Kirk Ferentz plans to coach at Iowa 'until I am no longer passionate about the game'

During his weekly press conference Tuesday — the first after Iowa announced his son wouldn’t return as offensive coordinator after this year — Kirk Ferentz was asked multiple times about his future as the Hawkeyes’ head coach. In his response to each question, he reaffirmed his commitment to the current season and finishing out the last four games and bowl game.

Wednesday night, Ferentz released a further statement on his future as the head coach.

“While my immediate focus is on finishing the season strong, I love coaching and my intent is to continue coaching here at the University of Iowa,” Ferentz said. “We have built something very special here and I plan to coach until I am no longer passionate about the game, players or coaches.”

Ferentz was, of course, asked about the change at offensive coordinator looming after this season. On Monday, Iowa interim athletics director Beth Goetz announced Brian Ferentz wouldn’t return to his position after the bowl game. Kirk Ferentz noted that’s a departure from his philosophy of waiting until after the season to evaluate coaching changes — something he discussed amid last year’s struggles.

After he addressed that situation, Ferentz was asked about his future as the head coach. More specifically, the question was if he’d “definitively” be returning in 2024. That’s when Ferentz said he’s keeping his focus on the task at hand, which is finishing the 2023 season.

“Things are as they always are: to worry about this game and bigger scale, bigger picture for these four games,” Ferentz told reporters. “That’s where my focus has been this entire season. Obviously there was more than four games a week ago, two weeks ago. That’s what I think about.

“Each and every year, it’s been pretty consistent, just like the other things I referenced.”

Ferentz has been the head coach at Iowa since 1999 after two years with the Baltimore Ravens. He recently won his 200th game as a head coach, bringing him to a 192-117 record with the Hawkeyes. He previously coached at Maine in the 1990s before heading to the NFL.

Iowa’s offense has struggled mightily the last few years, particular in 2022 and through 2023. Last year, the Hawkeyes averaged 17.7 points per game and are averaging 19.5 through eight games this season. Of course, the “Drive for 325” helped amplify that storyline a bit considering the clause in Brian Ferentz’s contract.

But even despite the struggles, Kirk Ferentz wanted to maintain continuity during the season. His reasoning for that stems from all the work that has to be done during the year, and now he’s wanting to see how his team responds.