Iowa Hawkeyes Urged to Fire Kirk Ferentz

The Iowa Hawkeyes are being urged to fire head coach Kirk Ferentz following the team's loss to the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl.

Oct 5, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz walks off the field after losing to Ohio State Buckeyes 35-7 after the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes were on the receiving end of yet another disappointing bowl game loss on Monday, this time blowing a late lead in a defeat to the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl.

It was just the latest disheartening moment in recent memory for Iowa football, and it has many questioning whether or not Kirk Ferentz remains fit for the job.

Ferentz made multiple controversial decisions during the loss, including late in the game when he elected to punt from the Hawkeyes' own 33-yard line on 4th-and-2. Iowa was down by three points at the time.

Ericka Brockish of Dear Ole Gold feels that it may be time to move on from Ferentz, who has been patrolling the sidelines at Iowa City since 1999.

"Ferentz has been coaching for a long time, and college football has changed over his tenure with the Hawkeyes, but the latest changes are the biggest college football has seen, and it just doesn't seem like the long-time head coach will be able to keep up," Brockish wrote.

But herein lies the problem: Ferentz is under contract through 2029, and should Iowa decide to fire him, it would cost the school $42 million.

It seems very hard to believe that the Hawkeyes are going to be willing to eat that money, so Ferentz will almost certainly be back in 2025.

Throughout his tenure at Iowa, Ferentz has gone 204-124 while going 10-11 in bowl games.

This year, the Hawkeyes went 8-5, marking their 12th straight winning campaign.