Report: Iowa OC Not Expected to Return
Reports indicate that Iowa OC Brian Ferentz isn’t expected to return next season, per David Eickholt of 247Sports
The Hawkeyes’ OC and son of head coach Kirk Ferentz has been under fire during the past few seasons. Iowa’s offense has been poor under his tenure. The university even put a points-per-game threshold in his contract for this season. The younger Ferentz saw his annual salary drop from $900K to $850K.
The significant piece was set at 25 points per game. The marker won’t be met as the Hawkeyes are scoring just 19.5 points per contest, ranking 120th in the nation. To date, Iowa’s passing game has been paltry, averaging just 116.5 yards per game and six total TDs. Another achievable incentive was that the program gets to seven wins, which is gettable given that they are already bowl-eligible. The downturn in production can be attributed to the injury to Cade McNamara. To date, they have scored 156 points, 12 of which belong to the defense and special teams. The program has seen some historical lows in terms of over/under lines this season, including a whopping 29.5 O/U this weekend against Northwestern
What’s next?
The Hawkeyes currently lead the topsy-turvy Big Ten West division but are tied with three other programs. Depending on how the schedule plays out, it’s realistic that they lose the lead entirely. It is entirely possible that Iowa faces a regime change next season as Kirk Ferentz has adamantly defended his son through the years.
“I worked for a guy for nine years who there was never a coordinator fired his during my nine years with Coach [Hayden] Fry,” Kirk Ferentz told reporters. “I’m not planning on doing it. I haven’t done it.”
CBS Sports
Barring some miraculous offensive renaissance, it’s very likely that Brian Ferentz will need to gain some employment elsewhere. Could Kirk Ferentz resign in protest and remove the university from its massive buyout obligations? Stay tuned.
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