Howe: Iowa's Offense Better Be Better

Hawkeyes Invested Heavily in Portal to Fix Lagging Phase

Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz (left) and head coach Kirk Ferentz watch the Hawkeyes warm up before a game against Michigan on Oct. 1, 2022 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - It's the elephant in the room that every Iowa Football fan would clearly see if it were the size of a pin hole. Will the team's offense come to life or continue resembling Dumbo in 2023?  

We heard positive reviews during the team's annual media day here on Friday. It mirrored the mantra coming out of the facility throughout the offseason. That's normal behavior. 

Optimism and pessimism really are meaningless this time of year, though. Talk is cheap. The only outcome that matters unfolds this fall. 

The college football world awaits the results. The circumstances are juicy. The head coach's son is the offensive coordinator. Succeed or fail, it's a national story. 

Brian Ferentz owns the lowest approval rating of any Iowa assistant coach in the last quarter of a century. It sits below predecessors Ken O'Keefe and Greg Davis. And that's saying something, folks. 

In an attempt to rise from the ashes, his father, Kirk Ferentz, left his comfort zone and dove into the portal this offseason. The program added seven offensive players. A good chunk of NIL resources were invested. 

The maneuver removes any excuses for father and son. If the offense remains feeble, former quarterback Spencer Petras isn't behind center to take a good portion of the arrows. 

The Ferentzes are putting their faith in new starting signal caller Cade McNamara, who won a Big Ten title at Michigan two seasons ago. The vitriol sent Petras' way previously will be redirected to Brian not to McNamara if the offense stinks again. 

That's where we are. There's no next season for Brian Ferentz, who presided over offenses that ranked 123 out of 131 FBS teams in scoring last season and 99th the year before? 

Kirk saved his son from what would have been fireable results at plenty of other institutions in big-money college football. Entering his 25th season leading the program, he possessed the power to do so. Recently departed AD Gary Barta basically assured it won't happen again. 

Barta amended Brian's contract after last season. It said that Iowa must score 25.0 points per game and win at least seven contests this season in a deal that expires at the end of next June. 

Fans and media, national and local, will be monitoring those benchmarks weekly, especially the point total. It will serve as a main topic of conversation all season long. 

Technically, Iowa could sign Brian to a new contract if the offense fails again. The scene could get sticky if the Hawkeyes win the West division on the backs of their standout defense and special teams. 

Again, it's hard to see that scenario playing out. The cumulative effect developed the last two years would create too much noise even for Kirk Ferentz to ignore at that stage.

The dean of college football coaches has bet on his oldest offspring. He stacked the deck with McNamara, a top tight end in Erick All, receivers Seth Anderson and Kaleb Brown, offensive linemen Rusty Feth and Daijon Parker, and even backup quarterback Deacon Hill from Wisconsin. The chips have been pushed in the middle. 

With those additions, the head told everyone that his son wasn't the problem. They needed better players. 

Kirk had evidence for his belief. Young Ferentz presided over a unit that averaged 31.2 points in '18 and 31.8 in the Covid-shortened season two years later. 

Get back to that, and the hot seat cools considerably. A repeat of the last two years, it's South Florida in July.