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My Wishes for Iowa Football for 2023

Nov 24, 2013
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Kirk retires
Brian reassigned to Offensive line coach
Lavar Woods is hired as the head coach
Retain Phil Parker and the rest of the coaching staff (Undecided on Barnett) might just be scheme needs to be tweaked
Hire Warren Ruggiero as offensive coordinator
 
Kirk retires
Brian reassigned to Offensive line coach
Lavar Woods is hired as the head coach
Retain Phil Parker and the rest of the coaching staff (Undecided on Barnett) might just be scheme needs to be tweaked
Hire Warren Ruggiero as offensive coordinator

Not sure Iowa needs to completely abandon the pro-style offense, but the scheme needs to evolve. No reason we can't successfully model an offense off of what Michigan does.
 
Kirk retires
Brian reassigned to Offensive line coach
Lavar Woods is hired as the head coach
Retain Phil Parker and the rest of the coaching staff (Undecided on Barnett) might just be scheme needs to be tweaked
Hire Warren Ruggiero as offensive coordinator
Switch Levar and Phil and I agree.
 
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Well we wont be seeing a whole bunch of coaching changes unless a coach or coaches leaves to take a promotion and better job.

So we need proven, upper class offensive linemen who are better than the players we have. No ifs, ands, or buts here.

We also need a much better running qb who can move around in the pocket and he will probably be and upgrade at throwing the ball. But realistically even if this new qb is only mildly better as a passer just the running ability to move the chains and make defenses have to play the QB running the ball will be worth it.

If Keegan Johnson is back 100% with Bruce that will be good but we need an at least above avg deep threat.

TEnds, defense, special teams look really good but also find us another Punter from Down Under.
 
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Kirk retires
Brian reassigned to Offensive line coach
Lavar Woods is hired as the head coach
Retain Phil Parker and the rest of the coaching staff (Undecided on Barnett) might just be scheme needs to be tweaked
Hire Warren Ruggiero as offensive coordinator
If Kirk leaves, they will look outside the program for a new HC, who would be wise to attempt to retain PP and as many D coaches as possible. The O staff needs a new leader and vision. Whether Barta is retained or let go is another wildcard.
 
BF indicated that he would not step down. That implies he will have to be fired. Logically that means KF will have to go. Ugly end to a great coach.
 
BF indicated that he would not step down. That implies he will have to be fired. Logically that means KF will have to go. Ugly end to a great coach.

I believe that was in response to a mid season choice. I suspect after the season he will be active looking for another job to avoid a potential firing.
 
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BF indicated that he would not step down. That implies he will have to be fired. Logically that means KF will have to go. Ugly end to a great coach.
"Great"? Evy and Hayden were great coaches. KF was a successful coach almost entirely in spite of himself. His success belongs almost entirely to Norm and Phil Parker. If KF had been smart enough and humble enough to hire OCs and let them run the offense with the same freedom that Norm and Phil ran the defense, he might have been great. But he didn't. So he wasn't. And no one should utter KF's name in the same breath as those of Evy and Hayden.

And those who suggest Ferentz has earned the right to leave on his own terms are naïve. When you are no longer doing your job, you should be shown the door. But, of course, there's that utterly ridiculous buyout that no one in his right mind would give anyone, let alone someone in KF's situation and at KF's age. Barta has been guilty of multiple transgressions that should have led to his firing too, but there's something weird going on in Iowa City. A job in the Iowa Athletic Department has greater job security than a spot on the US Supreme Court. I wonder why both institutions are struggling mightily.
 
Kirk retires
Brian reassigned to Offensive line coach
Lavar Woods is hired as the head coach
Retain Phil Parker and the rest of the coaching staff (Undecided on Barnett) might just be scheme needs to be tweaked
Hire Warren Ruggiero as offensive coordinator
woods has never even been oc or dc, but has done a great job.

only way i'd be ok with him as hc next year would be if PP says he's stay under him AND if he was willing to be the lowest paid b1g coach out there @ say 2.5M. Give the same to PP and an elite OC!
 
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We MUST have an offensive overhaul before next season. There should be no debate on this point. We can keep our same ball-control, run-first philosophy, but we must evolve and modernize. Current players, recruits, and fans must all be able to see that tangible changes are coming. And I don’t see how you do that without getting rid of the OC, Brian Ferentz.

The big question, I think, will be whether or not Kirk Ferentz has the desire at this stage in his career to install a new offensive system, especially one that means forcing his son out of his job. Kirk will turn 68 before next season. He is past the age most people retire.

Then, when you think about the other things changing with college football — NIL, the transfer portal, conference re-alignment — you start to wonder if retirement might start looking pretty lucrative for someone in Kirk’s situation.

I don’t want Kirk to get fired. But one way or another, Iowa will probably be looking for a new head coach in the next 3-6 years. I think it’s time for Barta and Kirk to start talking about succession plans. And the conclusion may very well be that sooner is better than later.
 
We MUST have an offensive overhaul before next season. There should be no debate on this point. We can keep our same ball-control, run-first philosophy, but we must evolve and modernize. Current players, recruits, and fans must all be able to see that tangible changes are coming. And I don’t see how you do that without getting rid of the OC, Brian Ferentz.

The big question, I think, will be whether or not Kirk Ferentz has the desire at this stage in his career to install a new offensive system, especially one that means forcing his son out of his job. Kirk will turn 68 before next season. He is past the age most people retire.

Then, when you think about the other things changing with college football — NIL, the transfer portal, conference re-alignment — you start to wonder if retirement might start looking pretty lucrative for someone in Kirk’s situation.

I don’t want Kirk to get fired. But one way or another, Iowa will probably be looking for a new head coach in the next 3-6 years. I think it’s time for Barta and Kirk to start talking about succession plans. And the conclusion may very well be that sooner is better than later.
You can’t say you don’t want Kirk fired and also want a complete offensive overhaul. Kirk is in charge. If you want a complete overhaul he’s not going to do it.
 
Well we wont be seeing a whole bunch of coaching changes unless a coach or coaches leaves to take a promotion and better job.

So we need proven, upper class offensive linemen who are better than the players we have. No ifs, ands, or buts here.

We also need a much better running qb who can move around in the pocket and he will probably be and upgrade at throwing the ball. But realistically even if this new qb is only mildly better as a passer just the running ability to move the chains and make defenses have to play the QB running the ball will be worth it.

If Keegan Johnson is back 100% with Bruce that will be good but we need an at least above avg deep threat.

TEnds, defense, special teams look really good but also find us another Punter from Down Under.
 
Kirk retires
Brian reassigned to Offensive line coach
Lavar Woods is hired as the head coach
Retain Phil Parker and the rest of the coaching staff (Undecided on Barnett) might just be scheme needs to be tweaked
Hire Warren Ruggiero as offensive coordinator
Yeah, we are a Power 5 B1G school so let's hire a HC whose never even been a DC or OC and whose only had coaching experience under one HC in his career-- and that one HC has the absolute most antiquated offensive mindset in all of college football.

You go out and get a new guy whose more qualified than Woods. Iowa has LOTS to sell to a new HC.
 
I don’t want Kirk to get fired. But one way or another, Iowa will probably be looking for a new head coach in the next 3-6 years. I think it’s time for Barta and Kirk to start talking about succession plans. And the conclusion may very well be that sooner is better than later.
I have predicted that if Iowa has a losing record this season and again next, Iowa will have a new HC in 2024.
 
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I have predicted that if Iowa has a losing record this season and again next, Iowa will have a new HC in 2024.
I tend to agree with this statement. Because if something dramatic does not happen Iowa will continue its descent and will not be able to recruit enough talent to compete on a D1 level. This will force Iowa decision makers to face the glaring shortcomings of the Ferentz family.
 
I have predicted that if Iowa has a losing record this season and again next, Iowa will have a new HC in 2024.
It remains to see what the B1G schedule ends up being. With the current schedule, another mediocre KF team will win 7-8 games next year.
 
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Yeah, we are a Power 5 B1G school so let's hire a HC whose never even been a DC or OC and whose only had coaching experience under one HC in his career-- and that one HC has the absolute most antiquated offensive mindset in all of college football.

You go out and get a new guy whose more qualified than Woods. Iowa has LOTS to sell to a new HC.
call me crazy, but if you have elite OC/DC/ST/Position coaches that can work well together, what more do you need than a HC that can sell/recruit?
Obviously he'd have to be at the right price as I had mentioned earlier.
 
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call me crazy, but if you have elite OC/DC/ST/Position coaches that can work well together, what more do you need than a HC that can sell/recruit?
Obviously he'd have to be at the right price as I had mentioned earlier.
No, not a fan of Woods as the next HC at all. That would be akin as to us thinking Brian Ferentz was the best OC we could have hired 6 years ago.

LeVar is a guy the new HC keeps on staff (as Fry and Ferentz kept holdovers too) but you don't keep him as your new HC. Again, if we were Indiana trying to sell the job, that's one thing. But far too many great selling points at Iowa to hire someone whose never gone outside one HC.

LeVar may be a good HC one day somewhere, but not here and now with the experience he really needs.
 
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BF needs to be out of here. He may be a serviceable OL coach, but he is so strongly associated with fan anger and the years of nepotism that has tanked the offense and program overall we need to cut ties completely.
I agree with you-- right now he's completely a lightning rod. If Iowa were 3-3 but Brian wasn't the OC, I truly believe the outrage would not be near as a "mob feel" as it is right now.

For Brian's betterment, for Iowa's betterment, Brian does need to move on at year end. But sadly the unsettled lawsuit may even prevent that from happening.
 
BF needs to be out of here. He may be a serviceable OL coach, but he is so strongly associated with fan anger and the years of nepotism that has tanked the offense and program overall we need to cut ties completely.
But then who will you put as your avatar? ;)
 
call me crazy, but if you have elite OC/DC/ST/Position coaches that can work well together, what more do you need than a HC that can sell/recruit?
Obviously he'd have to be at the right price as I had mentioned earlier.
You need a head coach who can establish and maintain the culture of the program and keeps everyone moving in the same direction. There’s been load of guys with great football minds; or guys who were great salesmen; but they failed as head coaches because they were unable to establish and maintain a consistent culture within the program.
 
If Kirk retires there is ZERO reason to keep Brian around. Kirk can find him another job like he always does.
 
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Kirk has never been a great coach and never will be. I believe I posted this after the 1999 season.

I was in Alabama when Bear Bryant was hired. Alabama had record of 2 wins 7 losses 1957. Bear Bryant was hired and in 1958 they went 5 wins 4 losses and 1 tie. In his second year the record was 7 wins 2 losses and 2 ties.

Iowa record 1998 was 3 wins and 8 losses

Ferentz was hired and record 1999 was 1 win and 10 losses.

His second year was 3 wins and 9 losses.

Yes Ferentz is a class act, but a mediocre football coach whose time has passed. The question is can Iowa find and hire a great coach?
 
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You need a head coach who can establish and maintain the culture of the program and keeps everyone moving in the same direction. There’s been load of guys with great football minds; or guys who were great salesmen; but they failed as head coaches because they were unable to establish and maintain a consistent culture within the program.
that's why you need a staff that works really well together and that is paid really well.
 
I really hope it doesn't come down to this.

I think I can speak for the majority, even though we don't agree with him 100%, we all love Kirk Ferentz.

He has given us a ton of great Hawkeye football memories.

I would give anything for them to turn it around so he can ride off on a high note; sadly most great coaches seem to leave a year too late.
 
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I love our fan base, Brian has too little experience to be O-coordinator, but let's hire Woods as our HC.

Don't get me wrong, Coach woods has been outstanding coaching Special Teams. He will get his chance to take the next step.
 
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