Can't Wait For Saturday | Locksley makes a smart pickup from the coaching 'transfer portal,' ex-Iowa OC
Apr. 30—***
Cagey move by Maryland football coach Mike Locksley. The former Illinois offensive coordinator is bringing in former Iowa OC Brian Ferentz as an analyst.
The son of Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz got run out of Iowa City because of the ineptitude of the offense.
I would argue the issue was more about the talent on that side of the ball and less about the younger Ferentz, who did just fine when he had players.
One thing that is obvious: Brian Ferentz will help the Terrapins. Before he took over as Iowa offensive coordinator, he was a successful line coach. A former head coach told me the Hawkeyes started to fail on offense when Ferentz left his line duties. Makes great sense.
Locksley is doing for Ferentz what Nick Saban once did for him, allowing him to serve as analyst while rehabbing his reputation. If Maryland has a banner season or two with Ferentz on the staff, he could follow Locksley's path to a promotion.
One date to look forward to in 2024: Nov. 23. That's when the Hawkeyes visit College Park to face the Terrapins. Wonder which team will have a better record at that point?
The Hawkeyes and Terrapins are projected to finish in the middle of the now-18 team Big Ten. Iowa's defense gives it a preseason edge, but the offense under Brian Ferentz's replacement Tim Lester is still a bit of a mystery.
