Kirk Ferentz has done some great things during his tenure as the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes. In 16 seasons, Ferentz has a career record of 115-85 and has led the team to 12 bowl games, four seasons with ten or more victories, and two Big Ten titles.
However, the program has stalled since the 2009 11-2 Orange Bowl season. Since then, the Hawkeyes have posted records of 8-5, 7-6, 4-8, 8-5 and 7-6. That’s hardly the return one would expect from a coach whose $4.075 million salary in 2014 ranked among the top ten in the nation.
Every game is an adventure at Iowa. Last season, the Hawkeyes narrowly defeated in-state FCS foe Northern Iowa, 31-23, and squeaked by Ball State 17-13 before losing the Cy-Hawk trophy to Iowa State (who would eventually finish 2-10) by a score of 20-17. Iowa showed some life during Big Ten play, posting a 4-4 record in the conference and made a bowl game, but Tennessee blasted the Hawkeyes, 45-28, in a TaxSlayer Bowl that saw Iowa trail 35-7 and 45-14 at various points.
Aside from the lackluster results on the scoreboard, there are a couple of things to consider when it comes to Kirk Ferentz’s job status. First, he has a contract that runs through 2020, which stipulates he would be paid 75% of the remaining value if fired. That buyout is expected to fall in the $13 million range should Ferentz be fired.
Second, as Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com points out, Iowa has seen a decline in season ticket sales and average attendance over the last few seasons – a sign that Hawkeyes’ supporters and Ferentz supporters are not necessarily one and the same.
Iowa has a team capable of competing for the Big Ten West title in 2015, but another mediocre season could cost Ferentz his job.
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