Kirk Ferentz Updates His Future
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Kirk Ferentz was evasive when asked about his future during his weekly Tuesday press conference. A day after it, he released a statement through the university and expounded on the topic during his radio show, quieting speculation be may be retiring as Iowa Football’s head coach after 2023.
“While my immediate focus is on finishing the season strong, I love coaching, and my intent is to keep coaching here at the University of Iowa,” Ferentz said in a statement released on social media Wednesday night around the same time as his radio show.
“We have built something very special here, and I plan to coach until I am no longer passionate about the game, players or coaches.”
It’s been an unsettling week for Ferentz, who is in his 25th season in charge of the program. Interim athletics director Beth Goetz announced Monday that offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, Kirk’s oldest child, would not be back in 2024.
Kirk Ferentz appeared visibly uneasy at his Tuesday press conference. He repeatedly referred to his track record of evaluating his program after the season and not making staff changes during it.
“(Monday’s) announcement is certainly a departure from that practice,” Ferentz said.
There have been inconsistencies between what Goetz announced as having taken place in meeting with the Ferentz’s about her decision. The head coach said he found out from her press release. He received it last weekend, a day or so before it was made public.
Time will tell how the relationship between the interim AD, who seems like a favorite for the full-time job, and the longest-tenured head coach in college football. His comments on Wednesday’s radio show indicate he might like to make it work.
“First of all, I was not trying to intentionally cause a celebration for some people that would love to see me go start a stamp collection or go bird watching, whatever,” he said on not being more clear about his future plans on Tuesday.
“The intent was to try to steer this thing back to what is important right now. I enjoy coaching. Fortunately, I feel really good. The doctors tell me I’m OK. I hope they’re right. I hope to keep doing this for quite a while. I’ve always loved being here.”
In addition to his 25 years as the Hawkeyes’ head coach, Ferentz served as an assistant on Hayden Fry’s staff for nine years in the 1980s.
“I like going in our (football) building and I like what I do. In a sick way, I like the highs and I like the lows. Until they tell me to sit down, I’ll probably keep going.”
Iowa is coming off a bye week at 6-4 overall and its 3-2 Big Ten record has it in a four-way tie for first place in the West Division. The Hawkeyes kick off their stretch of four remaining regular-season games on Saturday against Northwestern at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
Iowa’s 15 conference wins since the start of the ’21 season are tied with Penn State for the third most behind Michigan and Ohio State. The Hawkeyes are chasing their second division title in three years.
Their offense has ranked among the worst units in college football during that time. In conference play this season, the Hawkeyes are averaging 14.2 points per game, which includes defense and special teams’ tallies. That ranks 12th in the league ahead of only Indiana and Michigan State, who are a combined 0-10 in Big Ten play.
Iowa was hit hard by injuries this fall, including losing starting quarterback Cade McNamara, and tight end weapons Luke Lachey and Erick All Jr. for the season. Kirk Ferentz referenced that impact being a factor in this year’s struggles several times during Tuesday’s press conference.
The Brian Ferentz decision does end the outside noise derived from amendments made to his contract last offseason. In part, they say the Hawkeyes must average at least 25.0 points per game for his deal to be renewed. They’re averaging 19.5 heading into Saturday.
