Since Iowa is a developmental program...

[trj]

Let Brian Ferentz go get a head job at a non-P5 program and make his mistakes there. If Brian Ferentz proves his mettle, Coach Parker would be ready to retire right around when Brian starts hitting his stride.

You could argue that if he is REALLY good, you might have a bidding war on your hands against blue-blood programs. But I would think the family history would give us a huge leg up in such a war.

And if he proves to not be that good of a head coach, you dodged a bullet. And let's be honest, what are the odds that the best possible person for the job just happens to be in the same family as the current coach? Seems unlikely, I would like to see it proven before trusting that route.

http://freakonomics.com/2011/08/05/...next-generation-whats-the-key-thing-to-avoid/

Or maybe Phil is Iowa’ s version of Bud Foster or better yet his mentor Norm. Btw, there is nothing wrong with being content with where you are at.

 

[BigD]

20 years man, why do you still pay such close attention if that is your thinking???????????

Because I am hoping that one day it will all come together and all the patience and devotion are rewarded with a championship game. Just getting to the game would be awesome. Yes I am getting weary. Twenty years and we almost got to the playoffs in 2015. It was fun going undefeated and having my SEC fans chatting it up with me when I lived in Atlanta.

The reality of KF football is that it will be pretty solid football and we will upset a good team here and there. When you see that you think maybe they can do that for a whole season. That gives you hope that maybe this will be the year. Another contributing factor is when your children become fans because dad is a fan. They then become fans along side of you every Saturday as you cheer for your team. It becomes a family thing. We were at the capital one bowl game on that miraculous catch that won the game.

Now just because I am a fan doesn’t mean I am not going to want to win Big one day. It gets awe full discouraging year after year to fall short of winning a National Championship. So you digress a little and just hope for a conference championship. We are now at a point where just winning a divisional title seems like asking a lot. Wisconsin a team we owned under Fry has taken control of the division for the most part. Northwestern a perennial cellar dweller for DECADES is now about caught up to our program.

Most schools have a desire to win conference division, titles, and championships. They will give a new coach a chance to build a winner. If they fail a new coach is hired and he is given a chance. Not at Iowa though and yes it’s extremely frustrating. Kirk seems to be a good man and a good coach. His teams are solid and competitive enough to once in a while win a division, but it’s extremely rare for him to win a conference title. The last time he did it was in 2004.

So why follow a team that is a traditionally a middle of the road team. Family tradition and loyalty to the tradition. I hope that answers your question. We cheer for them every game win or lose we come back the next week and cheer again and hope for the best. I think that’s pretty common among most sports fans. It took many years for my Bears to do it in 1985. That’s thirty-five years ago but I relish the memory. The same with the Cubs. Been waiting for lightening in a Hawkeye bottle since 1966. That’s fifty-four years now. I think I’ve earned the right to gripe a little. New facilities, highly paid coaches, and a loyal fan base dictates we are due for Hawkeye lighting in a bottle. After twenty-one years with one coach I think it’s fair to say we might want to look for a new bottle.

 

[Ree4]

Because I am hoping that one day it will all come together and all the patience and devotion are rewarded with a championship game. Just getting to the game would be awesome. Yes I am getting weary. Twenty years and we almost got to the playoffs in 2015. It was fun going undefeated and having my SEC fans chatting it up with me when I lived in Atlanta.

The reality of KF football is that it will be pretty solid football and we will upset a good team here and there. When you see that you think maybe they can do that for a whole season. That gives you hope that maybe this will be the year. Another contributing factor is when your children become fans because dad is a fan. They then become fans along side of you every Saturday as you cheer for your team. It becomes a family thing. We were at the capital one bowl game on that miraculous catch that won the game.

Now just because I am a fan doesn’t mean I am not going to want to win Big one day. It gets awe full discouraging year after year to fall short of winning a National Championship. So you digress a little and just hope for a conference championship. We are now at a point where just winning a divisional title seems like asking a lot. Wisconsin a team we owned under Fry has taken control of the division for the most part. Northwestern a perennial cellar dweller for DECADES is now about caught up to our program.

Most schools have a desire to win conference division, titles, and championships. They will give a new coach a chance to build a winner. If they fail a new coach is hired and he is given a chance. Not at Iowa though and yes it’s extremely frustrating. Kirk seems to be a good man and a good coach. His teams are solid and competitive enough to once in a while win a division, but it’s extremely rare for him to win a conference title. The last time he did it was in 2004.

So why follow a team that is a traditionally a middle of the road team. Family tradition and loyalty to the tradition. I hope that answers your question. We cheer for them every game win or lose we come back the next week and cheer again and hope for the best. I think that’s pretty common among most sports fans. It took many years for my Bears to do it in 1985. That’s thirty-five years ago but I relish the memory. The same with the Cubs. Been waiting for lightening in a Hawkeye bottle since 1966. That’s fifty-four years now. I think I’ve earned the right to gripe a little. New facilities, highly paid coaches, and a loyal fan base dictates we are due for Hawkeye lighting in a bottle. After twenty-one years with one coach I think it’s fair to say we might want to look for a new bottle.

The list of teams that have won a Big 10 Title since 2004 is very small. Even Michigan isn't on that list. I'd like to win titles too but it's no easy feat. I always feel that we have a puncher's chance, but I'd be much more upset if I was a Michigan fan.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

WHY NOT DEVELOP Brian Ferentz into the next Head Coach as the path he has been following is pointing that direction? He has been progressing up the food chain under good mentors and looks to have great attributes to be the next HC. Is he ready now? NO, but each passing year he is getting more prepared to be so. Too bad if he happens to be the coaches son. I'd much rather have someone born and bred a Hawkeye be groomed for the position than roll the dice with outside blood coming in and changing the entire culture the program has had for 40 years. I don't know of another "Bob Stoops" out there to go after and we are not hiring a big name coach away from anyone else.

Where ya been the last 8 years? I think we all pretty much know that is what happening.

You're pointing out the obvious, dude! What more can they do to develop?

 

[westender]

No coaches want the “dancing and hand holding” they like the $5 million paycheck though.

Phil is comfortable with his income, LOL. Sure he has a tidy savings which will get him by.

 

[uihawk82]

Phil is comfortable with his income, LOL. Sure he has a tidy savings which will get him by.

Phil is making like $600,000 a year now or for the last few years or maybe even more. My gawd he was pulling in close to six figures when he came to Iowa.

Phil has made way more money in his 20 years at Iowa than the majority of americans make in 45-50 years. Phil is a defensive guru and maybe wants no part of giving that up and having to work with the offense.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

I do not want the reins/head coaching job 'handed' to Brian F., period unless he has proven himself for about 5 years as a head coach somewhere else in D1 or D1-AA, using the old names of playing level. Heck even Phil Parker would be an experiment jumping to head coaching the hawks so not sure about that being the hire.

Bob Cummings was a high school coach, yes he was a hawk, he coached really big time high school football, yes he had some decent hawk teams and almost had a winning season but he didnt.

Heck, Ray Nagle had been a head coach and won a WAC conference title at Utah and he had success at Iowa with two 5-5 records which was pretty good back then and the black player boycott really doomed one of his better teams.

Hayden Fry had success at both SMU and North Texas before coming to Iowa. He proved his head coaching chops twice before totally TOTALLY turning around Iowa's fortunes on the gridiron.

Kirk Ferentz took the leap to get his head coaching experience at Maine and it was a big important step for KF. Huge for his getting hired at Iowa after also getting great experience around some great NFL coaches.

Main point, Iowa is a great place to be a head coach and we might be surprised how many top coaching candidates with prior head coaching experience would want to come to Iowa.

You left out FX Lauterbuhr. The guy was money his last several years at Toledo, something like 37-4-1. Didn't turn out so well for him/staff in Iowa City.

 

[SomersHawk]

Where ya been the last 8 years? I think we all pretty much know that is what happening.

You're pointing out the obvious, dude! What more can they do to develop?

actually I was just trying to stir up some activity on here and looks like it has. Thought I'd see if there was ANY support out there for BF as the next HC as it does look like he is being groomed for the position. Not seeing any. Also not seeing Kirk stepping aside anytime soon and in that amount of time BF may very well develop into a pretty dam good OC when he finally does. If he has the offense up to a similar level of Phil's defense which would mean ruling the West and more, then is the only other reason we don't like his last name at that point? Personally if it goes down that way I'd be happy as crap to promote him and I think he'd be near the top of the list for a lot of people. And if it doesn't then there is no good reason to. But I for ONE sure don't want to see him not improve every year and overall fail as an OC. Because like his name or not he ain't going anywhere anytime soon (because of his name) so we certainly want him to be successful. Phil who deservedly has everyones blessing ALSO DEVELOPED into the coach he is today, but like others I'm not feeling he has his sights set on a head gig.

 

[guffus]

I would lay money on the fact he does not want it. I think Phil just likes to coach and not the fancy dancing and hand holding that goes with the top job.

I would lay money that if Phil was offered the head coaching job at Iowa, he would take the job.

 

[BVHawk95]

Barring disaster, BF is Iowa's next HC. Book it.

As for those who say he needs to cut his teeth somewhere else, I totally get that, and in a perfect world that's how it works out.

But if we know he's the end goal anyways, why pussyfoot around about it? We could do equal or worse damage to the program by bringing in someone else who may not understand Iowa football as a guy who was literally raised in it.

I'm not saying BF needs to be given the job ASAP, but he's at the very least on the right track.

 

[guffus]

BF is not ready yet.

Maybe KF, Parker and Barta can work out a deal.

KF will endorse Parker as the next head coach, with the understanding that BF will be designated the head coach in waiting after Parker leaves.

 

[uihawk82]

You left out FX Lauterbuhr. The guy was money his last several years at Toledo, something like 37-4-1. Didn't turn out so well for him/staff in Iowa City.

Oh yes, the Lauterbuhr years were perhaps the lowest point in Iowa football history. You can never know how the hire will turn out but I still think it is important to hire someone at Iowa with past head coaching experience so the search committee can find out how that coach handled both the good and the adversity, how the recruit, handle the spotlight, etc.

 

[peerok]

Oh yes, the Lauterbuhr years were perhaps the lowest point in Iowa football history. You can never know how the hire will turn out but I still think it is important to hire someone at Iowa with past head coaching experience so the search committee can find out how that coach handled both the good and the adversity, how the recruit, handle the spotlight, etc.

So you would have been opposed to Bob Stoops being hired when Hayden retired?

 

[uihawk82]

So you would have been opposed to Bob Stoops being hired when Hayden retired?

Not opposed as maybe 4 out of Hayden's last 5 years were so-so to bad and there was a rebuilding job to do. But maybe that is when you go after someone with head coaching experience who has rebuilt a program. Stoops had cache coaching on National Champ squads and at Okla Stoops sure had an easier time recruiting better players. We dont know how Stoops would have done at Iowa under that same circumstances as KF

KF proved his abilities through 2009 and half of 2010 but he has definitely leveled off and I have been pretty critical at times.

Personally, I think with Stoops being an ex Iowa player who is more aggressive than KF during games and maybe more aggressive in recruiting that Stoops would have been the better hire but that is all hindsight. I think Stoops more so has the killer instinct that KF sometimes seems to lack. When KF was hired and they lost out on Stoops, I actually said to myself "Kirk who" forgetting he coached here.

The program could be in really good shape when when KF retires as opposed to Hayden's last year. and with the money Iowa has the AD, UI Pres, and Regents should get the best candidate and I think some really proven head coaches at mid-tier P5 conference teams who love to coach at Iowa as a long term job (think the youngest Stoops brother at Kentucky iirc). We will have to see if Brian Ferentz applies and if he is the best candidate.

 

[BILLYBOBSTEXAS]

Will Brian be ready to take over when Kirk retires? Who knows. I remember when Bobby Bowden retired, he had son(s) ready to be head coaches. It did not go so well...................

 

[Ree4]

actually I was just trying to stir up some activity on here and looks like it has. Thought I'd see if there was ANY support out there for BF as the next HC as it does look like he is being groomed for the position. Not seeing any. Also not seeing Kirk stepping aside anytime soon and in that amount of time BF may very well develop into a pretty dam good OC when he finally does. If he has the offense up to a similar level of Phil's defense which would mean ruling the West and more, then is the only other reason we don't like his last name at that point? Personally if it goes down that way I'd be happy as crap to promote him and I think he'd be near the top of the list for a lot of people. And if it doesn't then there is no good reason to. But I for ONE sure don't want to see him not improve every year and overall fail as an OC. Because like his name or not he ain't going anywhere anytime soon (because of his name) so we certainly want him to be successful. Phil who deservedly has everyones blessing ALSO DEVELOPED into the coach he is today, but like others I'm not feeling he has his sights set on a head gig.

Everybody I talk to IRL has a lot of support for BF as OC, contrary to popular belief here. As for head coach? At this point he's done nothing to warrant consideration IMO. It's too early. Ask me 5-10 years from now and I would probably support him, but you're projecting years out into the future, Who knows how good Brian will turn out, I think he's a great advocate for the University, young, passionate, a smart football mind, connects well with younger crowd. If he continues to develop I'm betting he'd be a pretty good head coach.

 

[Ree4]

Barring disaster, BF is Iowa's next HC. Book it.

As for those who say he needs to cut his teeth somewhere else, I totally get that, and in a perfect world that's how it works out.

But if we know he's the end goal anyways, why pussyfoot around about it? We could do equal or worse damage to the program by bringing in someone else who may not understand Iowa football as a guy who was literally raised in it.

I'm not saying BF needs to be given the job ASAP, but he's at the very least on the right track.

Yeah continuity also means a lot, if Kirk steps down in 5 years and somebody else gets the job, what happens to all of the staff currently in place, if it isn't a current coach of ours, we'd lose Parker, Doyle, Copeland - all the good coaches that we currently have would likely be replaced. Is that good? I'd argue it wouldn't be.

 

[MoseSchrute]

Not opposed as maybe 4 out of Hayden's last 5 years were so-so to bad and there was a rebuilding job to do. But maybe that is when you go after someone with head coaching experience who has rebuilt a program. Stoops had cache coaching on National Champ squads and at Okla Stoops sure had an easier time recruiting better players. We dont know how Stoops would have done at Iowa under that same circumstances as KF

KF proved his abilities through 2009 and half of 2010 but he has definitely leveled off and I have been pretty critical at times.

Personally, I think with Stoops being an ex Iowa player who is more aggressive than KF during games and maybe more aggressive in recruiting that Stoops would have been the better hire but that is all hindsight. I think Stoops more so has the killer instinct that KF sometimes seems to lack. When KF was hired and they lost out on Stoops, I actually said to myself "Kirk who" forgetting he coached here.

The program could be in really good shape when when KF retires as opposed to Hayden's last year. and with the money Iowa has the AD, UI Pres, and Regents should get the best candidate and I think some really proven head coaches at mid-tier P5 conference teams who love to coach at Iowa as a long term job (think the youngest Stoops brother at Kentucky iirc). We will have to see if Brian Ferentz applies and if he is the best candidate.

I read that Barry Alvarez advised Stoops to take the OK job because it was better, and Stoops admitted that although he loves Iowa, he was probably going to take the OK job anyway. I'd never heard that before, and I realized I can just kick all those what if's out of my head.

 

[uihawk82]

I read that Barry Alvarez advised Stoops to take the OK job because it was better, and Stoops admitted that although he loves Iowa, he was probably going to take the OK job anyway. I'd never heard that before, and I realized I can just kick all those what if's out of my head.

Interesting. And yes the OU job is a better job because there are fewer blue blood programs in the old Big 8 now the Big 12. When Stoops took over Okie St was not that great and they only had to contend with Nebraska, K-State off and on, and then Texas. OU has more history than Iowa, not that Iowa is any slouch in football prowess.

I remember the story as Stoops would have taken the Iowa job but the search committee didnt offer it to him right away after interviewing him. Then OU got involved with Stoops and you know shit or get off the pot Iowa search committee.

Hey we have an above avg head coach who is locked into Iowa and he runs what seems to be a clean program. We did ok.

 

[HawkGold]

Not opposed as maybe 4 out of Hayden's last 5 years were so-so to bad and there was a rebuilding job to do. But maybe that is when you go after someone with head coaching experience who has rebuilt a program. Stoops had cache coaching on National Champ squads and at Okla Stoops sure had an easier time recruiting better players. We dont know how Stoops would have done at Iowa under that same circumstances as KF

KF proved his abilities through 2009 and half of 2010 but he has definitely leveled off and I have been pretty critical at times.

Personally, I think with Stoops being an ex Iowa player who is more aggressive than KF during games and maybe more aggressive in recruiting that Stoops would have been the better hire but that is all hindsight. I think Stoops more so has the killer instinct that KF sometimes seems to lack. When KF was hired and they lost out on Stoops, I actually said to myself "Kirk who" forgetting he coached here.

The program could be in really good shape when when KF retires as opposed to Hayden's last year. and with the money Iowa has the AD, UI Pres, and Regents should get the best candidate and I think some really proven head coaches at mid-tier P5 conference teams who love to coach at Iowa as a long term job (think the youngest Stoops brother at Kentucky iirc). We will have to see if Brian Ferentz applies and if he is the best candidate.

The same old false story perpetuates. KF walked into 2 pretty damn good recruiting classes by HF. They were more highly ranked than what KF puts together.

Whether KF did as well as he could with them or if he totally screwed up is conjecture but those 2 classes had a big impact on HFs 1st 2 winning teams.

In the end, take out Banks and those 2 seasons may have been different. He really didnt recruit Banks and has brought in anyone remotely like him.

Not dissing KF but stop with changing history. The the records werent great but there was talent.

HF was tasked with rebuilding coaching. It was on the upswing.