Carry on my wayward son: Iowa fans are cackling at Fresno State's latest hire

Who could have ever forgotten The Drive to 325? While I am not entirely sure if Fresno, California has a bypass around it, the I-325 has a great sound to it. This is because Matt Entz plans to make Brian Ferentz a vibrant part of his first coaching staff at Fresno State. The former North Dakota State head coach plans to hire the failed offensive coordinator out of Iowa to coach the tight ends or something.

Ferentz is the fortunate son of longtime Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. While he briefly had a cup of coffee in the NFL as a player, probably because of his last name, Ferentz will get yet another shot to prove himself outside of the reach of his father. Ferentz spent last season as an offensive analyst on Mike Locksley's Maryland Terrapins staff. It was Ferentz's first non-Iowa or New England Patriots job.

I do not know what Entz sees in Ferentz. I mean, Iowa had a historically bad offense under Ferentz's watch. By joining Locksley's staff, the Terps were four wins worse with three more defeats in the loss column. The only Big Ten win Maryland had last year was over the team that briefly employed Entz in the 2024 USC Trojans. Do not let Lincoln Riley's decadence fool you into thinking Ferentz improved!

While Ferentz had been a strong position coach previously, do not let him anywhere near a headset.

Brian Ferentz to resurface as a position coach on Fresno State Bulldogs

One thing that makes me believe that his reported hire just might work is how down I am on the Mountain West next year. Outside of Colorado State and maybe Boise State really jiving under one Maddux Madsen, this conference projects to be bottom-heavy. Fresno State earned a bowl bid late in the season, having done so with an interim head coach, so I could see the Bulldogs trending up soon.

Conversely, what I keep going back to is any time Fresno State has been a high-quality program in my lifetime, they have been led by a fun offense and great quarterback play. Those are two things that are not synonymous with anything Ferentz has done or could ever hope to do. His pitiful Iowa offense set college football back 50 years with each passing season. Let's hope he is a great tight ends coach!

Ultimately, Ferentz did enough to get another opportunity. The fact it is away from his father or Bill Belichick is a huge, huge plus. Entz may have strong connections to the state of Iowa, but Fresno might as well be the moon from Iowa City. What Ferentz will soon realize is how lucky he had it at Iowa. Going from a solid Power Two school to a strong Group of Five program is how the other half lives.

We can only hope Ferentz does not turn the next Jake Haener into the next Deacon Hill or worse.