It’s time for Kirk Ferentz to speak out against Washington

Kirk Ferentz has accomplished a lot in his coaching career. He spent 25 years with the Iowa Hawkeyes and won three Big Ten West Division titles, back when the Big Ten still had divisions and two Big Ten titles. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year four times, Walter Camp Coach of the Year once and AP College Football Coach of the Year once.

Ferentz has shown that he is a good coach and can lead a successful football team. However, it’s not the early 2000s anymore and football just isn’t the same as it used to be. The world of college football is changing and Ferentz doesn’t seem to be changing with it.

Recruiting has never been bigger, and Ferentz doesn’t seem interested in working on it. His philosophy is to attract middle-class recruits and develop them while they are in the program. However, in today’s world of college football, when players aren’t playing, they simply move on to wherever they want.

Ferentz is a great coach and no one is taking that away from him, but he may not be what Iowa needs anymore. The Hawkeyes need a coach who will adapt to the changes in the world of college football, someone like Washington coach Jedd Fisch or Washington’s former coach Kalen Deboer, now the Alabama coach.

With the Iowa Hawkeyes set to face Washington this weekend and the team is 3-2, a win would be a big deal for the Hawkeyes and Ferentz. A loss would certainly cause “Ferentz” to light the fire that quickly increases with each game, especially each loss.

Ferentz’s job won’t be on the line if he loses. It would take a lot for Iowa to decide to buy Feretnz out of his contract, which would keep him with the Hawkeyes through 2029. There would have to be a complete collapse of the 2024 season for Iowa to consider firing Ferentz, so win that game. While it doesn’t have a huge impact, this game is significant for Ferentz’s reputation.

The long-time Iowa coach has talked a lot about how this Iowa team would be different offensively this season. After averaging just over 15 points per game last season, the Hawkeyes have improved somewhat on offense, but Iowa has been outscored 127-7 against ranked opponents so far over the past two seasons.

Fans get bored of the lack of offense when playing against really important opponents. The Hawkeyes have always seemed like the little brother of the big teams in the Big Ten. Iowa is consistently behind teams like Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State in the Big Ten and fans are ready for this team to take the next step.

Washington will be a tough opponent as their offense averages 25.5 points per game and their defense allows 13.1 points per game. While Iowa’s offense is playing better this season, the Hawkeyes have scored a total of 26 points against teams that currently have a winning record. Iowa has suffered two losses this season, scoring just 19 and 7 points in both games.

Ferentz has doubled down on his options on offense, particularly when it comes to quarterback play. Cade McNamara looked good against lower quality teams, but against higher quality teams he looked lost and confused about the needs of the quarterback position. Fans are begging for a change just to see what’s possible with backup Brendan Sullivan, but Ferentz isn’t budging.

Kirk Ferentz has to win this game to keep the protesters at bay. Ferentz isn’t a popular guy with Iowa fans right now, and unless something changes, especially on offense, things won’t get better.