A loss this weekend would be number 100 for Kirk, who is 138-99 in his 20 years at Iowa.
Kirk Ferentz's record
- Thread starter hotmetal
- Start date
Ferentz has been remarkable for the Iowa program. He is one of my favorite coaches outside of PSU.
It's too bad he will be getting his 100th loss against us, but it has to come sometime.
LdN
It's too bad he will be getting his 100th loss against us, but it has to come sometime.
LdN
Kirk' s record at Iowa is actually 149-98, so it would be 99th loss.. alternatively you guys could give him his 150th win. That sounds more monumentous to me
I believe your numbers are a bit off. I see his record at 149-98.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/kirk-ferentz-1.html
I like Kirk, but his winning percentage is .603 (only 5 top 10 finishes; none in the top 5; and a bowl record of 7-8), which is not all that great. Joe's, by comparison, was .749, and Franklin's is .683. He may be a good fit for Iowa, and he is 8-6 against us, but his record would have gotten him fired at a lot of major programs, including ours.
For Iowa northwestern and MSU they have perfect coaches for those programs. 2nd tier with occasional awesome year.
We would certainly be worse off without him.
He appears to be an honorable man and an above average coach who is doing the best he can given the difficulty of recruiting at Iowa. Since Kirk has been at Iowa, Nebraska got rid of two coaches with better records (Solich at .688 and Pelini at .691) and I am sure they regret their actions.
I agree those numbers are pedestrian. But if you look at the talent Iowa pulls in I'd say they are not near the top half of the B1G. And Iowa rarely gets blown out. Ferentz is really good at developing talent and playing within a consistent system. If he had the horses, I'd have no doubt Ferentz would be somewhere in the top of the heap. Again, Iowa gets its share of talent -- but overall throughout the depth chart not so much.
Exactly. We've had some ups and downs, but when you look at what some of the bluebloods (Texas, etc.) have gone through with their myriad of coaching changes, the continuity isn't so bad, even when things seem a bit stale from time to time.
Coaching at Iowa takes an understanding of the recruiting landscape we have to deal with, even the fact that we have another Power 5 school in a relatively low population state (granted it's Iowa State, but still divides the recruits and fanbases). Minnesota and Wisconsin have twice the population and are the only major program.
I agree. Iowa is a terrific state, but they are not normally going to be recruiting a lot of high profile kids and you can't win big without top level talent.
Typically, one of Iowa's biggest keys to success is avoiding the injury bug. We just haven't historically had the depth to be able to overcome it. That seems to be changing more recently though, as we've seemed to be able to plug and play more if a starter or three goes down. The four game limit for true frosh will do nothing but help our development there as well.
Fair assessment. I will say that while our recruiting isn't anywhere near PSU/OSU/Mich....it's picked up the last 3 years and we're starting to see the results,
According to Rivals
2013--53
2014--59
2015--58
2016--42
2017--40
2018--40
Not great by any means but trending in the right direction. Mostly due to new facilities and appointing a full time recruiting staff.
Hawks aren't ever going to out recruit schools like PSU but if we can stay in the 30-40 range I think we'll be highly competitive with the way Ferentz and staff develop talent.
It won’t happen. You can’t win at a high level if you’re recruiting in the 30’s and 40’s. Sorry, it just doesn’t happen. Recruiting is the most important factor in college football. Give Nick Saban four years in a row ranked in the 40’s and he won’t win shit.
Wisconsin wins at a high level with that type of recruiting. I guess it depends on that you define as "high level".
Wisconsin is about the only one that comes close, yet they haven’t really won much and if they were in the Big East, they wouldn’t win crap.
Kirk Ferentz is an honorable man and great coach. For my money, he might be the best coach in the country -- given Iowa's W-L record computed against its national recruiting rank over the years.
It's to the credit of Iowa fans that most of them recognize this and do not demand his scalp after any one bad loss or season.
It's to the credit of Iowa fans that most of them recognize this and do not demand his scalp after any one bad loss or season.
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
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Re: Iowa recruiting, I remember ole Kirk stealing one of our top LB targets (Jeremiha Hunter) right out from under our noses a decade or so back. Just one example (and it’s completely irrelevant today) but it’s still burned into my brain.
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
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You’re mostly right but overstating it a bit. First, 40s wouldn't happen at Bama. Second, if UCF can claim a national championship with Nebraska's Coach, just imagine what Saban and his coaching staff could do there—and with their recruits.
IMHO, Frerenz is the best at coaching the fundamentals of blocking, tackling and teamwork. He has put a great many 2-3 star kids into the NFL.
KF is really good coach that maximizes his talent. I think more importantly, the fans and admin at Iowa know who they are and are not chasing the next flash in the pan like Nebraska, and Minnesota post Mason.
Coaching stability goes a long ways - when the Hawks get hit by the injury bug and have a bad season, they aren’t calling for KF’s head which means he can still pull in the players he likes.
Coaching stability goes a long ways - when the Hawks get hit by the injury bug and have a bad season, they aren’t calling for KF’s head which means he can still pull in the players he likes.
Of course, if UCF was in a P5 conference they wouldn’t be claiming a NC...they’d be struggling to be bowl eligibleYou’re mostly right but overstating it a bit. First, 40s wouldn't happen at Bama. Second, if UCF can claim a national championship with Nebraska's Coach, just imagine what Saban and his coaching staff could do there—and with their recruits.
He owned Joe for sure Ferentz was 11 and 3 against Joe and as Joe once told Stan Savarin the greatest game he ever coached was that 6 to 4 loss great Defense Great special teams and great coaching yes by Ferentz
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
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Not if Saban and his staff were there. I’d bet they’d be locks for a quality bowl with UCF’s roster in nearly any P5 conference (I’ll exclude the SEC and maybe the B1G). You’re right the natty would probably be out of reach, but not for long.
And yes, this is an academic exercise.
I still find it difficult to fathom Minnesota getting rid of Mason....a really DUMB thing to do....and they paid a steep price for doing so.
Geno Stone is looking like the next Pennsylvania kid to play well at Iowa. He's behind some veterans at S but plays a lot (Iowa often drops their SS down to LB and puts Stone in at SS). He should see a lot of time on Saturday.
Yeah, the Big West is as good as the East...come on, you can’t possibly be that big of a homer. Iowa would not finish in the top three in the East ever and Wiscy might finish third once in a while. The imbalance in the Big is as bad as the SEC.
LOL!!!!
I never said the West was as good as the East. The rest of your post is ridiculous.
It all comes back to coaching. The ability to take what talent you have and find a system to work in and have success. You can have all the talent in the world but if it isn't used to it's proper ability, it won't work.
You should visit our boards more often
There is a rather vocal segment of the fan base that demands change in any year Iowa doesn't win 10 games. But seriously, most Iowa fans realize the demographics/inherent recruiting disadvantages Iowa is at and what KF has done relative to those. A state with about 3M people that is shared with another Power 5 team. In most years, 5-12 legitimate Power 5 prospects from Iowa HS football.
When things come together, Iowa can field a team that physically can compete with most anyone. This year and next appear to be one of those periods. Should be a good game tomorrow.
Much respect for Kirk Ferentz. Solid program top to bottom. He has a system, recruits to fill the specific needs......lines up and smacks you in the mouth. He wins more than he loses. I like the way he carries himself. I've seen him abused on Iowa boards like some abuse our coaches here. As an aside.....he hired his son....mortal sin at PSU. LOL
