Iowa football’s preparations are ‘business as usual’ ahead of Kirk Ferentz’s 1-game suspension

IOWA CITY — The scene at the Iowa football facilities did not look much different this Tuesday from any other Tuesday.

The team’s various trophies still stood in their usual places in the Hansen Football Performance Center atrium. Inside Kinnick Stadium, the seat backs still were scattered around the seating bowl.

But one very notable thing will be different on Saturday.

For the first time in his 26-year tenure, Kirk Ferentz will not be there as he serves a self-imposed one-game suspension due to past NCAA recruiting violations.

“Obviously it’s going to be different,” defensive end Deontae Craig said. “He's still going to be there with us in spirit. He's doing a great job, put together a great plan for us this week. So it's business as usual.”

Linebackers coach Seth Wallace, who was promoted earlier this year to assistant head coach, will serve as acting head coach in Ferentz’s absence.

Defensive back Sebastian Castro said “nothing’s going to change” with Wallace at the helm.

“He stepped in and no one hesitated at all because he’s the man for the job,” Castro said. “Everyone respects him in the building.”

Fellow defensive back Jermari Harris has a “huge amount of respect” for Wallace, who was the “first one to find me” as a high school recruit.

“Without him, I wouldn’t be here, and a lot of other people would say the same,” Harris said.

As Wallace takes the headset on Saturday, Ferentz said Wallace most importantly needs to “be himself.”

“My mentor is very different personality-wise than I am, and the coaches I've worked for are very different than my personality,” Ferentz said. “So you've got to be yourself, that's first and foremost.”

Wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr also will be serving a one-game suspension on Saturday.

“Players win games, so I don’t think it’ll be any different,” wide receiver Jacob Gill said. “Obviously having him would be helpful, but at the end of the day, we got to go out there and compete.”

Tight end Luke Lachey said preparation, despite Ferentz and Budmayr’s upcoming absences, has “been the same throughout the week.”

Ferentz, asked about preparing for his and Budmayr’s absences on Saturday, said the coaches “haven’t really talked much about” it yet. The suspension goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Until then, he plans to “do what I always do through Friday night.”

“I'll go to the snack,” Ferentz said. “We tell them a little bedtime story before they go to bed and have a snack. I'll be there for that. It's business as normal for me.”

If there is one game for Ferentz and Budmayr to miss, Saturday’s game against Illinois State is expected to be far from the most competitive matchup on Iowa’s schedule. The Hawkeyes are 22.5-point favorites against the FCS-level Redbirds.

Ferentz also noted that “what you do during the week is more important” as a head coach.

“Once you get to game day -- I say this in all honesty -- players do win the games,” Ferentz said. “They're the ones out there competing. We can't do that. There are times when we maybe do something that's helpful, but overall, it's how the players play.”

Ferentz and Budmayr’s suspensions are a result of NCAA recruiting violations in late 2022.

Iowa released a statement last week saying the violations, which were not self-reported, “involved communications with a player and his family prior to him entering the transfer portal.”

“This team really loves Coach Ferentz, and we're going to rally behind him,” said quarterback Cade McNamara, who made it clear that he will not comment on “any NCAA review.”

McNamara entered the transfer portal on Nov. 28, 2022, after four seasons at Michigan. He announced his commitment to Iowa three days later. He had a prior relationship with Budmayr from when the former Wisconsin assistant tried recruiting him out of high school to the Badgers.

Ferentz can think of at least one positive from the situation, though.

“At least I can blame — if something happens Saturday — I can say I don't know why they did that,” Ferentz said in jest. “Something stupid.”

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