Iowa Football: What is Hawkeyes goal with Kirk Ferentz?

With the recent news of Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz’s huge extension, one must wonder what the ultimate goal is for Iowa Football?

A few days ago, news broke of the Iowa Hawkeyes coming to terms with legendary head coach Kirk Ferentz that will keep him at the sideline’s helm through the 2029 college football season. With that said, does anyone wonder why this was the move that Iowa football made?

Now yes, Ferentz has done an outstanding job at keeping the Hawkeyes in the public eye over his 22-and-a-half years with their program so far. In that span, he has provided them with multiple 10-win seasons, Big Ten Championship appearances, and, most importantly, Big Ten titles.

However, what exactly is it about Ferentz that has the Hawkeyes so enthralled by his presence that they would lock him in for another eight years? Remember that he is not new to the Iowa football team; he took the job back in 1999, being the longest-tenured head coach in college football since 2019.

The question has to be asked when wondering what exactly it is that the Hawkeyes are hoping to accomplish with Ferentz over the course of his extension. Are they hoping to win a national championship? That’s unlikely, considering that they’ve never come close to doing so in Ferentz’s tenure. Are they hoping for another Big Ten title? That, too, is unlikely, as they haven’t managed to win one in 17 years. So what gives?

What Iowa football is hoping to achieve

The logical explanation is that Iowa Football is pleased with where it finds itself right now; the Hawkeyes standards are not to win a national title but to remain relevant in both the Big Ten and the polls (a standard that Ferentz has met fairly consistently).

Nevertheless, being able to spend 30 years with one program is an honor that head coaches rarely receive, especially without having ever gotten over the hump and winning a natty.

For example, the Florida State Seminoles were a joke before Bobby Bowden got there. However, after 30 years with the program, national titles were the standard. The same can be said for Penn State’s Joe Paterno and BYU’s LaVell Edwards (Edwards was HC for only 28 years, but still managed to bring a national title to the program).

Even Frank Beamer who, like Ferentz, never won a national championship, still led his team to the point of playing for one. Not only that, but he won seven conference titles in his 28 years at Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, Ferentz has only won two at Iowa so far. Yikes.

To put it simply, saying that Ferentz is not on par with these other coaching legends is an understatement, so why is the University of Iowa going all-in on him as if he is? Being content with where you are is understandable, but the eyes should ultimately be fixed on the biggest prize in a game as competitive as college football, and that’s hoisting up the CFP trophy.

So as a parting thought, to serve as clarification for the Hawkeyes, just keep in mind: there are bigger prizes than divisional titles, yet that seems to be the most you’re going to get under Ferentz nowadays.