ESPN puts Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz on retirement watch in 2024
At this point, it seems that the easy story is guessing when Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz is going to hang it up. Sure, he is a little older than most coaches and has been around the block a few times, but he wins. And does anyone want to quit winning?
Like clockwork, ESPN has put Kirk Ferentz among their head coaches on retirement watch in 2024 along with North Carolina‘s Mack Brown and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham.
Ferentz, entering his 26th season with Iowa, is college football’s longest-tenured coach by six seasons, and will turn 69 on Aug. 1. He’s in good health and likely can coach as long as he wants at Iowa, which in early 2022 extended his contract through the 2029 season. Iowa has been a steady winner but faces a tougher path to continued success in the expanded Big Ten. – Adam Rittenberg, ESPN
There is some sense of logic and reason as to the timing of why Ferentz may be on retirement watch. He is entering the new era of the Big Ten. With four newcomers in UCLA, Oregon, Washington, and USC joining the conference, there is a whole lot more travel and recruiting battles to be had.
The days of divisions within the conference are also gone. The path to appearing in a conference championship and winning the Big Ten became much, much harder not just for Iowa, but for everyone in the conference.
Ferentz went through an emotionally taxing 2023 season in which his son, Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, was fired. “Every job has got things that cause frustration, so this is kind of the way it is,” Kirk Ferentz told ESPN in November. “And it’s for you to determine where that line is and make the determination from there. I feel great. I love what I do. And more importantly, I love the people I’m around.” – Adam Rittenberg, ESPN
At some point, there is the personal aspect of it all. Kirk Ferentz is one of the most even-keeled coaches who roams a college football sideline on Saturdays, but no matter what, things get tough. This past year may have been Ferentz’s toughest yet.
Your son being fired from your staff is going to hurt no matter what anyone says. But, Ferentz continues to claim his love for Iowa, his players, and his staff. Is it a front or does he truly plan to continue coaching as long as his body and mind allow him?
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