It’s just about time for the Iowa Hawkeyes to play their final game of the 2023 college football season.
That will actually come on New Year’s Day at noon CT versus Tennessee in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
Iowa has a chance to accomplish a rare feat versus the Vols from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. The Hawkeyes can secure an 11-win season for just the fourth time in program history if they topple Tennessee.
While Hawkeye fans would no doubt love to see Iowa end its season with an impressive victory that brings historical significance along with it, they are also eager to find out what the offensive direction will look like moving forward.
Iowa’s bowl date against Tennessee is the final game for Hawkeye offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. Updates from Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz on the ongoing offensive coordinator search have been limited.
Kirk Ferentz did provide a bit of a timetable for a potential decision and announcement on the Hawkeyes’ next offensive coordinator in his Thursday meeting with reporters after practice in Orlando.
“Yeah, no, nothing really. Obviously, it’s tabled right now. The focus is right on this game. Hope to have a clear idea the first two, three weeks of January. I’d like to think by the third week of January that we’ve got it done. Feel really optimistic right now and we’ll end up with a really good person,” Ferentz said.
Those remarks are in line with what Ferentz shared in mid-December on the offensive coordinator search.
“So, I’m still flying by the seat of my pants but I’ve made all of three phone calls. I’ll give you that little tidbit. Three phone calls so far. Hopefully, get one more in this week, and then we’ll really turn our attention to it when we get back here because you’ve got to have some face-to-face meetings and those kinds of things, but I feel really, based on what I know as I stand here right now, I feel total confidence that we’ll have a really good person here.
“I think there’s some strong interest from people that make a lot of sense that really fit and I think will fit what we need. So, it’s going to work out just fine unless the bottom falls out. It could always happen, but I’ll promise you too, there’s gonna be a new market of people out there in January or February,” Ferentz said.
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