Iowa Football's Kirk Ferentz Entering 2026 as Good as Any Coach in the Country

When Week 1 rolls around, Kirk Ferentz will be 71 years old. He's still as good as any head coach in college football.

Nov 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Few have ever done it longer than Kirk Ferentz in college football, and currently, no one else in the sport can stand atop the mountain alone as the longest-tenured head coach in the country. His run with the Iowa Hawkeyes is the last of a dying breed, but one that is still moving full speed ahead.

Ferentz took over Iowa in 1999 and has been at the helm for 27 years, building the Hawkeyes into the model of consistent success, regardless of the college football world constantly changing.

Where Does Kirk Ferentz Rank Among College Football Coaches?

With a career record of 221-149, which includes a strong 209-128 record with the Hawkeyes, Ferentz is a future Hall of Famer when he decides to hang it up. That moment may have to wait, though, as Ferentz is still right there with the best coaches in the country.

Now, no one is going to look you in the face and say Kirk Ferentz is the very best in the sport. National championships and College Football Playoff appearances talk, two of the few things Kirk Ferentz has yet to achieve.

What he does have, though, is a 13-year streak of bowl game appearances and no less than eight wins in a season since 2014 (excluding Iowa's 6-2 record during the 2020 COVID-19-impacted season). Do you know how many teams would take that in a heartbeat?

That sort of consistency has earned Ferentz the respect to be heralded among the best in the country, with many programs lacking the stability Iowa has. CBS Sports' head coaching rankings, based upon votes, have Kirk Ferentz sitting as the No. 20 coach in America entering the 2026 season.

And that's an appropriate spot for Kirk, give or take a few questionable decisions to put coaches ahead of him. Right in front of Ferentz sits Tennessee's Josh Heupel, Houston's Willie Fritz, USC's Lincoln Riley, Penn State and former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, and SMU's Rhett Lashlee.

Are any of those coaches better than Kirk Ferentz at the moment? Quite possibly, yes. Are any of them more consistent or able to claim they have had the same career success? Hard to say yes to that one.

Iowa Football Enters 2026 Looking to Continue Sustained Success

The Hawkeyes enter the 2026 season after adding more transfer portal talent than any previous year under Kirk Ferentz. He has adapted to this new world of college football.

The schedule isn't necessarily forgiving. Iowa does get Michigan and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks to open up Big Ten play, but should they handle business otherwise, this is a fringe team for the College Football Playoff.

So, as he turns 71 right before the season begins, Kirk Ferentz is still in his prime and just as good as any coach in America, with expectations as high as ever.