Kirk Ferentz pushing forward as Iowa navigates through fall camp

IOWA CITY, Ia. — Although he’s approaching his 26th season of leading the Hawkeyes, the nation’s longest-tenured coach has a different outlook for the 2024 campaign.

After all, with the expansion of the Playoffs, and the Big Ten now with 18 teams, Kirk Ferentz will have plenty of opportunities to reach postseason glory. The 10 victories by the Hawkeyes during the regular season last year would’ve likely been enough, and that’s what Ferentz wants to build on early in fall camp.

He was able to keep his defensive staff intact, and their familiarity with the league should pay off down the stretch. However, Iowa fans are keeping a close eye on how the offense is shaping up under Tim Lester. Which is why Ferentz is stepping back, and letting Lester lead the way, especially with the quarterbacks.

Up to this point Ferentz believes everything is looking promising, and he expects the competition to get more intense as the players dive deeper into the playbook.

“So far, guys are off to a good start, I think guys know what to do, and it’s just a matter of doing it a little bit better, a little crisper, but moving forward there offensively, very different in a lot of ways,” Ferentz said. “New system, new coordinator, and a couple new position changes with Tim and Jon Budmayr joining, taking the receivers, but we are a little bit more veteran than we’ve been, and that’s, I think, encouraging and is certainly going to help us.”

Defensive Coordinator Phil Parker didn’t attend Iowa’s Media Day Friday afternoon because he’s recovering from shoulder surgery. Ferentz isn’t concerned at all about that side of the ball, considering the Hawkeyes were No. 7 nationally in total defense last season. Not to mention the unit returns several high caliber defenders, including All-American linebacker Jay Higgins. The defense continues to be a team strength for the Hawkeyes, so Ferentz will keep the same formula.

“Defensively we’re about as veteran as I can remember, and part of that, six guys coming back in January,” he said. “Coaching staff is in place, so we’re pretty set there and not a lot of change in that regard.”

The quarterback room will have everyone’s attention over the next two weeks, and for good reasons. Cade McNamara, Marco Lainez and Brendan Sullivan are battling it out to pull the offense out of the Big Ten cellar.

McNamara is currently No. 1 on the depth chart, and it’s going to be vital that he stays healthy this time around. Lainez, who’s No. 2, brings blazing mobility to the offense, and fans want to see how much he’s developing as a passer. Sullivan is No. 3, but has the Big Ten experience, with 10 touchdown passes over the past two years at Northwestern. Lester’s offense is more quarterback-friendly, and Ferentz expects each quarterback to thrive in the system.

“It’s like all positions, we’ll make decisions here as we go along, but the room overall is a lot more competitive than it was certainly at the end of last year, last December, and that was the goal, try to get a room where you’ve got good competition,” the 69-year old coach said. “We want that at every position, and some positions are a little better than others that way.”

Iowa has always been solid on special teams, but has to replace last season’s Ray Guy Award winner in Tory Taylor. Junior kicker Drew Stevens, who’s an All-Big Ten performer, is a bright spot that Ferentz wants to utilize this fall. Stevens is even looking more confident, accurate and continues to display strong leg power in practice.

The Hawkeyes are also receiving some national love, landing at No. 25 on the Preseason Coaches Poll that came out five days ago. The AP Poll will be released on Monday, and Iowa will likely surface in a similar position. Ferentz could care less about what people think from the outside looking in. All he can do is control what he can, and take care of business on the field.

“I like the way our team is working, and I think we have potential, but ultimately what it all boils down to is what’s going to happen in the 12 games that we’re guaranteed; are we going to show up and are we going to compete and not beat ourselves.”