Starting To Also Think It’s Time

[trj]

My two cents and I may get absolutely hammered for this by some. Initially my feelings were similar to the basketball program, as in when its time to replace you go outside the program and gut the staff in exchange for new blood and energy. That said, I've come to the conclusion that I like the Iowa way and like what we have, and that culture completely goes with the staff when that happens.

Therefore I agree with hiring from within. It may not be a breath of fresh air so to speak, but may revitalize the program. We can still run things like we always have with the exception of a rejuvenation rather than an overhaul. There's no denying that our current staff knows how to coach, and there's a general consensus that KF's philosophy has been holding us back offensively. I say we hire from within, keep the staff on board that wants to stay, and since the KF coaching tree doesn't exactly branch off there's a great chance that those brought in to fill the voids will be from outside the program and I'm ok with it.

As Fry pointed out, were not one of those teams that are consistently fighting for a playoff spot. So what would it hurt keeping the Iowa culture and branding the same and simply letting those coaches on staff open things up a little more. Let Lester (or whoever is OC if he's promoted) take more chances. Let Parker (or whoever takes his place) maintain what we've become accustomed to on the defensive side of the ball.

We've feared it for years and there's major concerns that going with the next big thing, a sure fire hit, or a coach that simply was in the wrong environment could absolutely destroy us and send us into the ranks of the Nebraska's out there that are absolutely dumpster fires and a mediocre shitshow spiraling downward or going absolutely nowhere, so why do it. I think hiring from within and keeping what we have in place with some modifications down the road is exactly what we need.

Certainly want a guy, despite NIL and the transfer portal, that understands Iowa is developmental program. The fan base and the administration will give you the runway to have 8-4/7-5 seasons if you can occasionally produce double digit win seasons.

30-50% of your roster will be Iowa kids in any given year, so you have to nail the in-state recruiting. It is harder than ever now that Iowa St. has a viable football program. They have a 44 year- old coach that has cracked the code on being a P4 school in a small population state. The next Iowa hire has to have an understanding of all this.

 

[#1DieHardHawk]

I posted a similar thread previously due to a gut feeling that this season will be Kirk's final one.

If true, I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, watching him step down will be a melancholic day. On the other, it will be a feeling that he is making the appropriate decision. A good analogy is watching an aging parent or grandparent decide that it's time to turn in their car keys. . .

As far as a replacement, I totally get the sentiment when it comes to Wallace. In fairness, however, we need to hold Fitzgerald to the same bar. If the prior allegations are true - and he was culpable - it's not that dissimilar to what we find so vile about Wallace's behavior:

Former NU football player details hazing allegations

Content warning: This article contains mention of hazing, sexual assault and suicidal ideation. A former Northwestern University football player told The Daily some of the hazing conduct investigated by the university involved coerced sexual acts. A second player confirmed these details. The...

dailynorthwestern.com

 

[HawkIowa44]

Is Woods a rah-rah guy? A lot of times the assistants take on the personality and demeanor of the head coaches they work for. Since I've never been around them during practice or in meetings, what kind of guy could Woods be as a head coach? Same thing for Lester or Wallace? We already know the type of coach Pat Fitz is.

 

[Fryowa]

I posted a similar thread previously due to a gut feeling that this season will be Kirk's final one.

If true, I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, watching him step down will be a melancholic day. On the other, it will be a feeling that he is making the appropriate decision. A good analogy is watching an aging parent or grandparent decide that it's time to turn in their car keys. . .

As far as a replacement, I totally get the sentiment when it comes to Wallace. In fairness, however, we need to hold Fitzgerald to the same bar. If the prior allegations are true - and he was culpable - it's not that dissimilar to what we find so vile about Wallace's behavior:

Former NU football player details hazing allegations

Content warning: This article contains mention of hazing, sexual assault and suicidal ideation. A former Northwestern University football player told The Daily some of the hazing conduct investigated by the university involved coerced sexual acts. A second player confirmed these details. The...

dailynorthwestern.com

I don’t know if Fat Pitzgerald knew about the hazing out not.

What I do know is Seth Wallace directly abused a player himself over a long period of time and many different instances. As in, he actually did the abusing. To a player. Himself.

Mind you he never once denied it or tried to contradict it. He never fought back against what was being alleged. Because he knew he couldn’t. If he did, he’d have to deny it in a court room and then perjure himself when there was overwhelming proof from witnesses. Witnesses I personally heard—directly from a player’s mouth—had told JK they would testify on his behalf if it came to that.

Seth Wallace owes his career, and all of his money, and his kids’ inheritance to one Jack Kallenberger. Because on the GPA posting stunt alone he could’ve made sure Wallace would never have gotten so much as a volunteer middle school coaching job again in his life.

He never denied it because it was true and he knew he did it.

 

[DrKnipe]

That's what I don't understand. Fry had cancer so that was a little bit different situation, but no matter the reason he saw that he couldn't keep up with the race and he did what needed to be done for the good of the program.

Maybe KF sees it too and will step away after the season, who knows. Either way it's time. And none of that would take away from what Ferentz continued after Fry. If you look at the list of teams who've sustained the winning percentage of Iowa over the past 45 years Iowa is the one school that shouldn't belong there and that's unbelievable.

In the grand scheme of things maybe none of it matters because college football in 2025 is about trying to manage a roster in a league with no salary caps and even if Iowa hired Kirby Smart there isn't enough money here to win the B1G or make the playoffs. So at the end of the day this is about trying to make the Holiday Bowl instead of the Cheez-Its Bowl if we're being honest. But it could also be the difference between that and becoming the next Northwestern which ain't good.

Last paragraph said it perfectly!

 

[Northside Hawk]

I think Norm, Phil, and Reese were 95% of his success here to be honest.

And Bielema early on, with his recruiting connections to Florida

 

[#1DieHardHawk]

I don’t know if Fat Pitzgerald knew about the hazing out not.

What I do know is Seth Wallace directly abused a player himself over a long period of time and many different instances. As in, he actually did the abusing. To a player. Himself.

Mind you he never once denied it or tried to contradict it. He never fought back against what was being alleged. Because he knew he couldn’t. If he did, he’d have to deny it in a court room and then perjure himself when there was overwhelming proof from witnesses. Witnesses I personally heard—directly from a player’s mouth—had told JK they would testify on his behalf if it came to that.

Seth Wallace owes his career, and all of his money, and his kids’ inheritance to one Jack Kallenberger. Because on the GPA posting stunt alone he could’ve made sure Wallace would never have gotten so much as a volunteer middle school coaching job again in his life.

He never denied it because it was true and he knew he did it.

I completely agree with you about Wallace, but if a head coach was aware of frankly sickening traditions within the program that occurred "for years," and tacitly condoned it, he is just as culpable whether he "directly" was involved or not.

Paterno knew about the rapes being perpetrated by his assistant coach, but never directly participated, but that in no way gives him any kind of pass.

Excerpt from the article from one of the NW players:

" . . . team members allegedly identified players for “running” by clapping their hands above their heads around that player. The practice, the player said, was known within the team as “the Shrek clap.”

The Daily obtained a video of a player clapping his hands during a game, which the anonymous player said was the same motion taken to signify “running.”

According to the player who spoke with The Daily, Fitzgerald repeatedly made the signal during practices when players, specifically freshmen, made a mistake.

The player believes some players interpreted Fitzgerald making these signals as knowingly “encouraging” the hazing to continue.

'Everyone would just be looking at each other and be like ‘bro, Fitz knows about this,’ because you wouldn’t take that action otherwise,” the player said. “Everyone joins in, because he’s the head coach.'"

There is no video or audio directly implicating Fitz, but there wasn't for Paterno either. If I'm calling the hiring shots within the Iowa program, I would take both Wallace and Fitz off my short list.

 

[rschneider]

Remember this, folks who want a fresh new face and staff...

Scott Frost, Mike Riley, Luke Fickell, and Les Miles said all the right things and had the grandest of plans when they got hired. What they all did was sold lemons to unsuspecting and uneducated administrations and fans who drank every drop of Kool Aid they poured.

There's 10,000 of those fast Eddies for every one success. Careful who you wish for.

Thinking a defensive minded coach might be best for Iowa still.

 

[NCHawker]

We get accustomed to things

The idea that coaches are talking about MG is finding himself, footwork and embracing the deep ball —- for a guy who’s played this many games tells me they fouled up the evaluation. A $2mm QB should be plug and play at a high level seems to me

 

[BigD]

all we have to fear is fear itself - Search Videos

www.bing.com

 

[Fryowa]

We get accustomed to things

The idea that coaches are talking about MG is finding himself, footwork and embracing the deep ball —- for a guy who’s played this many games tells me they fouled up the evaluation. A $2mm QB should be plug and play at a high level seems to me

I have a different view on that. I think almost any QB who played at the FCS level is going to take half a season at the FBS level to adjust to the speed. That tells me they misread his ability to do that. I think MG is a big Ten level QB, but they shouldn’t have spent that money on a guy with just one season left to play.

 

[SCHawkeye2]

As a 50 year Iowan, I have observed that many Iowans tend to feel changing coaches, governors, senators, etc. every 25 years is reckless and hasty.

 

[Fryowa]

As a 50 year Iowan, I have observed that many Iowans feel changing coaches, governors, senators, etc. every 25 years is reckless and hasty.

In those 50 years our coaches have performed infinitely better than either of the other two groups you mentioned

 

[NCHawker]

I have a different view on that. I think almost any QB who played at the FCS level is going to take half a season at the FBS level to adjust to the speed. That tells me they misread his ability to do that. I think MG is a big Ten level QB, but they shouldn’t have spent that money on a guy with just one season left to play.

True and at the same time, I expected a lot more from this QB and i'm pretty sure the coaches did too. I hope he heals and continues to improve.

 

[dagdaj]

I mean, I think it's been time for awhile.
That being said, finding an alternative was a crapshoot and I'm happy we didn't roll the dice.

In fact, I'm now more glad than ever that he held on and navigated through this massive upheaval of change. Now, when the time comes for change, it will be hiring someone for this new business of college football where the rules and rhythms are much more clear. Nobody will have to learn on the fly and they can hire someone who they think has a handle on the way it is now. I don't mean "how it's played on the field". I mean the business of it. I still believe on the field that the Kirkball still has a place on the college football field...but that's for another day. I mean, as the stats data posted the other day shows, Kirk did used to throw the ball.

And, for the record, I think Kirk has done a fantastic job adapting to the business of football. It hasn't necessarily worked out with a variety of the quarterbacks we've seen. He's the captain of the ship so he gets...and deserves the blame. But he's certainly played the game I would have, in terms of transfers, etc. Unfortunately for Kirk, hindsight's a b$tch. Also unfortunately, you can say that repeated failure is a sign of something else that's wrong.

I just want him to go out gracefully. And I hope he does too. If he thinks he's still got it in him? I could maybe ride a bit more. But, I agree with the intent of Fry's (our Fry, not THE Fry) original sentiment. I wanna see some fire. SHOW ME you got it in you. This isn't the time for metered and even keel Kirk. This is the time for some fire. Or, at least, some genuine emotion.