3 big questions for Iowa football as it looks for next offensive coordinator

IOWA CITY — Iowa football fans have voiced frustration over their beloved team’s offensive ineptitude with a frequent chant of two words.

“Fire Brian.”

The shouts from the Kinnick Stadium grandstands have been heard as Iowa interim athletics director Beth Goetz informed Brian Ferentz, Iowa’s beleaguered offensive coordinator, that 2023 will be his “last season” with Iowa football.

The move spoke volumes. It showed Goetz’s willingness, despite still having the “interim tag,” to pull the trigger on difficult decisions.

At the same time, many questions are lingering, at least until Kirk Ferentz’s weekly Tuesday news conference. Here are three of the bigger questions facing Iowa football:

What does Brian Ferentz’s impending departure mean for Kirk Ferentz?

The situation — one Goetz described as “unique” — leading to Brian Ferentz’s departure is obviously much different from the situation of Kirk Ferentz, the program’s all-time wins leader.

Kirk Ferentz’s contract — the buyout would still be $36 million in January — essentially ensures he can retire on his own terms, at least for a few more years.

He told The Gazette in May the question of how much longer to coach had “not really” crossed his mind yet. The then-67-year-old was experiencing “a lot more good days than bad” at the time.

“So long as you love doing what you’re doing, I don’t know why you’d stop,” Kirk Ferentz said. “That’s kind of the plan right now.”

But Tuesday’s news conference will be the first indicator of how much he wants to coach at Iowa after his boss’ decision to fire his oldest son.

“What you really enjoy are the people you work with every day,” Kirk Ferentz also said in May.

If Kirk Ferentz stays, how much freedom will Brian’s replacement have to make changes?

Whether it be Ken O’Keefe, Greg Davis or most recently Brian Ferentz, Iowa’s offensive scheme under Kirk Ferentz has not drastically deviated.

The scheme worked when Iowa finished in the top 10 of the AP Poll four times in the 2000s. It worked when Iowa had an undefeated regular season and subsequent Rose Bowl berth in 2015.

But the offensive scheme has looked outdated in the last three seasons as the Hawkeyes have reached historic lows in offensive production.

If Kirk Ferentz is not willing to budge on the offensive scheme, there is a good chance the offense’s production will not budge either.

A lack of willingness to adapt also would make the offensive coordinator position less appealing to top applicants. Any coach considering the Iowa job will see Brian Ferentz has gone from Iowa’s heir apparent to a national punch line. It is hard to imagine many of the premier offensive minds in the sport lining up to experience that same fate.

Does Iowa turn to a familiar face to fill the vacancy?

There are many routes Iowa could take as it fills the soon-to-be-vacant offensive coordinator position — whether it be someone already in the building like Jon Budmayr, a former player now in the coaching industry like Drew Tate or a highly-touted offensive mind without ties to the program like Washington’s Ryan Grubb.

Kirk Ferentz has often turned to former Hawkeyes to fill his coaching staff.

The current staff has five Iowa alumni — Brian Ferentz, Ladell Betts, Abdul Hodge, Kelvin Bell and LeVar Woods — working in on-field assistant coach roles. The only FBS school with more alumni on staff is Air Force with eight former Falcons now working as assistant coaches.

It has not necessarily been a prerequisite, though. Offensive line coach George Barnett and wide receivers coach Kelton Copeland did not play or coach at Iowa until Kirk Ferentz hired them ahead of the 2017 and 2021 seasons, respectively.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com