Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Will Kirk Ferentz's stubborn nepotism cost Hawkeyes the Big Ten West?

By Ethan Petrik | Last updated 10/9/22

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz took a defensive stance when asked about potential changes to his offensive coaching staff — which includes his son, Brian Ferentz, as offensive coordinator — following a 9-6 loss to Illinois.

“We won 10 games last year,” Ferentz said. “I am not sure you are aware of that. So, I will look at that. We have won a lot of games since 2015. We are not doing well enough right now. I think that is fairly obvious.”

Ferentz's snippy reply came in response to a probing question from 247Sports reporter David Eickholt, who noted the Iowa offense had scored six or fewer points six times in the previous 12 months.

Pointed out a few facts to Kirk Ferentz about the offense over the past calendar year and them being ranked the lowest in the country in yards… “We won 10 games last year I don’t know if you’re aware of that…”

Full answer: pic.twitter.com/Px4cBF8wJ7
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) October 9, 2022

Eickholt’s question combined with the response elicited illustrates the detrimental impact of Ferentz’s stubborn nepotism on the Hawkeyes’ chances of winning a weak Big Ten West.

Led by offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, the son of Kirk, the Hawkeyes mustered a mere 222 yards offensively against the Fighting Illini. They settled for a field goal four minutes before halftime after starting their drive on the Illinois 5-yard line.

Plain and simple, the Hawkeyes offense fell short — again — but this time in a game that would decide the Big Ten West leader after six weeks of action.

History offers no real hope that the situation on offense will improve in Iowa City either.

Since 2017, Brian’s first year as the offensive coordinator, the Hawkeyes' offense never ranked higher than 87th (2021) and included two finishes in the bottom 20 of college football.

With a top-10 defense that allowed less than four yards per play and only five touchdowns through six games, the frustration continues to mount and, barring an unexpected change, will continue to fester through the bye week.

The Hawkeyes do not catch a break either, as they hit the road to play at No. 2 Ohio State on Oct. 22.

With the Buckeyes sporting a top-10 defense to go along with the second-overall offense, things in Iowa City are likely to get worse before they get better.

In all likelihood, a third straight conference loss to the Buckeyes would put a return trip to Indianapolis for the Big 10 title game out of reach. No team has won a Big Ten division title with three losses in conference play.

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