Brian is the least of the problems on offense

[HawkGold]

Kirk is only the God you make him out to be when the Hawkeyes are winning, this power is getting weaker and weaker the longer he keeps letting this crap go and Iowa becomes more and more of an embarrassment. The only reason why Barta can't fire KF is because he has a $42 million buyout, a contract that BARTA negotiated for KF. At the end of the day Barta is still the athletic director and KF still reports to him.

No way there isn't quite a story behind this. Neither option smells right. To think KF has that much power legally? No. To think that Barta hasn't moved yet (even years ago)? Something is amiss and we are the suckers.

Dirty laundry behind the scenes at major universities is pretty smelly. Watch it play out.

 

[HawkGold]

A couple of questions. Please name the O linemen who have transferred. How do you interpret the steady increase in recruiting rankings for Iowa
over the past 3 or 4 years? What improvements in NIL do you believe would help?
I have read numerous comments demanding that we “modernize” our offense. I would enjoy some specifics on what that means.
I am as upset as anyone with the poor offensive play. Changes need to be made, quickly. Staff members need to be let go.

About transfers? It's in here if you care to listen.

Improvements in NIL? Ask Charlie Jones. Ryan Day

NIL has changed college landscape, but maybe not as much as you think from Iowa's perspective - Hawk Fanatic

By Pat Harty IOWA CITY, Iowa – There is a price to pay for being a traditional power in college football and Ohio State coach Ryan Day recently shared what he believes it’ll take in NIL money on an annual basis to keep fueling the Buckeye talent machine. That price: $13 million. Day and Ohio […]

hawkfanatic.com

Modernizing means not playing to minimize risks. Being not predictable. I think you were around during 3 yards and a cloud of dust.

You are a smartass.

 

[Fryowa]

Kirk is only the God you make him out to be when the Hawkeyes are winning, this power is getting weaker and weaker the longer he keeps letting this crap go and Iowa becomes more and more of an embarrassment. The only reason why Barta can't fire KF is because he has a $42 million buyout, a contract that BARTA negotiated for KF. At the end of the day Barta is still the athletic director and KF still reports to him.

Do you have anything telling you his power is getting weaker?

Barta works for Ferentz. Your head is in the sand if you think otherwise. KF negotiated that contract for himself.

You don’t have to believe me, a whole lot of people with very credible connections to the program have said so publicly. Again, Gary Barta has no power over anything going on with the program. Kirk and his donor base do. Until you can find some evidence of the boosters starting to turn against him there won’t be any changes. It may well happen at some point…but it’s not happening yet.

 

[ssckelley]

No way there isn't quite a story behind this. Neither option smells right. To think KF has that much power legally? No. To think that Barta hasn't moved yet (even years ago)? Something is amiss and we are the suckers.

Dirty laundry behind the scenes at major universities is pretty smelly. Watch it play out.

I agree, but who knows if that book ever gets written. I get the balance of powers that exists between a head coach of a football program that basically funds the rest of the athletic department and the power of the person that is the athletic director. That power is built upon winning and happy donors, that power goes away when the program starts losing or becomes an embarrassment, right now both are happening at Iowa.

The timing of that last extension was very much a head scratcher, the football program was just coming out of its darkest moments since before Hayden Fry era and it really hasn't completely came out of it yet. If it ever gets to a point where KF would get fired you can bet your ass Barta would be sent packing right along with him if not prior.

 

[Fryowa]

No way there isn't quite a story behind this. Neither option smells right. To think KF has that much power legally? No. To think that Barta hasn't moved yet (even years ago)? Something is amiss and we are the suckers.

Dirty laundry behind the scenes at major universities is pretty smelly. Watch it play out.

It’s no different than any other “organization.”

The power lies with the money behind the scenes, regardless of some stupid job title or who’s doing the public handshaking and contract signing (Farta).

I actually kind of think it’d be nice to be oblivious to it. Some people here are so fucking ignorant to the way reality works with these huge sports programs it’s hilarious.

I guess it would be easier to just think that Gary Farta is the boss and could fire coaches. That’d make it simpler and less frustrating probably

 

[Fryowa]

That power is built upon winning and happy donors, that power goes away when the program starts losing or becomes an embarrassment, right now both are happening at Iowa.

Hate to tell you this, but Kirk has been here so long and is so entrenched with his donors that they aren’t going to turn on him. It’s going to take a LOT more than what’s going on.

 

[Fryowa]

Did any of you folks who think Barta can do some firing hear what he said after Kirk got nailed in the press conference? He did nothing but repeat Kirks babble and stick up for him. He has to.

You noticed (hopefully) that his tone was completely different than Trev Albert’s at the end of the Frost era when he was getting pressure from pissed off donors. Donors that eventually paid for the buyout.

If kirks booster pool was getting even a little warm you could bet you’d start hearing different commentary from the court jester Barta. Kirk is in office solidly.

 

[ssckelley]

Do you have anything telling you his power is getting weaker?

It's called common sense. When donors are happy they possess all the power, when they aren't that power shifts to the person that can fire the HC, and that person as of right now is Barta. My guess is in this case if this were to ever happen Barta would get sent packing right along with KF.

Just to be clear I'm not saying Iowa is anywhere close to firing KF, again, they can't as there is this huge $42 million buyout that the donors are not anywhere near pissed off enough to pay for. Besides, someone of KF success and stature does get a much longer leash.

 

[NCHawker]

I personally think the entire coaching staff needs a shake-up… but:
1. How would the best OC in the country find a way to move the ball with this offense? Easy it would never come to this. He would have managed the roster better in the first place. .

We don’t have a decent QB The QB isn't great but an average OLine would make the QB serviceable.

3. OL is the worst in school history Agreed

4. WRs can’t get separation, get open and there is no deep threat. You are correct again.
Basically, Josh Allen himself would struggle to make plays with this offense.

If Iowa doesn’t fit the transfer porthole for a QB, 2-3 OL and 2 deep threat WRs. Next season will be the same if not worse..

 

[ssckelley]

Hate to tell you this, but Kirk has been here so long and is so entrenched with his donors that they aren’t going to turn on him. It’s going to take a LOT more than what’s going on.

Ah yes, because you know someone who knows someone. Got it!

 

[ssckelley]

Did any of you folks who think Barta can do some firing hear what he said after Kirk got nailed in the press conference? He did nothing but repeat Kirks babble and stick up for him. He has to.

You noticed (hopefully) that his tone was completely different than Trev Albert’s at the end of the Frost era when he was getting pressure from pissed off donors. Donors that eventually paid for the buyout.

If kirks booster pool was getting even a little warm you could bet you’d start hearing different commentary from the court jester Barta. Kirk is in office solidly.

So you fully recognize this power donors have...then why in the hell do you keep arguing with me???? It's the exact same thing I'm saying over and over.

 

[Fryowa]

Ah yes, because you know someone who knows someone. Got it!

You don’t have to believe me. I’m cool with it.

 

[Ben Rumson]

Gary Barta is in charge of sports not named Football. He quite literally has no power over Kirk or Brian. He's Brian's boss on paper to get around the technicality of Iowa's nepotism rules, but if you think he has the ability to fire him you're outta your mind.

If Barta walked into Brian's office today and told him he was fired, not only would Brian not get fired, Barta would get a one-way bus ticket out of town. Kirk runs the show.

THAT!

 

[Fryowa]

N

So you fully recognize this power donors have...then why in the hell do you keep arguing with me???? It's the exact same thing I'm saying over and over.

No you mentioned Barta as if he’s some sort of player in this whole thing.

People need to get over the notion that ADs at major P5 football programs are in charge or have authority over the programs. They work directly for the boosters. golf, baseball, tennis, T&F, rowing...yeah...they administrate that stuff. But when it comes to these huge football programs that pay for every other sport to exist, they work for boosters no matter what their job title or description. Just because an AD comes to the podium and says he hired or fired someone in the football program doesn't mean he/she did. Those decisions are made for them by the coaches and people writing gigantic checks.

 

[ssckelley]

N

No you mentioned Barta as if he’s some sort of player in this whole thing.

People need to get over the notion that ADs at major P5 football programs are in charge or have authority over the programs. They work directly for the boosters. golf, baseball, tennis, T&F, rowing...yeah...they administrate that stuff. But when it comes to these huge football programs that pay for every other sport to exist, they work for boosters no matter what their job title or description. Just because an AD comes to the podium and says he hired or fired someone in the football program doesn't mean he/she did. Those decisions are made for them by the coaches and people writing gigantic checks.

Let me break this down for you, here are the power rankings:

When football team is winning:
1. Donors
2. Head Coach
3. Athletic Director

When football team is losing:
1. Donors
2. Athletic Director
3. Head Coach

Donors have the most power no matter what and this is pretty much the same at any school in P5 as it's not unique to Iowa. If the football team is winning the HC has power over the AD, the only exception is if something happens within the football program that gives the school a blackeye and typically that's when the President of the university steps in and/or the board of regents (assuming it's a public institution). An extreme example of this is what happened at PSU and even then we seen the power Paterno had.

That power your friend described to you is very real but it's completely reliant on the team continuing to win. That power he said KF had is fading and it will continue to fade when they continue to be an embarrassment. If KF wanted another extension right now do you really think he can demand one of Barta and/or the donors? Right now the Iowa football program is being talked about in a negative light on a national level if you seriously don't believe KF's power has been tarnished then you clearly do not understand how this works.

It's all about keeping the big donors happy.

 

[echo44]

What gets me is the total lack of accountability. In Kirk's post press game conference all he talks about is we need to get back to work Monday and correct the problems etc. He says this after every loss. There is no one taking ownership. When Iowa beat Michigan State in Basketball last year Tom Izzo stated at the press conference. "I take complete ownership for this loss, Iowa is a great team yet the blame for this loss is on me, I need to prepare my team better" I would feel a lot better if Kirk owned up and said something like " this type of performance from Iowa is unacceptable. We need to reflect back and see what needs to change. The buck stops here I am ultimately responsible, I can guarantee you changes will be made as loosing is unacceptable"

 

[Fryowa]

Let me break this down for you, here are the power rankings:

…

When football team is losing:
1. Donors
2. Athletic Director
3. Head Coach

You can break it down however you want to fit your narrative…that ain’t how it works at Iowa. Donors and Kirk might as well be considered one entity. They’ve supported him through literally every bump in the road for the last 24 years and it ain’t stopping.

Farta has no power whatsoever. Believe what you want.

 

[SCHawkeye2]

A couple of questions. Please name the O linemen who have transferred.

Fenske - transferred
Miller - transferred
Jenkins - left program / entered portal
We brought in Cronk in 2020 (one season)

We also lost:
Ince - retired
Kallenberg - retired
Davidkov - retired ?
Britt - injured

Please tell me if I missed someone we brought in from the portal to replace these guys in the last two years.

 

[HuckFinn]

Fenske - transferred
Miller - transferred
Jenkins - left program / entered portal
We brought in Cronk in 2020 (one season)

We also lost:
Ince - retired
Kallenberg - retired
Davidkov - retired ?
Britt - injured

Please tell me if I missed someone we brought in from the portal to replace these guys in the last two years.

I am unaware of transfers to Iowa except for a TE from an FCS program, and Cronk. I think Davidkof will return from an injury next season. The retired guys you mention would certainly have helped. Did those other guys transfer due to low positions on the depth chart? I think that was the reason. I am encouraged that we have commitments from 5 O linemen. I don’t speculate about players ending their commitments. I am in complete agreement that we need to be aggressive in the portal. I am hopeful that with 1 freshman and 4 or 5 sophs playing lots of snaps on O this year that experience and maturity will pay dividends.

 

[SCHawkeye2]

I am unaware of transfers to Iowa except for a TE from an FCS program, and Cronk. I think Davidkof will return from an injury next season. The retired guys you mention would certainly have helped. Did those other guys transfer due to low positions on the depth chart? I think that was the reason. I am encouraged that we have commitments from 5 O linemen. I don’t speculate about players ending their commitments. I am in complete agreement that we need to be aggressive in the portal. I am hopeful that with 1 freshman and 4 or 5 sophs playing lots of snaps on O this year that experience and maturity will pay dividends.

For the record, we had similar attrition and no remediation at WR (another weak spot on this team).
Last year we lost:

Mathews (October 2021)
Hutson (November 2021)
Tracy (December 2021)
Jones (May 2022)

Injuries to Johnson, Vines, etc. have compounded the problem.

I understand players will leave for a variety of reasons. What I dont understand is why, as with the OL, we did nothing in the portal to address the predictable WR problem.