After 90 days had elapsed since Beth Goetz announced Brian Ferentz wouldn’t return as the Hawkeyes’ offensive coordinator in 2024, Iowa finally has its next offensive coordinator.
Former Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester is set to take over the reins of the Hawkeyes’ offense. Lester spent the 2023 season with the Green Bay Packers as a senior analyst.
During his tenure as Western Michigan’s head coach, the Broncos’ offense finished as one of the nation’s top 40 scoring offenses in five of his six seasons at the helm. WMU also ranked inside the nation’s top 35 total offenses in four of his six seasons.
The Broncos were the nation’s No. 16 total offense in 2020 and the No. 12 total offense in 2021. Western Michigan averaged 41.7 points per game in 2020 to rank as the country’s No. 9 scoring offense.
Lester’s final season at Western Michigan looked more like what Iowa fans have seen the last three seasons in Iowa City. The Broncos finished with the 118th-ranked scoring offense and the No. 124 total offense. Lester was fired after the Broncos’ 5-7 finish that season.
Lester’s offense figures to bring plenty of run-pass-option principles to the Hawkeyes. That part should excited Iowa fans.
As the search wound down, it felt like a two-horse race between Lester and former Duke offensive coordinator Kevin Johns.
Naturally, with a decision as paramount as this one is for the future of the program, social media had plenty of opinions on the hire that Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz is making.