Ferentz: ‘I’m not a vagabond coach’

There is a college football coaching job out there that should have you worried, Iowa fans. Sounds as though it's a small college town somewhere out east. And no, it's not Notre Dame.

“I'm just as apt to go be a line coach somewhere, I really am,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Wednesday. “Not give speeches and do news conferences, that'd be all right.”

Ferentz said a job opened about a week and a half ago that really caught his eye. He didn't say where or what it was, but hinted that it's about an hour from his family's favorite vacation spot, a lower level of football and in a beautiful town.

“Doesn't fit right now,” Ferentz, 54, joked. “I'm too young. Maybe in about 10 years.”

Not Notre Dame.

Ferentz's name has been thrown into the Notre Dame hopper this week by national media. A story in Tuesday's Chicago Tribune said Ferentz “has confided to some associates that he wouldn't rule out tackling a new challenge.”

Ferentz again answered the Notre Dame question during a Wednesday news conference. ND athletics director Jack Swarbrick is in the midst of contacting candidates.

“If (Notre Dame) had or hadn't (contacted Ferentz or his agent, Neil Cornrich), I think it'd be inappropriate for me to comment on that,” said Ferentz, who just finished his 20th year at Iowa (11 as head coach and nine as offensive line coach).

So, maybe Notre Dame contacted Ferentz. He then finished his thought.

“I'm not a vagabond coach, and I like it where I'm at. I've enjoyed every day - not every day, but most days, and you know, I don't see things changing here,” he said.

Iowa athletics director Barta said he hasn't been contacted by Notre Dame. He said he wouldn't expect to, though. It's more of a courtesy than anything else.

Last February, Ferentz and Iowa agreed to a new contract that runs through the 2015 season, which would be Ferentz's 17th season as head coach and 27th overall at the University of Iowa. Ferentz spent nine seasons as offensive line coach for Hayden Fry before replacing Fry in December 1998.

Ferentz's annual salary is $3.02 million.

“We have one of the best coaches in America,” Barta said. “We appreciate him, which is one of the reasons we did another contract before the season. He's proven that he loves it here. His family has pretty much grown up here.

“Every year the speculation continues, but every year, fortunately, he continues to be our coach. I'm confident that's going to be the case this year, so I don't worry about it anymore than any other year.”