NFL
By: Brock Vierra
Brian Ferentz isn’t the problem at Iowa. I know how crazy that sounds but the issues revolving around the Iowa football program go much deeper than just their inept offensive coordinator. Now is Brian Ferentz a good offensive coordinator? No. Is he a decent one? No. Is he up to D1 standards? No. Quite frankly, he should’ve stayed as a position coach but having your pops as your boss gives you a first-class ticket to a role you didn’t deserve. Now let’s not act like Brian Ferentz isn’t a really good offensive line coach. He helped develop multiple NFL linemen and his Dad is one of the best offensive line developers of all time. His Dad is also the most beloved man in Iowa City, Iowa outside of Hayden Fry.
See the same factors that have prohibited minority coaches from achieving head coaching positions are the same factors that prohibit Brian Ferentz from being removed from his undeserved position. Nepotism. See racism is the go-to cause for the reasoning on why minority head coaches have gotten both fewer opportunities to get a head coaching position and why those coaches that do get less time and patience to do the things they need to do in order to win. Now in some situations, racism is the case but for the most part in the 21st century, it’s more about who you know compared to anything else. The problem is that unless you were a player, it’s hard to gain a connection to those in power unless you run in similar circles to those same guys.
Well for Brian Ferentz, the man with the power spoon fed him apple sauce. Using the fact that his dad is the head coach, Ferentz got the OC job at Iowa when no one else in the country would’ve given him a second (or first) look. Now this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Skip Holtz OC’d for his dad Lou Holtz at South Carolina and Notre Dame, Terry, Tommy, and Jeff Bowden all worked for their dad Bobby, Bo Graham OC’d for his dad Todd, and Jay Harbaugh worked in an interim head coaching role for his dad Jim at Michigan. It happens. However, the success of their sons is directly tied to the job security of their fathers.
Jeff Bowden’s failures led the way for FSU to hire Jimbo Fisher who was then given the “head coach in waiting” title that paved the exit for Bobby. Skip and Lou left South Carolina together and Bo Graham was a factor in his father Todd’s resignation from Hawaii. It makes sense. The problem is that Kirk Ferentz isn’t leaving the Hawkeyes until he’s good and ready so fans have had to put up with his son’s incompetence for the past seven years.
Now I know that Ferentz has his “climb to 25” where he has to average 25 points per game in order to keep his job. It’s college football. Iowa is in the Big 10 West. It ain’t that hard. The kicker is that defensive and special teams touchdowns also contribute to the goal so when Cooper DeJean goes off, he single handedly saves Brian Ferentz’s job on a weekly basis despite never being coached by him.
Even though Ferentz’s goal is easily attainable, in typical Brian Ferentz fashion, he’s only averaging 22.2 points per game right now. So I must ask, will Kirk Ferentz start pulling some fowl things in order to save his son’s job? A two point conversion when it’s not needed? An onside kick to get an extra possession? Going for it on fourth down instead of a field goal? Who knows how things can unravel.
The point is that Kirk Ferentz’s God like status in Iowa City is the problem at Iowa. Iowa has an AD the follows the golden word of Kirk. Kirk is untouchable and if the Chris Doyle scandal didn’t jeopardize his job, nothing is son does on the field will. Unless Iowa fans demand change, nothing will happen and the incredible work of DC Phil Parker will once again go unnoticed by regular fans. Stop nepotism and stop treating college coaches as untouchable figures.
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