Tag: Kirk Ferentz

CBS dives into biggest question facing the Iowa Hawkeyes entering spring football

Spring football is important every year. This year more so for Iowa. CBS dove into the biggest question that the Hawkeyes face.

Spring football is becoming more and more important in the college game. With the transfer portal and increased shuffling of coaches to new programs, it is often the first time to mesh new players and coaches on the field together.

These practices are vital for implementing new schemes, getting timing down, and starting to garner an identity ahead of the fall. For the Iowa Hawkeyes, this season’s spring practices have a renewed sense of importance with the hire of new offensive coordinator Tim Lester.

Iowa’s anemic offensive output the last few years led to the dismissal of Brian Ferentz and has now ushered in Lester. How the Hawkeyes can adapt to his offense, what it looks like, and how much control he has is CBS Sports’ biggest question for the Hawkeyes this spring.

What is the new offense going to look like? Longtime offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz is gone, replaced by former Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester. While that change itself is a significant one on the surface due to the kind of offense Lester has run at previous stops, it remains to be seen what Lester’s Iowa offense will look like.

In previous stops, Lester’s teams have run almost primarily out of the shotgun and featured plenty of RPOs. Will he be allowed to run his offense in Iowa City, or will coach Kirk Ferentz task him with running a more “Ferentz-like” version of the offense? This spring will be our first glimpse. – Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports

Does Kirk Ferentz enter the modern era of offensive football with run-pass options and more creativity than this offense has seen in recent years? That is the question Hawkeyes’ fans have been wondering since the moment that the hire was made.

There was a sense that the offense was watered down with Brian Ferentz as the offensive coordinator the last few years with the final say ultimately coming from Kirk Ferentz. Should Iowa want to improve offensively, they may need to hand the keys off the Tim Lester to implement and run his scheme to its fullest potential.

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Iowa promotes former Wisconsin assistant coach to its wide receivers coach

Former Wisconsin assistant earns a promotion:

Iowa is promoting former Wisconsin assistant coach Jon Budmayr to its wide receivers coach, according to The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman.

Budmayr was previously a senior analyst with the Hawkeyes during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

The former Wisconsin quarterback began his coaching career as a student assistant with the Badgers. He went on to spend a year as a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh under Paul Chryst, before returning to Wisconsin as a graduate assistant in 2015, offensive quality control from 2016-2017 and quarterbacks coach from 2018-2020.

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Budmayr spent 10 of 12 years working with former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst in some capacity, whether as a student or assistant coach. He finally left Chryst’s program after the 2020 season to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Colorado State — which only lasted one season as head coach Steve Addazio was fired after the 2021 season.

The former Badger has now worked under Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz for the last two seasons and will get an expanded role in 2024.

There is a punchline somewhere regarding Iowa’s history at the wide receiver position and the program’s struggling offense. But I’ll leave that up to the funny people on ‘X.’

Kirk Ferentz shares how much freedom Tim Lester will have as Hawkeyes’ offensive play-caller

How much freedom will Tim Lester have to run his offense? Kirk Ferentz shared his thoughts with Iowa play-by-play voice Gary Dolphin.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have their new offensive coordinator. It’s former Western Michigan head coach and, most recently, Green Bay Packers analyst Tim Lester.

Iowa football and men’s basketball play-by-play voice Gary Dolphin shared an exclusive conversation with Lester on the Hawkeye Radio Network prior to Iowa basketball’s win over Ohio State on Friday night.

Lester shared why Iowa was the right spot for him at this point in his career.

“You know, it was between being an NFL quarterback coach and having a chance to work for coach Ferentz, which being from Chicago, a lot of my really good friends went to school here. My sister is a graduate of Iowa. She’s been a nurse for I want to say 27 years now, so I came down here to visit her.

“I came down here for graduation and I don’t know if you guys remember Matt Bowen, but I played T-ball with him and I’ve known him for a very long time. So, a lot of connections to this place and the coaching staff and everything I’ve heard about what it is to work here and be a part of this football program. That was just too great of an opportunity to pass up,” Lester said.

As Lester is tasked with fixing the nation’s worst total offense from the 2023 season, how much freedom will he really have to put his fingerprints on this Hawkeye offense?

Dolphin caught up with Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz and asked how much offensive play-calling freedom Lester would have within Ferentz’s parameters.

“I mean, it’s very similar. We’ve been here 25 years now and the parameters have been pretty much the same. There are certain things that just aren’t negotiable when you talk about offensive football. Ball security is a really big thing, and we didn’t do a great job of that this past year. Our turnover-takeaway margin was not good. Historically, when we do a good job there, we win and win a lot of games. We did win a lot of games this year, but we could’ve improved in that area and ’09 is the other exception to the rule. We were a top-10 team and didn’t really do a good job there.

“That’s one thing right there. Just having respect to our three segments involved in the game and we want to be I think mindful of what helps the defense, what hurts the defense, mindful of field position, all those kinds of things. The bottom line is there’s a lot of ways to move the ball and move the ball effectively and have regard to time of possession, some of those things. Ultimately, the game’s still about scoring more points than your opponent. We historically have played pretty well on defense. We plan to continue that. Just really excited. I think Tim’s a guy who appreciates having balance. I really think in football, modern football … I’ll say modern football, but really the last probably 40 years, unless you’re an option team, you can’t just run the ball. Unless you’re a spread team that’s going to be willing to throw the ball every snap, which has some downside to it, I think having the ability to do both is always going to be critical,” Ferentz said.

Asked what factors went into choosing Lester as his next OC, Ferentz shared the following.

“Just I think the whole process worked really well. Talked to maybe six people and really four extensively. Really my summation is all four of those guys would have been great fits here, so it was just a matter of kind of working through the process a little bit. Tim just really impressed all of us I really think with his thoughts about offense, just his personality. I think the fact that he’s been a head coach — it wasn’t a requisite — but I think it’s certainly beneficial.

“I think he really appreciates and understands just how much goes into winning a football game and how many different people and segments are involved. Feel really good about it and it’s great to get him here on campus finally. Really it times up perfectly because we’re all coming off the road from recruiting. In effect, this is our last day of being on the road if you will. We host a bunch of prospects tomorrow, so he’ll be able to meet some of those players and then next week we’ll shift our gear and start looking toward this season,” Ferentz said.

Lester is scheduled to meet with the Iowa media on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. CT. The Hawkeyes’ spring slate begins at the end of March as Iowa gears up for the 2024 college football season.

The Hawkeyes open the 2024 season against Illinois State from Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 31.

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ESPN puts Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz on retirement watch in 2024

In what seems like an annual story, ESPN placed Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz on their retirement watch in 2024.

At this point, it seems that the easy story is guessing when Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz is going to hang it up. Sure, he is a little older than most coaches and has been around the block a few times, but he wins. And does anyone want to quit winning?

Like clockwork, ESPN has put Kirk Ferentz among their head coaches on retirement watch in 2024 along with North Carolina‘s Mack Brown and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham.

Ferentz, entering his 26th season with Iowa, is college football’s longest-tenured coach by six seasons, and will turn 69 on Aug. 1. He’s in good health and likely can coach as long as he wants at Iowa, which in early 2022 extended his contract through the 2029 season. Iowa has been a steady winner but faces a tougher path to continued success in the expanded Big Ten. – Adam Rittenberg, ESPN

There is some sense of logic and reason as to the timing of why Ferentz may be on retirement watch. He is entering the new era of the Big Ten. With four newcomers in UCLA, Oregon, Washington, and USC joining the conference, there is a whole lot more travel and recruiting battles to be had.

The days of divisions within the conference are also gone. The path to appearing in a conference championship and winning the Big Ten became much, much harder not just for Iowa, but for everyone in the conference.

Ferentz went through an emotionally taxing 2023 season in which his son, Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, was fired. “Every job has got things that cause frustration, so this is kind of the way it is,” Kirk Ferentz told ESPN in November. “And it’s for you to determine where that line is and make the determination from there. I feel great. I love what I do. And more importantly, I love the people I’m around.” – Adam Rittenberg, ESPN

At some point, there is the personal aspect of it all. Kirk Ferentz is one of the most even-keeled coaches who roams a college football sideline on Saturdays, but no matter what, things get tough. This past year may have been Ferentz’s toughest yet.

Your son being fired from your staff is going to hurt no matter what anyone says. But, Ferentz continues to claim his love for Iowa, his players, and his staff. Is it a front or does he truly plan to continue coaching as long as his body and mind allow him?

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Ryan Day could be on the hot seat heading into 2024

Ryan Day on the hot seat? Another Big Ten coach on retirement watch in 2024?

ESPN recently cited some college football head coaches who could be on the hot seat heading into the 2024 season (subscription required), which included a couple of current Big Ten coaches.

Senior college football writer Adam Rittenberg, who included Ohio State head coach Ryan Day as one coach who could see his job security become compromised if he isn’t able to answer some major big game question marks that have plagued him over the last couple of years.

Here is what Rittenberg had to say about Coach Day:

I’m not going to put a coach with a 56-8 overall record squarely on the hot seat. But after three straight losses to Michigan, no national championships, a new athletic director taking over (Ross Bjork) and Ohio State’s all-in approach with personnel this winter, Day faces genuine pressure to win big in 2024. The scenarios are801 fascinating: What if he beats Michigan but loses early in the CFP? What if he loses to Michigan and makes a deep CFP run? A fourth straight loss to the Wolverines – especially against a likely weakened Michigan team, and once again at Ohio Stadium – would be difficult for Day to overcome, despite all of the clear accomplishments he has had with the Buckeyes.

So obviously, this Ryan Day situation is more of a cautionary tale depending on how the 2024 season unfolds. There isn’t anything to worry about right now, but a lot to monitor moving forward.

Rittenberg also discussed a couple of college coaches who may be on retirement watch shortly. One that was included was longtime Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz.

Here is what Rittenberg had to say about Coach Ferentz and his future with the program:

Ferentz, entering his 26th season with Iowa, is college football’s longest-tenured coach by six seasons, and will turn 69 on Aug. 1. He’s in good health and likely can coach as long as he wants at Iowa, which in early 2022 extended his contract through the 2029 season. Iowa has been a steady winner but faces a tougher path to continued success in the expanded Big Ten. Ferentz went through an emotionally taxing 2023 season in which his son, Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, was fired. “Every job has got things that cause frustration, so this is kind of the way it is,” Kirk Ferentz told ESPN in November. “And it’s for you to determine where that line is and make the determination from there. I feel great. I love what I do. And more importantly, I love the people I’m around.”

A lot of this potential movement could gain momentum, or fizzle depending on this upcoming 2024 season. The early look suggests that impending movement in the Big Ten conference could be imminent.

Kirk Ferentz comments on what he’s looking for in next OC following Citrus Bowl

Following its Citrus Bowl loss vs. Tennessee, Kirk Ferentz commented on what he wants from the next Iowa offensive coordinator.

After the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ season came to a close with a 35-0 loss versus No. 23 Tennessee in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Hawkeye head football coach Kirk Ferentz addressed a number of topics.

The final question posed to Ferentz was what many Hawkeye fans are most curious about: What does Iowa want and need the most from its next offensive coordinator?

“Yeah, things really haven’t changed much since whatever I said in December or two days ago. First of all, I want a guy who’s going to be a really good team player. Obviously, they’ve got to have expertise in their area, like all of our coaches, and they’ve got to be good people. They have to be guys that are going to mentor the players they work with. They’ve got to be people that understand a team is a team,” Ferentz said.

Given where Iowa’s offense has been the last several seasons, Ferentz understands the importance of getting this hire right.

“Read somewhere earlier that boy this is a big (hire), you’ve got to get it done, all that kind of stuff. I just want to get it right. That’s my responsibility as head coach is to get it right, period. Get the best guy we can get.

“And I feel like great about it, but that’s another story for another day, too, and get back to Iowa we’ll start working on that in earnest as well. My focus has been more so on our team, because that’s really my No. 1 responsibility,” Ferentz said.

In addition to finding a qualified, talented candidate that can resurrect this offense, Ferentz said the fit with the rest of the staff and with Iowa’s players is of equal significance.

“You try to hire the right people. That’s all. And then everybody’s got to work together and you move forward. What we do is not rocket science. I mean, again, we’re not saving lives or any of that stuff. We’re coaching football.

“But, how they are in front of the players, critical. How they are with each other, critical. And obviously they’ve got to be great representatives of our university. We coach in college, not an NFL team, so there is a responsibility there, too. What you do in the community, go right down the list. That stuff is important. So, there’s a lot of things that are important,” Ferentz said.

Ferentz referenced the stark contrast in coaching staffs between his season at Pitt in 1980 versus his nine-year run in the 1980s as the Hawkeyes’ offensive line coach.

“I go back to my time in the ’80s, the thing that made Iowa so special. I came from a place where we had ultra talent. We coached a national championship team down to No. 2, and I’ll say that. I’ll go on record saying that one. Mainly because we had phenomenal players. I mean, Marino, go right down the list. Phenomenal players, but a dysfunctional coaching staff. A lot of guys worried about themselves and their professions, their careers, all that stuff.

“I came to Iowa in ’81, literally off the pickle boat, and it’s like just the opposite. We had talent, but not the kind of talent we had at Pitt. We had a staff that was just unbelievably cohesive. The bottom line is guys all cared about one thing: the players they coached and the team being successful,” Ferentz said.

Ferentz had previously updated the potential timetable for the next OC hire ahead of Iowa’s date in the Citrus Bowl versus Tennessee.

“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 then.

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Everything Kirk Ferentz said after Iowa’s Citrus Bowl loss vs. Tennessee

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz shared his postgame thoughts after another shutout loss versus a ranked foe in Tennessee.

The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl wound up as another ugly loss versus a ranked foe for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

In fact, in each of the Hawkeyes’ games during the 2023 college football season versus ranked opponents, Iowa was shutout. Behind Volunteers freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s four total touchdowns, Tennessee scored a blowout win over Iowa, 35-0.

Iamaleava passed for 151 yards and a score and rushed for another three touchdowns. Tennessee sophomore running back Dylan Sampson had a big day, rushing for 133 yards on 20 carries.

But, for most Iowa fans, this Citrus Bowl wasn’t about all of that. Instead, it was one final painful reminder of the Hawkeyes’ offensive ineptitude.

Sophomore quarterback Deacon Hill completed just 7-of-18 passes for 56 yards with a pair of interceptions. The first interception erased a surefire scoring chance for the Hawkeyes on their second possession of the day.

Then, his second was a pick-six where sophomore Tennessee defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. fooled Hill by dropping into coverage and raced 52 yards down the sideline for an easy score.

Hill also fumbled on a Pearce Jr. sack to set up Tennessee from the Iowa 2-yard line and one of Iamaleava’s rushing touchdowns.

Iowa freshman quarterback Marco Lainez did provide some sparks with his feet after he replaced Hill in the fourth quarter for the Hawkeyes’ final two drives. Lainez actually finished as Iowa’s leading rusher with 51 rushing yards on six carries.

The freshman finished just 2-of-7 passing for four yards, though, and each of his series ended with a turnover on downs.

Afterwards, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz shared all of his postgame thoughts with the media from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

Kirk Ferentz previews Citrus Bowl for final time

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz previews the Citrus Bowl for a final time.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz met with media for a final time on Sunday ahead of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

Ferentz discussed the Hawkeyes playing Tennessee on Monday (1 p.m. EST, ABC).

“I have tremendous respect for Tennessee,” Ferentz said. “Josh (Heupel) has done a great job as local people know. He has done an outstanding job, everywhere he has been, he has done an outstanding job and no different at Tennessee. They are just a really good football team, put a lot of pressure on their offensive system. A lot of stress on your defense. Defensive team, very athletic, good up front, a lot of big strong guys that are active and physical and special teams are very impressive, as well. Punter has done a really nice job. Really good place kicker, outstanding punt returner, and just a lot to prepare for. A lot of challenges out there for us tomorrow.  We are just excited to be here and last game of the season.”

Watch: Josh Heupel, Kirk Ferentz preview Citrus Bowl for final time

Watch: Josh Heupel and Kirk Ferentz preview the Citrus Bowl for a final time

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz met with media for a final time on Sunday ahead of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

The Vols and Hawkeyes will play on Monday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. EST and will be televised by ABC. Dave Fleming (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst) and Kayla Burton (sideline) will be on the call.

Vol Walk will take place at approximately 10:45 a.m. EST on the southeast side of Camping World Stadium (gate C) at the corner of Rio Grande Avenue and West Anderson Street.

Below is Heupel and Ferentz’s final press conference ahead of Monday’s game.

Kirk Ferentz updates timetable for offensive coordinator search ahead of Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

Prior to its Citrus Bowl tilt against Tennessee, Kirk Ferentz updated the Hawkeyes’ timetable in their offensive coordinator search.

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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