I think you will be pleasantly surprised when the day comes as to the names who would actually be available. We may or may not ever hear all the names but in an industry where you can get fired after 3 years at the drop of a hate being a "company that can show the last two guys went 20 years will have a value.
Fine points and I'd add to them ... Iowa really DOES have a rabid fan-base. The fan-base always seems to impress recruits .... it always seems to impress bowl execs ... and it will presumably impress potential coaching candidates as well. Of course, the flip side of that is that life in the Iowa City/Coralville area can be more than a little bit of a fishbowl for such candidates too. The loyalty of the fan-base can also be matched by the wildness of its mood-swings (often further amplified by its degree of inebriation).
The precedent set by Iowa administrators to be willing to pay for a high level of performance exceeds what has been demonstrated by the Wisconsin program. Hence, that is possibly another big pull to Iowa. It's one thing to be at a program where stability is valued ... but to also get PAID (with a capital P) is another bit of incentive.
However, I would also say that it is critical that the hire is made by a highly competent AD ... furthermore, it should be made by an AD who actually understands the unique challenges that the geography of Iowa dictates. Firstly, as others have indicated, there can be huge fluctuations in the level of "obvious" D1 talent in the state. Unlike many other states (even ones with larger populations and greater population bases) the state of Iowa features 2 P5 programs in a relatively small population base AND, additionally, the state features a very high quality D1 FCS program too. Thus, neither Iowa nor ISU can count on recruits jumping on preferred walk-ons or grayshirt opportunities if UNI offers. If you look at Minnesota ... they don't have the same in-state competition for recruits. The same is true for Wisconsin ... and similarly for Missouri.
The state of Kansas is one of the very few examples that can share the pain of Iowa .... and yet it took a very special coach in Bill Snyder (again, part of the Fry coaching tree) to understand the special constraints of the local geography in order to produce a consistent winner.
Unfortunately, many, if not most, ADs are pandering buffoons who tend to chase the latest flavor of the month. Their expertise centers more on schmoozing with big donors and keeping the revenue flow up ... so many of them would be ill-equipped to understand the subtleties of their search for a winner at Iowa.
Oddly enough, the more I ponder the question ... I'm starting to gravitate towards the possibility put forth by another poster in another thread ... that somebody like Mark Stoops might prove to be a fine candidate for the Hawks down the road. My one concern with him is that he is a bit of a hot-head. However, on the flip-side, I would believe his love of Iowa to be sincere, he clearly has a keen football mind, and he can sure recruit. One possible problem with Mark though is ... given how he's done at Kentucky, what makes people believe that he would perform better at Iowa?
I'm not certain that anybody would be an obvious pick as a natural "fit" for Iowa. There are a number of folks who I can imagine would be successful at Iowa ... but I'm not certain that the success would be consistent. Furthermore, I'm not certain that the success would be any better that what folks have grown accustomed to from Ferentz and Co.
But let us not forget, this is a football thread!!!!
