Kirk Ferentz addresses if Brian Ferentz news will impact their relationship

Iowa announced earlier this week that offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz will not return for the 2024 season. It was a move that was without a doubt tough on Kirk Ferentz, who is the Iowa head coach and Brian’s father.

Kirk Ferentz was asked earlier this week how Brian Ferentz being fired impacted him from a personal standpoint. It hurt, for sure, but the Hawkeyes have to keep pushing on.

“I’ve had a lot of strong relationships with a lot of people that have worked here, and that’s one of the beauties of what we do,” Ferentz said. “So if this were anybody on our staff that fell into this category, I’d feel bad about it. But I’m guessing they would encourage us to keep moving forward, too. And that’s just what you have to do.”

Iowa is currently 6-2 (3-2) heading into Saturday’s game at Northwestern.

It has been a solid season for the Hawkeyes overall, but the offense has really struggled.

Iowa is dead last in the nation in yards per game at 232.4 — 26 yards behind the next worst team. Iowa is also averaging 19.5 points per game, which ranks No. 120 out of 133 teams.

Kirk Ferentz takes pride in the fact that Iowa hasn’t had much turnover on its staff during his time leading the program. He expects the program to stay together through the staff change this offseason.

“We all have a lot of mutual respect for each other. We all share common goals; that’s one of the beauties of this sport,” Ferentz said. “And one of the beauties of the sport is the far reach in numbers. We have 120-plus guys on our football team. So to get guys to become close, to develop a chemistry, all of those things, that’s the beauty of the game and in my 34 years here we’ve had tremendous stability. … So that’s one of the real perks of it all, and any time anybody goes through a setback, you always feel bad. Just like losing a game, you feel bad about that, too. But you move on.”

Iowa is currently a 4.5-point favorite for Saturday’s game at Northwestern. The over-under is set at 30.5.

If the Hawkeyes win, they will improve to 4-2 in Big Ten play and remain in contention to capture the Big Ten West title. Entering this weekend, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin all sit at 3-2 in league play.