Kirk Ferentz retiring

Submitted by mgohusker on November 19th, 2023 at 1:01 AM

Iowa folks texting me saying Ferentz is calling it. Retiring.

He wants nothing to do with no more divisions.

FWIW.

s1105615

November 19th, 2023 at 7:03 AM ^

This is the exact opposite of what he said a day after Brian was effectively fired by the new AD.  I’m going to need to see something a little more solid source wise than trust me bro

Sam1863

November 19th, 2023 at 7:56 AM ^

Now he can start working on his memoirs, including stories about how he started his coaching career under Amos Alonzo Stagg (and coincidently, how he still uses the same offensive scheme.)

Perkis-Size Me

November 19th, 2023 at 8:10 AM ^

If I knew they were doing away with divisions and I didn’t have a free ticket to Indy every other year, I’d want out too. 

If this is true, I have to believe all of Iowa City is rejoicing. 

EGD

November 19th, 2023 at 1:07 PM ^

Right. Iowa is never going to recruit all that well, so their uncanny ability to consistently tough out tight defensive battles with grit and composure is really the only thing that differentiates Iowa from the various other corn schools. Without Ferentz, the bottom could drop at least as easily as they hire some genius who gets better results than Ferentz has.

LSAClassOf2000

November 19th, 2023 at 8:13 AM ^

I mean, he's been at Iowa in some capacity since 1980 or 1981 or somewhere in that range (minus a decade in other positions - thanks to snarling wolverine below for the correction), so I can see it if that's case. If it is because of divisions, the lack of them does essentially mean that Iowa - outside of some freakish year in the future - probably never goes to the conference championship game again, at least not as constructed and conceived. 

bronxblue

November 19th, 2023 at 8:20 AM ^

Once his son was fired seemingly without his input you knew this was coming.  

Iowa's another appealing team looking for a coach, which will shuffle around the candidates a bit more.  That list MSU put out a couple days ago, for example, is basically the same I'd give for Iowa and, let's be fair, Iowa has had more sustained success than MSU over the years and is pretty appealing.

jhayes1189

November 19th, 2023 at 9:06 AM ^

I think Iowa goes and offers Mark Stoops. 
 

I live in central KY and most casual UK fans are sick of the same season over and over again. Realizing Mark won’t take them past the middle of the SEC on a regular basis. The only thing is, for some reason Mark does make 9 mil a year, so that’s a big number to over come for sure 
 

Being a middling defensive team is right up Iowa’s ally! 

Mannix

November 19th, 2023 at 10:57 AM ^

They really should do two B1G's. There's been a huge fall off in the West programs and they don't need to be someone's bye week.

Upper tier

Lower tier

Call it whatever you'd like. 

Catholepistemiad

November 19th, 2023 at 2:18 PM ^

Then we would have been promoted in 2021?

 

Maybe there's a championship option where the #2 team in the upper division plays the lower division winner, and the winner of that game plays the #1 team? Just spitballing ways to give the lower division team a chance. But I'd rather just see them forget the championship, have the top 9 and bottom 9 play round robin, and be done.

turtleboy

November 19th, 2023 at 11:34 AM ^

I guess he saw the writing on the wall, that his little niche was about to get run over by a freight train of better football teams. Gotta preserve that legacy. 

BlueMk1690

November 19th, 2023 at 12:19 PM ^

Yeah, I'm not sure about OP's sources, but there's literally nothing anywhere else about this, not on national CFB sources or Iowa forums.

Is this forum trying to start rumors?

alum96

November 19th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^

They have had 2 coaches since 1979.  Remarkable and akin to the Steelers in the NFL with 3 since the 1970s.  (also share colors)

Iowa is in danger of Nebraska'ing without the right hire.  It's not exactly fertile recruiting territory and I doubt they have much in NIL etc.