Brian Ferentz on potentially stepping down: I wouldn't be able to go home and look my children in the eye

Questions continue to swirl about the Iowa offense under coordinator Brian Ferentz, especially considering the Hawkeyes rank last in the FBS in total offense. As the team enters the bye week following another stagnant performance in a 9-6 loss to Illinois, Ferentz faced a direct question about whether he’d consider stepping down.

He provided quite an answer as he reaffirmed his commitment to the job at hand.

Ferentz is Iowa’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under his father, Kirk. Under his watch, the Hawkeyes rank 120th out of the 131 FBS programs in passing offense, which adds to the questions about the job he’s doing. However, Ferentz isn’t planning on backing down.

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“There’s two options in life in any situation,” Ferentz told reporters Wednesday. “You can surrender, and if you surrender, then I think the results are pretty much guaranteed. Or you can dig in, you can continue to fight, and you can try to improve and do things better. I will always choose option [B]. Done it in my personal life. Done it in my professional life.

“I wouldn’t be able to go home and look my children in the eye if I wasn’t an option B person. … Let me be crystal clear about that. That’s number one.”

Brian Ferentz: ‘This is a results-driven business’

Ferentz also said he understands the reality of the situation amid Iowa’s struggles. The Hawkeyes average just 14.7 points per game on offense — fourth-worst in the FBS. He acknowledged the results aren’t what he’d like.

“Look, in this business we all signed up for this,” Ferentz said. “This is a results-driven business. It has been since the minute I entered it. None of this is a new phenomenon. Things that go on outside of this program never surprise nor shock me, ever, because this is the world we live in. This is the life we chose. You have to get results. Otherwise, they will move on to people who will. That’s the way it is.

“You add on to it my emotional ties to this place … player or coach, 16 years here. Was born in a hospital across the street, spent my entire childhood wanting to run out in that Swarm and got to do it and now got to coach here. I love this place. There is a responsibility and a privilege that comes with being a coach here or being a player here. I feel that deeply.”

Ferentz on working for his father: ‘I’ve been answering questions about nepotism my entire adult life’

Brian Ferentz played for his father from 2002-06 before returning to Iowa City as an assistant in 2012. Now in his 11th season with the program — and in what seems like an ever-changing role — he discussed the personal connection he has to the university.

That said, he’s used to hearing questions about working for his dad.

“I’ve been answering questions about nepotism my entire adult life,” Ferentz said. “None of that is new to me either. I would flip it and say if you think that I don’t feel an added responsibility or added pressure to perform well for my father, you are crazy. Of course, I feel that. I’m a human being. But at the end of the day, what you can’t let happen is worrying about anything that’s not going to help you do your job. I learned that very early in my career: Keep your eyes on the road. Keep your eyes where they need to be, keep your feet where you are and worry about doing your job as well as you possibly can regardless of circumstance, regardless of what’s going on around you.

“Keep your focus there. Pour your effort into that. Whatever happens, happens. Do the best you can where you are at with what you got, and you won’t have any regrets. That’s what I was taught at an early age. I continue to live by that. So I don’t worry about what’s going on other places. Quite frankly, I don’t worry about what’s going on for my job status or anything like that. My focus is on the staff, the players, and doing my duty to the best of my ability to help them be successful.”