Mark Hasty is one of the best people I have come to know on #CollegeFootballTwitter. It has been fascinating to be a sportswriter in the Twitter era, having conversations with fans and commentators across the country about the various sports I cover. I learn so much from the people I talk to, even though I never meet them in person. Mark rates high on the list, imparting wise, original, textured thoughts on matters from football to media to religion. He is one of a kind, and I treasure his insights.
Mark wrote a poignant, typically layered column at his current sportswriting home on Hayden Fry, the Iowa icon who died last week at age 90. Make sure you read it.
I asked Mark Hasty, an Iowa football observer of considerable esteem, to size up the program’s next decade. Here is what Mark had to say:
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The biggest question for Iowa football next decade will be how it handles the transition we all know is coming. Kirk Ferentz is a very youthful 64 and under contract through 2026, when he will be 71. It’s unlikely but not impossible he’ll be extended, so all us Iowa fans assume we have seven more seasons of the Captain. The question is “what’s next?”
It’s generally assumed that Ferentz wants his son Brian, who is currently Iowa’s offensive coordinator, to replace him. Many Iowa fans are lukewarm to that prospect, since Iowa under Kirk Ferentz has never been known for offensive prowess. But I think Hawkeye fans should consider the possibility that the elder Ferentz has limited the tools in Iowa’s playbook.
I’ve done extensive research on coaching changes in the Big Ten and I’ve found that continuity of staff is one of the largest factors in maintaining long-term success. Iowa has been a fairly consistent seven- to nine-win football team over the last forty seasons. That is not dominance, but it’s a long history of success. “Evolution, not revolution” would be a good philosophy to follow.
Iowa fans who want more sweeping change should look one state to the west and realize that change won’t automatically turn Iowa in to a 10-win team that fights for the College Football Playoff.
— Mark Hasty