The list of notable attendees at Green Bay Packers OTAs grows by the day.
First, it was longtime Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst making his first football-related return to the state since being fired as Badgers head coach in October 2022.
Now, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and some of his staffers were spotted at Packers OTA practice in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Related: Which Big Ten football team has the toughest 2024 schedule?
The Hawkeyes made a substantial move this offseason by firing offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz and hiring Tim Lester as his replacement. There is a Packers connection there, as Lester was on the team’s staff as a senior analyst in 2023 after recent coaching stops at Syracuse, Purdue and Western Michigan.
The longtime college coach is tasked with fixing a broken Hawkeyes offense that finished the 2023 season ranked No. 132 in points per game (of 133 schools), No. 133 in yards per play and No. 133 in total offense. It was, by far, the worst offense in the country. Lester will need to replicate some of what Packers HC Matt LaFleur brought to Green Bay if the Hawkeyes are to continue their on-field success.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and some of his staffers are here. Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Tim Lester was on the Packers staff last year. pic.twitter.com/0SMVX87y5f
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) May 29, 2024
The other Packers–Iowa connection is Lukas Van Ness, a former Hawkeye who the Packers selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Wisconsin will visit Iowa on November 2 in what will be a pivotal contest on the team’s 2024 schedule.
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