Iowa football built winning brand with help from walk-ons

Over the last seven seasons, Kirk Ferentz is on his best run as the head football coach at Iowa.

The Hawkeyes are 63-24 since 2015 with three double-digit win seasons and are on the verge of finishing ranked for the fourth year in a row. That has yet to happen under Ferentz’s watch.

In recruiting, the Hawkeyes ferociously attack the midwest. The home state is important, but the Hawkeyes lean heavily on talent from Illinois and Wisconsin to fill the roster with some Ohio digging also a part of the blueprint. The formula seems to be working as the Hawkeyes have now signed consecutive top-25 classes per average star rating.

However, the Iowa football program is never truly about blue-chip talent. Ferentz has built his organization around hard-nosed football where the Hawks lean on defense and special teams to win football games.

“But at the end of the day, our job is simple,” Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz told the media on Wednesday. “We need to change field position, and we need to score points. That’s really it, because we are a three-phase team: We play defense, special teams and offense. We win when all three of those phases are working together.

Iowa focuses on playing complementary football and being a physical team. That type of mentality can sometimes be hard to find in recruiting. However, it can open a program up to a certain type of walk-on talent.

In Iowa City, Kirk Ferentz seems to have mastered the art of finding capable walk-on talent.

On Saturday at Camping World Stadium, four former walk-ons will draw major roles for Iowa. Jack Koerner is a starting free safety who leads the team in solo tackles (61). The Des Moines (Iowa) Dowling Catholic product has been starting since 2019 and embodies what Iowa tries to be as a football program.

“To talk about what Jack has brought us as a walk-on, the determination, the mental toughness, the way he competes every day. He’s a smart football player, understands the game, and really works hard and a great
leader,” Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker told reporters. “Gets everybody in the right spot. He’s good to have in the film room.”

Iowa is a blue-collar football program that wants to outwork its competition. That work ethic combined with a physical brand of football has helped complement solid recruiting results and establish a winning program.

In 2021, the Hawks finished the regular season 10-2 despite having one of the worst offenses in the Power Five.

Joe Evans turned into the team’s best pass rusher. Charlie Jones is a legit threat as a punt returner. Kyler Schott has been one of the better guards in the Big Ten. Each joined the Iowa program as a walk-on.

In college football, there are multiple ways to win games. The best and most popular way is to recruit good high school talent and develop prospects when they arrive on campus. The transfer portal has also created another avenue for programs to explore.

At Iowa, the Hawkeyes have a strong walk-on program, and it’s helping them fill the gaps and win games on Saturdays.