Iowa parts ways with a pair of assistant coaches

OWA CITY — Two days after Brian Ferentz was named Iowa's offensive coordinator, the Iowa coaching staff has made two more moves.

FootballScoop.com reported Wednesday that wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy and running backs coach/special teams coordinator Chris White wouldn't return to the Iowa staff in 2017. The Gazette confirmed that report, through sources, Wednesday afternoon and Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed the news on Thursday.

'I want to thank coach Kennedy and coach White for their efforts and contributions to the University of Iowa and our Hawkeye football program,' Ferentz said in a news release. 'I wish Bobby and Chris the very best as they move forward in their coaching careers.'

Kennedy just finished his fourth year as Iowa's wide receivers coach. Kennedy worked as receivers coach at Texas when former Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis was there. Iowa announced Davis' retirement late last week.

White finished his fourth year as Iowa's running backs coach. White also is listed as special teams coordinator. Last season, he coached Iowa's specialists, with return and coverage duties going to other members of the staff.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz was asked Monday if he anticipated any other changes to Iowa's staff.

'You know, with Greg's announcement to me last week, it opens everything up certainly and first consideration is, OK, who are we going to get in the coordinator position?' he said. 'Get the right person in that seat and that will work accordingly. What's the best way to move forward? Just like since last Wednesday, I've been considering everything and I'll continue to do so.'

With Brian Ferentz's promotion to offensive coordinator, Iowa now has three staff positions open on offense — offensive line coach, wide receivers and running backs.

How that math all works remains to be seen. When head coach Kirk Ferentz was asked about it Monday, he said all of his thoughts were focused on the offensive coordinator position.

'When Greg let me know his intentions, that set the wheels in process of trying to figure out who would be the best person to lead the offense,' Kirk Ferentz said. 'That's where my focus has been now, we have to make everything fit around it.'

As it stands right now, Iowa has no offensive coach on staff who has a track record as a quarterbacks coach. Davis held those duties along with coordinator.

On Monday, Brian Ferentz was asked if he was comfortable coaching QBs.

'I would have almost zero comfort coaching quarterbacks at this moment as I stand in front of you,' he said. 'I've never done it. I've been around people who did it and I thought did it very well ... Whatever you end up doing, just like when I coached the offensive line, you seek out good people and you seek out their counsel and you learn; and we're all students.'

Brian Ferentz could end up holding coordinator and offensive line duties. Nearly every team has a running backs coach. Iowa could fold receivers and tight ends into one position. That would allow tight ends coach LeVar Woods, a former linebacker at Iowa and in the NFL, to move back to the defensive side of the ball, where he spent three seasons before moving to the tight end position.

In April, the NCAA Division I Council, responsible for day-to-day management at college sports' highest level, will vote on an two early recruiting signing periods in addition to the traditional February date and the addition of a 10th football assistant coach.

On Wednesday, the American Football Coaches Association and AFCA executive director Todd Berry said it supports an early signing period on the third Wednesday in December and gave unanimous support for a 10th assistant coach.

The 10th assistant coach has met little resistance on any level, so, counting this, Iowa has as many as four openings on its staff.

'It sounds pretty much like it's a given, so I'd like to think that in a perfect world, it would have been in action as of today,' Kirk Ferentz said. 'I think the guys that just got hired you think about around the country, all the staffs that got put in place, it would be easier to plan if you knew it was going to be 10 or nine and go accordingly. We can't bank on that, but I will factor that in, certainly.'

As part of Kirk Ferentz's new contract signed last September, any of his nine on-field assistants, the head strength coach, the top assistant strength coach and the director of football operations who've been on staff for five seasons or more are eligible for two-year contracts on July 1.

Under the UI's professional and scientific classification system, football assistant coaches are classified as 'at will' status and not 'term' status. The difference is 'at will' employees can have their employment terminated by either party at any time and for almost any reason.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com