The jokes almost write themselves. Iowa is on the hunt for a new offensive coordinator, and this one will actually try to score some points. [Rimshot]
Kirk Ferentz on Monday spoke at length about the search to replace his son Brian, and the first thing that became evident was Ferentz is not in a rush to name Iowa's next offensive coordinator.
The search did not even begin until after the Big Ten Championship, and a hire will not be made until "some time in January." Ferentz has had phone conversations with three candidates, with one more planned. In-person interviews will follow, but all in due time.
In the interim, Ferentz is wholly focused on his 20th-ranked Hawkeyes' date with No. 25 Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day. A win would make this year's team just the fifth in Iowa history to win more than 10 games in a season, so focusing elsewhere would be "negligent," Ferentz said.
It was actually a bit refreshing to hear the way Ferentz has carved out a reality where one season can be put to bed before the next begins.
Anyway, Ferentz confirmed he won't do the thing no one expected him to do: he's not throwing out whatever system Iowa's been attempting to run to bring in the Air Raid in a full-fledged attempt to score as many points as possible.
“Anybody that comes in here has to have an appreciation,” Ferentz said. “We have won a few games. I know sometimes we all forget about that. We’ve won a few games here. I probably wouldn’t be standing here after 25 years if that weren’t the case. And complimentary football is the best way to win here, in my opinion.”
And he's not wrong, of course. Iowa has won 10-plus games in three of the past six seasons and has suffered through all of one losing season since 2001. To throw out the baby with the bathwater would be as irresponsible as allowing Brian Ferentz to return in 2024.
The next Iowa offensive coordinator will have autonomy to design the offense how he wants. Ferentz compared the hire's importance to when he chose Norm Parker as his defensive coordinator upon landing the Iowa head coaching job on Dec. 2, 1998, which he described Monday as "the single greatest decision I've made since I've been here."
What that means is Ferentz won't care whether the quarterback is under center or in shotgun or however many receivers are on the field.
"To play defense you've got to play blocks no matter what front you're in, you've got to run to the football in a smart way, you've got to be able to tackle, you can't give up big plays. Those are not negotiable. But it's totally up to (the coordinator) to design the A, B, Cs," Ferentz said. "I feel the same way about this hire."
You can't lead the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense at Iowa, you have to pick one. The Hawkeyes have been in the top 20 in scoring defense for nine seasons running; that won't change no matter who the new OC happens to be.
"I can think of a guy that entered the conference recently that came with widely acclaimed offensive stats and all that. But then you look at, what's his wins per game?," Ferentz said, alluding to... Scott Frost? Someone else? "People that just throw the ball around? It makes it tougher to win, it makes it tougher to be good on defense. There is a team concept that's really important to me. It's the only way we can win, in my opinion."
In fact, Ferentz also heavily alluded to another soon-to-be Big Ten school going through an identity crisis on the side of the ball Iowa has locked down. Let's see if you can figure out who it is.
"There's a school out on the West Coast right now that's going to recommit to defense. They gave up (46) to Tulane in the bowl game last year. At a place where, you know, Ronnie Lott played," Ferentz said. "Now they're going to think about defense. That was the first thing we thought about 25 years ago."
Speaking of USC, the addition of three Pac-12 schools will change things for everyone in the Big Ten, and especially Iowa. No longer will the Hawkeyes feast upon the carcass that is the Big Ten West six times a year. In 2024, Iowa trades Illinois for Ohio State, Minnesota for Washington, and Purdue for UCLA. That's life every year moving forward.
The formula needed, if not whole sale change, a full-fledged tweak. Iowa needed a new offensive coordinator, and they'll have one -- some time in January. The play-caller will be different, but the game plan remains.
"I'm really not worried about all the stats stuff. But what is important is wins per game. If you want to evaluate a coordinator in my opinion, check the wins per game the column."