End of the Kirk Ferentz Era Too?

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60's Guy said:
I think it is not so much Beth...the outgoing AD had a contract setup with the Ferentz family and the Frentz family didn't meet it. Beth just enforced it.
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Except she isn't enforcing the contract that the prior AD put in place. That contract gave him a full season to get to 325 points which, in theory, he still could do. If she was simply enforcing that provision, she could have waited until the end of the year. This was an announcement that, even if he meets those terms, she isn't giving him a new contract and isn't bringing him back next year.

RememberMurray said:
She's leaving, too, so she doesn't really have to care too much who is coaching at Iowa next season.
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Maybe. The Iowa people I know think she's the leading candidate to get the permanent job, or at least they did a month ago.
 

Some guy said:
Bert and mark stoops have to be the two favorite targets I would think.


Mark stoops 34-53 in conference
Bert since leaving Wisconsin 21-42 in conference


I don’t think replacing Kirk with an upgrade is anywhere near a guarantee
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I don't see Stoops leaving Kentucky unless they throw ridiculous money at him and Iowa might be very hesitant to do that post KF.
 

StudentSectionMenace said:
Here's another one for ya. If Kirk steps down, Fleck becomes the longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten West (This even includes Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA if you want to include them in a "new" West) and across the entire Big Ten he would be tied for third with Tom Allen of Indiana, trailing only James Franklin and Jim Harbaugh.
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That's actually hilarious that the meme is that Jim can’t wait to bolt to the NFL, meanwhile he might soon be the 2nd longest tenured coach in the big ten. Sometimes the internet is so stupid it’s funny.
 



2nd Degree Gopher said:
Except she isn't enforcing the contract that the prior AD put in place. That contract gave him a full season to get to 325 points which, in theory, he still could do. If she was simply enforcing that provision, she could have waited until the end of the year. This was an announcement that, even if he meets those terms, she isn't giving him a new contract and isn't bringing him back next year.
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Enforcing terms of the contract is one thing. But do you believe the decision to tell Brian Ferentz, Kirk Ferentz's son, that he's essentially fired was Beth's? I highly doubt that. I would bet you that decision was made by people above her. She wouldn't do that on her own, certainly not as an interim AD.

2nd Degree Gopher said:
Maybe. The Iowa people I know think she's the leading candidate to get the permanent job, or at least they did a month ago.
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We'll see what happens on that question.
 

RememberMurray said:
Enforcing terms of the contract is one thing. But do you believe the decision to tell Brian Ferentz, Kirk Ferentz's son, that he's essentially fired was Beth's? I highly doubt that. I would bet you that decision was made by people above her. She wouldn't do that on her own, certainly not as an interim AD.
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I certainly don't think that she made the decision and announced it without running it up the flagpole and you may be right that it was a decision made higher up the chain and she was told to make the announcement. But I also think it's possible that she went to the administration with the idea to do this now and sold them on the idea that the points provision was creating an untenable situation that would not get better if they waited and that they should let her cut the cord now. As I said above (or in the other thread), it would be really interesting to know how this all shook out, but we may not ever know for sure.
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
I certainly don't think that she made the decision and announced it without running it up the flagpole and you may be right that it was a decision made higher up the chain and she was told to make the announcement. But I also think it's possible that she went to the administration with the idea to do this now and sold them on the idea that the points provision was creating an untenable situation that would not get better if they waited and that they should let her cut the cord now. As I said above (or in the other thread), it would be really interesting to know how this all shook out, but we may not ever know for sure.
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Good points.
 




BuiltFordTough said:
I watched his weekly presser this afternoon and I can honestly say that I have never seen a person so nervous standing in front of a group of reporters. His mood, tone of voice, and the way he side-stepped questions tells me he is done at the end of the year. His power was stripped from him and now he is just an employee that can't call the shots.
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I couldn't disagree more strongly. I thought he was poised, polite, and professional. The press wanted to dig in to the OC situation but he wisely sidestepped it. I'm not a fan of the guy but he has been a very successul coach for many years and I respect his professionalism. What a tough situation to have your son fired. I mean the son is a prick in my mind but still stuff for coach to swallow.
 

RememberMurray said:
But do you believe the decision to tell Brian Ferentz, Kirk Ferentz's son, that he's essentially fired was Beth's? I highly doubt that. I would bet you that decision was made by people above her.
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She’s almost certainly holding up a falling wall of major donors on this issue. This strange announcement is a “meet-me-halfway” if I’ve ever seen it.
 

upchurch said:
I couldn't disagree more strongly. I thought he was poised, polite, and professional. The press wanted to dig in to the OC situation but he wisely sidestepped it. I'm not a fan of the guy but he has been a very successul coach for many years and I respect his professionalism. What a tough situation to have your son fired. I mean the son is a prick in my mind but still stuff for coach to swallow.
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Agree that it's difficult, but do you think he would have been offensive coordinator if he had a different last name? People don't think these things through very comprehensively. It's not like Iowa football is a family business.
 

Goldmember said:
She’s almost certainly holding up a falling wall of major donors on this issue. This strange announcement is a “meet-me-halfway” if I’ve ever seen it.
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And she's interim. She's carrying a big load of responsibility for a situation she didn't initiate, and she may have no role in it in the very near future.
 



2nd Degree Gopher said:
It will be really interesting to see what happens.

Did the University really empower an interim AD make the decision to part ways with BF, knowing that KF was opposed?

Does this mean that she's getting the permanent job, allowing her to reclaim some of the power that the prior AD ceded to KF? Or did they have her pull the trigger so that the new AD didn't have to do it and immediately create conflict with KF?

Did it happen this way in spite of KF's objections, risking his ire? Or was it in part because of those objections hoping to provide the impetus to get him to walk out the door without having to fire him?
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Kind of makes you wonder if it was a subtle hint that she was in charge and not him.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
well, Kirk is 68. He is under contract through 2029

If IA tried to fire him without cause, they have to pay out 100% of his remaining base + supplemental salary - which this season would amount to $42-million.

So unless he retires, IA would have to come up with a valid cause to get out from under that buyout.

is Kirk willing to walk away from $40-million out of loyalty to his kid?
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I doubt that he even needs the money which after taxes could be significantly less.
 

Some guy said:
Bert and mark stoops have to be the two favorite targets I would think.


Mark stoops 34-53 in conference
Bert since leaving Wisconsin 21-42 in conference


I don’t think replacing Kirk with an upgrade is anywhere near a guarantee
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No clue why Iowa fans think that Bobby Stoops would have any interest, esp. with the B1G going to the Big 7 Little 11 next year.
 


the key is getting Parker, the DC, out of Iowa. It's just ridiculous how great they play with that offense. If Kirk goes, I hope the new coach would go in a different direction.
 



My opinion of Brian Ferentz in particular and nepotism in general is probably exactly the same as everyone else's here.

On the other hand, having a situation in which an athletic director is dictating to the football coach regarding the hiring and firing of football assistants is far from ideal as well. Especially when the football coach is a future Hall of Famer.

This whole thing is a huge mess. There's no way this can bode well for Hawkeye football — at least not for the 2023 season.
 


2nd Degree Gopher said:
I certainly don't think that she made the decision and announced it without running it up the flagpole and you may be right that it was a decision made higher up the chain and she was told to make the announcement. But I also think it's possible that she went to the administration with the idea to do this now and sold them on the idea that the points provision was creating an untenable situation that would not get better if they waited and that they should let her cut the cord now. As I said above (or in the other thread), it would be really interesting to know how this all shook out, but we may not ever know for sure.
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She didn’t do it on her own. Everyone there knew this was not about telling a coordinator he would not return. President, board, and everyone down knew this was about removing Kirk Ferentz as the most powerful man at the University of Iowa.

It was a momentous decision. Brian was a pawn.
 

Fair point about the "Big 7 Little 11".

Programs like Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State (when they're good) are borderline. They sell lots of tickets (again MSU moreso when good), right up there with the lower end of the B7 in that regard. Just a matter of if the performance on the field can consistently match them.

I guess will also be interesting to see what, if any, ability Washington has to maintain the success of this season. Tons of tech/corporate money in Seattle, but any rich guys care enough about Husky football to donate big to NIL collectives??

And UCLA as well, always wonder if they have a ceiling compared to their big brothers USC.
 

MplsGopher said:
Fair point about the "Big 7 Little 11".

Programs like Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State (when they're good) are borderline. They sell lots of tickets (again MSU moreso when good), right up there with the lower end of the B7 in that regard. Just a matter of if the performance on the field can consistently match them.

I guess will also be interesting to see what, if any, ability Washington has to maintain the success of this season. Tons of tech/corporate money in Seattle, but any rich guys care enough about Husky football to donate big to NIL collectives??

And UCLA as well, always wonder if they have a ceiling compared to their big brothers USC.
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I'm curious what UCLA has accomplished to earn them a part in this so called "Big 7"? They're 37-44 since 2016, and really haven't accomplished anything noteworthy in the 21st century.
 

Athletic Directors firing assistant coaches doesn't happen, especially to KF.
 

StudentSectionMenace said:
Here's another one for ya. If Kirk steps down, Fleck becomes the longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten West (This even includes Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA if you want to include them in a "new" West) and across the entire Big Ten he would be tied for third with Tom Allen of Indiana, trailing only James Franklin and Jim Harbaugh.
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Allen anf Harbaugh may both be gone after this season
 

MplsGopher said:
Fair point about the "Big 7 Little 11".

Programs like Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State (when they're good) are borderline. They sell lots of tickets (again MSU moreso when good), right up there with the lower end of the B7 in that regard. Just a matter of if the performance on the field can consistently match them.

I guess will also be interesting to see what, if any, ability Washington has to maintain the success of this season. Tons of tech/corporate money in Seattle, but any rich guys care enough about Husky football to donate big to NIL collectives??

And UCLA as well, always wonder if they have a ceiling compared to their big brothers USC.
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We're all assuming that USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon are of the same caliber as Ohio State, Michigan and (sort of) Penn State.

But, is that really the case? There's a chance we're wrong about that.

As a football fan (and a B1G diehard fan) I'm really interested in watching this play out on the field next season.

Gophers get USC here at The Bank, date TBD but probably early November, as well as UCLA — in the Rose Bowl — second to last game of the season.

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