Iowa Hawkeyes HC Snubbed from Major List

Iowa Hawkeyes head football coach Kirk Ferentz was snubbed from a major list.
Nov 8, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA;  Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz on the sidelines during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl.
Nov 8, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz on the sidelines during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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The Iowa Hawkeyes are hoping to turn things around during the 2025 college football season. While they didn't have a bad year in 2024, it certainly wasn't what they were targeting.

Kirk Ferentz ended up leading Iowa to an 8-5 record. They ended up making it to the Music City Bowl, but fell to the Missouri Tigers.

One of the big issues all season long was the lack of quality quarterback play. With that in mind, the Hawkeyes went out and brought in both Mark Gronowski and Hank Brown in the transfer portal. Brendan Sullivan and Jackson Stratton are also back.

However, Iowa will be trying to figure out how to replace standout running back Kaleb Johnson, who has left for the NFL.

There have also been some questions about the future of Ferentz. At 69 years old and turning 70 on August 1, his tenure with the program could be winding down at some point soon as well.

All of that being said, there are questions that the Hawkeyes need to answer in order to get back to being a contender in the Big Ten.

Brad Crawford of 247 Sports recently compiled the list of college football's top 25 coaches entering the 2025 season. Notably, Ferentz was not included on that list.

Throughout his tenure with Iowa that started back in 1999 after a three-year stint as Maine's head football coach, Ferentz has found a lot of success. He has a career record of 204-124 with the Hawkeyes. Unfortunately, their glory days have been gone for quite a few years now.

Ferentz is also closing in on a massive Big Ten coaching record. He is just one win shy of tying the record for being the head coach with the most wins in Big Ten history. That record is currently held by Ohio State Buckeyes legendary head coach Woody Hayes.

More than likely, Ferentz will break that record during the 2025 season. He could end up opting to step away at some point in the next couple of years after reaching that record.

Hopefully, he can lead Iowa to more success in 2025. They have some talented pieces, but there are a lot of very talented teams in the Big Ten now.

Only time will tell, but Ferentz may not have an unlimited future with the Hawkeyes. If he can't get the program back to winning at a high level, a change might be what's best for all parties involved.


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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.