Iowa football isn’t always pretty, but thanks to Kirk Ferentz, it’s punching above its weight class

IOWA CITY, Iowa – In unseasonably warm air and a bluish haze over Kinnick Stadium, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz took a moment with two minutes left and his team cruised to a 40-16 win over Washington.

Ferentz stood on the sideline, headset on, away from his team as his offense huddled together during the media timeout. His picture appeared on the video board. Public address announcer Mark Abbott said Ferentz was on pace to win his 200th game as Iowa’s head coach, passing Amos Alonzo Stagg for second in Big Ten history. The crowd stood and applauded, and Ferentz waved to them.

Tight end Luke Lachey hugged him, as did running back Kaleb Johnson. Backup quarterback Marco Lainez III shook his hand. With 33 seconds left, Ferentz walked to the TigerHawk at midfield, shook hands with Washington counterpart Jedd Fisch and did an interview with Fox Sports. More subdued than emotional, Ferentz jogged off the court, up the tunnel and into Iowa’s locker room, where his players greeted him with a water bottle shower.

Sunshine and 70-degree days — literally or figuratively — have rarely followed Ferentz into October in his coaching career, so the picturesque fall backdrop was unusual for college football’s longest-tenured coach. However, how Ferentz and the Hawkeyes responded to last week’s 35-7 loss to Ohio State was completely scripted.

The ups and downs of Ferentz’s 26 years at Iowa are characterized by two characteristics: First, his players trust him and believe in him. The other truth is that no football coach – that is, no program – responds better to adversity than Ferentz and his Hawkeyes.

Ferentz’s entire career has been about continuous improvement. And Iowa has followed Ferentz’s ethos very closely.

“He’s the same every day,” said left tackle Mason Richman, who is in his fifth season. “He brings exactly the same energies. You know exactly what to expect from him, no matter what’s on the scoreboard.”

Iowa rarely recruits five-star players and predominantly signs three-star prospects. Only once in his career has Iowa finished in the top 15 nationally in recruiting, and that was in 2005. The Hawkeyes are a low-offering program because they rely heavily on character research in recruiting. They want high achievers with good grades who have been team captains in multiple sports. It’s important to Ferentz and his staff that these players invest in themselves and make others better.

“I feel like we’re recruiting the right guys,” Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins said. “We just don’t have selfish guys in the locker room. So when you have good people who understand what a team should look like, and then you have a good leader, it’s easy to stick together. I just think that this team, this program, whenever there is adversity, we just come closer together.”

These types of players are built to overcome challenges, and Iowa continues to have the right coach to guide them through those challenges. Examples from Ferentz’s time abound.

• In 2016, the Hawkeyes gave up 599 yards in a 41-14 massacre of eventual Big Ten champion Penn State. As a three-touchdown home underdog against No. 2 Michigan the following week, Iowa rebounded with a stunning 14-13 upset.

• At the halfway point of the 2008 season, Iowa was 15-16 in two and a half seasons. Ferentz never let up, and neither did his team. The Hawkeyes won their final four games to close out this season and then their first nine in 2009. They finished with their highest final ranking (No. 7) since 1960.

• In 2014, Iowa continued its trend of mediocrity by losing all four rivalry games and finishing 7-6. The next year, named “New Kirk,” Ferentz changed practice from afternoon to morning and became much more open to the public. The players responded with a spirit of togetherness in 2015, resulting in a school-record 12 wins. From that year forward, Iowa ranked 10th among power conference teams in wins.

• Two years ago, Iowa’s offense was among the worst in the country in every category. After a season-opening 7-3 win over South Dakota State in which the Hawkeyes scored with two safeties and a field goal, linebacker Jack Campbell ruled out any question having to do with the division. Campbell’s hiring set the tone for this season and it carried over into 2023, in which Iowa’s offense posted the Big Ten’s worst statistical numbers in nearly 40 years. Still, there were no sniper attacks, let alone disagreements. The team ultimately captured the Big Ten West Division crown.

• In 2004, Iowa started 2-2, including a 44-7 loss to Arizona State. Despite losing four running backs to injury, the Hawkeyes stayed ahead with defense and the occasional highlight play. The Hawkeyes won their final eight games, clinched a share of the Big Ten title and won the Capital One Bowl with a 56-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the game.

The 2004 team was honored Saturday before the second quarter to great applause. One of its stars, defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, was Iowa’s honorary captain on Saturday. It was a team marked by adversity that took an unconventional path to success. They even needed a safety midway through the fourth quarter against Penn State, which won 6-4. Ferentz gave the eulogy at his father’s funeral in Pittsburgh the day before that game.

Most teams would have collapsed in any of these situations, but Iowa never did.

Why? Ferentz.

“It’s definitely his leadership,” Higgins said. “He really just cares about the guys in the locker room. If a guy like that thinks you can answer, that’s nice. He won’t freak out. It doesn’t matter what the headline is. He won’t come into the meeting room and read the headlines. He keeps his voice and we all respond to him. If he stays calm and knows that we have to react after a bad game or a difficult situation, we will all comply.”

None of these anecdotes mean Ferentz is perfect. Far from it. There’s plenty of criticism about his son Brian running the offense for seven years, especially when the last three years have been so tough. Brian remained in office until university president Barbara Wilson and athletic director Beth Goetz stepped in and fired him after the 2023 season. Other complaints about Ferentz’s decision-making on game day are valid.

And in 2020, dozens of former players accused the program of racial insensitivity and bias, which was confirmed by an independent investigation. Instead of resisting necessary changes or resigning, Ferentz decided on a new course. He took responsibility and sought advice from former players, fired longtime strength coach Chris Doyle and expanded a leadership council to include more voices. Many arbitrary rules such as not using social media platform X or wearing hoodies in the football complex have been lifted. Although some feel the changes didn’t go far enough – while others felt they went too far – there’s no doubt that the program has become more welcoming to all players. Its turnover rate is among the lowest in the Big Ten and it has won the third-most games in the Big Ten since this season.

Under Ferentz’s guidance, Iowa has punched well above its weight class.

His recruiting rankings are closer to those of Illinois and Purdue than to those of Michigan and Penn State, but the Hawkeyes’ results are closer to the latter. Iowa finds ways to win where its competitors fall short. It’s not always pretty and it may never win the ultimate prize. But the fact that Iowa stays anywhere near the College Football Playoff rankings most years is a credit to Ferentz.

“I appreciate how much this program means to him,” Richman said. “When you receive such appreciation, you are less stressed. With him at the helm, this place has a very special place in my heart and the hearts of many across the state.”

(Top photo by Kirk Ferentz: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)