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Iowa OC Out As Team Sets Embarrassing New Record, Fans Still Upset With One Aspect Of Resignation

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Iowa fans wear "Fire Brian Ferentz" shirts in the stands.

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The Iowa offense has not been good under offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. The son of longtime head coach Kirk Ferentz has been on the hot seat in 2023 due to his unit’s lack of success.

Now, reports have surfaced that he won’t return in 2024. While the news is welcomed by most Hawkeyes fans, one aspect of the resignation still has them peeved.

A former Iowa offensive lineman, Ferentz assumed the role of OC following the 2016 season. In his six-plus years calling plays, the Hawkeyes are actually a respectable 57-25 in the win-loss column.

Unfortunately, they’ve posted that mark in spite an often-putrid offense.

The last three seasons have been particularly unproductive with the Hawkeyes ranking 99th, 123rd, and 120th in scoring. In 2021, Iowa averaged just 23.4 points per game, failing to eclipse the 20-point mark in five of the last eight outings.

The next year was even worse as Iowa averaged 17.7 points and 251.6 yards per contest, leading the coordinator’s seat to grow scorching hot.

It motivated the university to amend his contract, putting in place a specific goal of increasing offensive scoring by more than a touchdown per game. His annual pay was also reduced by $50,000 while Iowa added another “designated performance objective” of seeing the team reach seven wins, too.

If those terms weren’t met, Brian Ferentz’s time with Iowa would come to an end.

If those objectives are met, the contract “will return to the prior two-year rolling agreement. If they aren’t, “the agreement will terminate on June 30, 2024.” Calculating the points-per-game mark will factor in defensive and special teams scores.

“The Drive for 325” has fallen well short to this point. Despite boasting a 6-2 overall record, the offense has looked lackluster at a scoring clip of 19.5 PPG.

Iowa ranks 12th in the Big Ten in scoring and dead last in college football in total offense. The Hawkeyes have totaled just 1,859 yards through eight games and are the only offense in American yet to hit the 2,000-yard mark as a group.

The abysmal output has even Vegas going to new extremes as Iowa has now recorded the lowest Over/Under total in the last 20 years at sportsbooks in back-to-back games. It’s worth noting that the previous record was also held by Iowa, set in 2022 (and somehow, the under keeps cashing!).

With the jokes now writing themselves in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes are reportedly making a move to drop the label of laughingstock.

Report: Brian Ferentz won’t return in 2024.

Iowa beat writer Adam Jacobi hit the message boards to post an update about Ferentz’s role as offensive coordinator. He hinted that while he didn’t have enough to go public with the information at the time, he was quite certain that a change would soon come.

That rumor sent Iowa fans into an immediate state of disbelief. Would Kirk Ferentz really get rid of his own son??

Well, speculation is now gone as reports say the OC won’t be back in 2024.

David Eickholt of HawkeyesInsider says the play caller is not expected to return next season.

On Monday, multiple sources reached out to HawkeyeInsider and confirmed that Brian Ferentz is not expected to return for the 2024 season.

An immediate sense of elation overcame most Iowa fans as they rushed to post their reactions online.

Unfortunately, there’s one aspect of the resignation that still doesn’t sit well. It seems that Ferentz will continue to coach the team over the remainder of the 2023 season. It makes sense given it’s impossible to grab a new OC midseason unless the program intends to hire from within.

With the scrutiny seen throughout this Brian Ferentz saga, it seems rather likely the university would conduct a national search this time around. An outside hire, particularly for a proven play caller, would have to wait for the offseason, but there’s still much left on the table for this year’s squad.

Iowa sits at 6-2, essentially in control of its own destiny in terms of a potential Big Ten Championship appearance. Not many fans are confident in the Hawkeyes’ chances over the final four games with this Ferentz-led offense.

“If he doesn’t step down this week, we riot.”

“So, it’s not effective immediately?”

“If he is not expected to return, there is no reason he should stay in his position going forward.”

We’ll see if the Hawkeyes can overcome the offensive woes throughout the remainder of the year and make their first conference title game since 2021.