IOWA CITY, Iowa – The coaches of the Iowa Hawkeyes spoke to the media on Tuesday afternoon, a day after the team announced offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz would leave at the end of the current season.
Ferentz is the son of former head coach Kirk Ferentz. He had been chastised for the team’s lackluster offensive since last season. The Iowa Athletics Department had attached his contract renewal to the club averaging 25 points per game this season before the 2023 season. Even when defense and special teams points are factored in, the Hawkeyes are still well shy of that record.
The Hawkeyes had their normal press conference with the coaching staff at 1:45 p.m. Tuesday. The team canceled player media meetings, which were usually done earlier in the day.
Interim athletic director Beth Goetz stated on Monday that Brian Ferentz would be leaving the squad at the end of the current season.
“Following discussions with head coach Kirk Ferentz, coach Brian Ferentz, and President Wilson, I informed Brian that our intention is for him to stay with us until the bowl game, but that this is his final season with the program.” Making this announcement now is in the best interests of the program and its devoted followers; it provides clarity at this critical juncture in the schedule,” Goetz said in a statement on Monday.
Kirk Ferentz expressed his displeasure with the timing of the announcement, relaying his desire for those types of decisions to be made in the offseason.
“I would just say my policy has typically been to evaluate everything — players, coaches, all that — postseason because in season we have a lot on our plates. That’s kind of been the nature of it, and it’s been that way probably since I got started full-time in ‘81. There’s not enough time in the day. That’s where our focus is.”
When asked how the team will keep their focus in the wake of this announcement, he said, “You move on. You just move on, you block it out. It’s like anything else – if you let it be a distraction it will be.”
You can watch Kirk Feretnz and Beth Goetz’s full press conference below:
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