Kirk Ferentz is synonymous with the Iowa Hawkeyes and college football.
Entering his 25th season at the helm of the black and gold, Ferentz is Iowa football. The list of accolades for the 68-year old head coach is long.
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That’s why he’s revered nationally as one of the longtime great coaches in college football. It’s also why The Athletic has Ferentz ranked toward the top of the pack in its 2023 college football coaching tiers (subscription required).
As expected, Alabama‘s Nick Saban is in a league of his own in Tier 1A. Then, there’s Georgia‘s Kirby Smart and Clemson‘s Dabo Swinney in Tier 1B.
Tier 2 features a number of Big Ten rivals. Ohio State‘s Ryan Day, Michigan‘s Jim Harbaugh and Wisconsin‘s Luke Fickell all find themselves in Tier 2. Texas A&M‘s Jimbo Fisher, LSU‘s Brian Kelly, USC‘s Lincoln Riley and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham are all there in Tier 2 as well.
Then, there’s Tier 3 where we find Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.
The head Hawkeye is among fellow Big Ten coaches P.J. Fleck of Minnesota, James Franklin of Penn State and Matt Rhule of Nebraska. Twenty other coaches find themselves in Tier 3, too.
This is the Very Good group. Many have delivered consistent results, and some have BCS/NY6/CFP wins, but they haven’t broken through to the national championship tier (other than Mack Brown’s 2005 national title at Texas and Chip Kelly’s three top-three finishes at Oregon a decade ago). – Chris Vannini, The Athletic.
The “Very Good group” is fitting for Ferentz. He’s certainly one of the best in the game, evidenced by his status as the longest-tenured head coach.
Iowa doesn’t have the same recruiting or historical advantages that others in the tier above or in Tier 3 possess. While there are no doubt fans that want more from the Hawkeyes from a national standpoint, it’s hard to argue with what Ferentz has accomplished.
Ferentz is the all-time wins leader for the Hawkeyes with 186 wins overall and 115 Big Ten wins. Those marks rank third and fourth all-time among Big Ten coaches in terms of league wins and overall victories. He is one of just seven coaches to ever guide a team to 10 wins or more in three consecutive seasons.
Iowa captured Big Ten crowns in 2002 and 2004 and won the West division in 2015 and 2021. Ferentz was honored as the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2002, 2004, 2009 and 2015 and as the National Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2015.
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Under Ferentz’s direction, Iowa has earned 20 bowl invites. The Hawkeyes’ 10 bowl victories under his watch have Ferentz tied for first all-time among Big Ten coaches. Iowa has won three straight bowl games twice with Ferentz as head coach. The Hawkeyes have played in 12 January bowl games and have appeared in four straight January bowl games on two separate instances in the Ferentz era.
In addition to the team success, Ferentz and Iowa have made a habit of turning overlooked talent into NFL stars of the past, present and future. Ferentz’s NFL development is celebrated nationally.
There’s plenty of fun facts about Ferentz’s run with the Iowa Hawkeyes and he’s one of the most accomplished coaches in all of America.
Other notable names in Tier 3 include Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, North Carolina‘s Mack Brown, Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, Auburn‘s Hugh Freeze, Kansas State’s Chris Klieman and Kansas’ Lance Leipold.
Ferentz and Iowa will get their first chance to impress as the Hawkeyes welcome in Utah State for the season opener on Sept. 2 at 11 a.m on FS1 inside Kinnick Stadium.
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