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Kirk Ferentz offseason hit pieces have reached laughable heights

jacob keppen
·5 min read
16

Last week an article was posted to Saturday Blitz, a Fansided website, giving a scathing opinion on Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz. The article written by Eric Boggs, host of The OHIO Podcast and self-described “lifelong fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes,” likens Ferentz’s position as head coach to a hostage situation.

Pretty dramatic, I know.

Now, you may be asking yourself, “Why exactly is an Ohio State fan writing a hit piece about Iowa’s head coach, especially in a year when the two don’t play each other?” Well good viewer, I don’t have a good answer for that one. I do, though, have a response to the article and some of Eric’s points.

I want to start by saying I wish no ill will on Eric and his podcast. I’m willing to bet he absolutely knows his stuff about his Buckeyes. This entire piece is simply ridiculous, though. The entire vernacular of the article is just over the top and laughable.

Check this out, right off top.

There is a hostage situation taking place in the cornfields of Iowa. It’s not your typical hostage situation where a criminal or multiple criminals are holding innocent people as bargaining chips while negotiating with law enforcement. No, this situation is definitely not like those you see on the big screen produced in Hollywood. This hostage situation is one in which a beloved coach who has been worshiped by an entire fanbase refuses to relinquish authority or control, and in doing so, he holds back an entire football program from reaching its full potential. – Boggs, Saturday Blitz.

Could Ferentz, despite being the legendary figure and coach for the University of Iowa, possibly be keeping them from taking the necessary steps forward in the new age of college football? It’s possible, and something we’ve written about before on this website. Most Hawkeyes fans, while loving what he has done for the team over the years, have been critical in recent times, too.

However, it would be completely unfair to just throw away all of the success Kirk Ferentz has experienced at Iowa. Under Ferentz, Iowa has only experienced four losing seasons. That type of consistency should be celebrated instead of somehow vilifying the man. This article mentions his great track record at Iowa, but pretty much disregards it all to push an agenda.

It’s not like Ferentz hasn’t been good. The ol’ ball coach from Iowa has a record of 186-115, which is good enough for a 0.618 winning percentage, which is well above the average for a Division I college football coach. He also has a 10-9 record in bowl games, which is also better than most of his counterparts. But that’s what makes this hostage situation unique. If a criminal was bad, the hostage situation wouldn’t last long and no one would get hurt. What makes hostage situations difficult is when the criminals are intelligent and experienced. Such is the case in Iowa City.

Ferentz is both. What makes this hostage situation even more difficult is the fact that the hostages (the fans) actually love the man who is holding them hostage. However, those same fans have started to realize what all of us who are witnessing this hostage situation from the outside have seen for decades – Ferentz doesn’t respect them as much as they respect him. – Boggs, Saturday Blitz.

The idea that Kirk Ferentz doesn’t show the fanbase respect back is just talking for the sake of talking. Call him stubborn all you want, but don’t call into question his passion. If he didn’t care, then Iowa wouldn’t have drastically changed their stance on the transfer portal this past offseason.

They hit the transfer portal hard, bringing in starters like quarterback Cade McNamara, tight end Erick All and wide receiver Kaleb Brown. Hey, thanks for him by the way Buckeyes. Iowa bolstered its offensive line with offensive tackle Daijon Parker and guard Rusty Feth. The Hawkeyes also addressed their defense, adding All-ACC linebacker Nick Jackson.

A year after bringing in a single transfer, Iowa brought in eight this year. Certainly sounds like Ferentz doesn’t care and is just holding the team hostage, right?

I’ll finish up with this question: What is the role of a coach? It’s certainly more than to just win games and bring home trophies. As the great Ted Lasso said, “It’s about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves on and off the field.”

Iowa isn’t the biggest destination school. There are no sandy beaches or celebrity sightings. The school doesn’t regularly reel in five-star signees like an Ohio State or Texas. But yet, what Iowa football has and will continue to do well under Kirk Ferentz is develop players into top-tier athletes and people on and off the field. He isn’t perfect, but Coach Ferentz leaves a lasting impression on his players, and helps make them the best versions of themselves.

Just watch this video of Jack Campbell, a first-round linebacker developed under Ferentz, get choked up at the NFL Combine talking about his coach.

That right there is what being a successful coach is all about. And 186 overall wins and 115 Big Ten wins don’t hurt either. There’s plenty out there that would like that, too.

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Story originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire