Fellow Big Ten Head Coach Answers if he Will Replace Legendary Coach at Iowa

Iowa Hawkeyes' head coach Kirk Ferentz is the longest tenured coach in the nation heading into 2025.

It will be Ferentz's 27th season as head coach in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes are preparing for an important season in the Big Ten. Some outside noise has been centered around the retirement of Ferentz as well.

At this time, there is no plan for Ferentz to retire. When the time comes, the program could be looking for a new head coach with ties to the program. This includes a fellow Big Ten head coach but the record has been set straight on that.

During a recent interview with Barstool's Pardon My Take, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema shut down the idea of leaving Champaign.

"I signed a non-compete with every school in the Big Ten," Bielema said. "I've signed three contracts with Illinois. When my second one came up, Wisconsin was open and Nebraska was open. And I know they were concerned about that so I volunteered."

Bielema was a defensive lineman for the Hawkeyes from 1989-92. He went back to coach at Iowa for five years as well before becoming a successful head coach in the Big Ten.

Bielema currently has 125 careers wins spread across Wisconsin, Arkansas, and Illinois. He has led the Illini to a 28-22 record since taking over in 2021. Illinoi finished with a record of 10-3 last season after a win in the Citrus Bowl.

Bielema reinforced the fact that he is happy at Illinois and does not plan to leave.

"I said 'Hey, I know everybody thinks I want to go to Iowa. I don't want to go to Iowa,'" Bielema said.