Paul Chryst reportedly turned down Iowa Hawkeyes’ OC offer
As the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ offensive coordinator search rolls into the back half of January, there’s an update on the ongoing coaching search for Brian Ferentz’s replacement.
Per Chad Leistikow of Hawk Central, former Wisconsin head coach and current Texas Longhorns analyst Paul Chryst turned down the offer to become the Hawkeyes’ next offensive coordinator.
Ferentz’s top target, Paul Chryst, has decided to stay at Texas, where he was an analyst last season. The Register has learned that Chryst was given the opportunity to take the job but ultimately declined in recent days.
The former Wisconsin head coach would have made total sense. Personally and professionally, Chryst was a perfect fit for Iowa and Ferentz. – Leistikow, Hawk Central.
Chryst’s work in morphing Barry Alvarez’s offense from a unit that averaged 20.8 points per game in 2004 to 34.3 points per game in 2005 put Chryst on the national map. Then, with quarterbacks Scott Tolzien and Russell Wilson, Wisconsin averaged 41.5 points and 44.1 points per game during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, respectively.
Having coached at Wisconsin as a tight ends coach, offensive coordinator and head coach for so long, Chryst seemed a natural fit given his familiarity with the Big Ten and with the Hawkeyes.
But, it’s time for Iowa to pivot. According to Leistikow, fans can scratch two other popular names as well.
There have been countless other rumored candidates. One of them is Joe Philbin, the former Iowa offensive line coach and offensive coordinator of the 2010 Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl-winning team with NFL head-coaching experience.
The latest flavor of the week (or day) has been UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion.
From what I’ve learned in the last 24 hours, neither Philbin nor Marion is happening. – Leistikow, Hawk Central.
Iowa already missed on another popular prospect in the offensive coordinator ranks when former South Dakota State OC Zach Lujan joined Northwestern head coach David Braun’s staff as the new Wildcats offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Could this mean a promotion from within for senior special assistant Jon Budmayr? Or, does Iowa turn to the NFL ranks?
This is a fascinating development in a search that Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz expected to be nearing its end by this point when he met with the media ahead of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Tennessee last month.
“Obviously, it’s tabled right now. The focus is right on this game. Hope to have a clear idea the first two, three weeks of January. I’d like to think by the third week of January that we’ve got it done. Feel really optimistic right now and we’ll end up with a really good person,” Ferentz said ahead of the Hawkeyes’ bowl date.
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