be without its head coach, its receiver coach and one of its top receivers for the Illinois State game.
Junior receiver Kaleb Brown will serve a one-game suspension after having been charged with drunken driving earlier this summer.