The Iowa Hawkeyes are finally on the lookout for a new offensive coordinator, after the embattled son of head coach Kirk Ferentz was pushed out after another disappointing offensive showing in 2023. Despite the Hawkeyes sitting at 7-2 and atop the Big Ten West, coordinator Brian Ferentz is soon to be out of a job, thanks to Iowa ranking 131st in passing yards per game (110.8) and 111th in rushing yards per game (114.6), to go with the 122nd ranked offense in the nation by points per game, at 18.4. Very disappointing to Hawkeyes fans and the faithful Iowa sports betting community.
With Kirk’s son soon to be out of the job he’s held since 2017, Ferentz will be on the lookout (if he’s not already) for a new OC, which is why IowaBets.com went ahead and compiled a list of replacements for the Hawkeyes in 2024 and beyond.
Iowa OC Candidates
Here’s who could be the next play-caller in Iowa City, as a new era is set to hit the Iowa football program in 2024. The information below is something you may not see on Iowa betting apps.
Who Will Replace Brian Ferentz At Iowa?
Our top candidate to replace Ferentz is a former Hawkeyes assistant, Tim Polasek, who served alongside Brian Ferentz as Iowa’s offensive line coach from 2017 to 2020 before leaving to take the OC job at Wyoming. Since then, Polasek has led the Cowboys to three straight six-plus win seasons, including this year’s 6-3 team that’s about to become the first Wyoming team to reach a third straight bowl game in program history.
While the Cowboys offensive stats aren’t sexy (they rank 120th in yards per game at 293.6 and 65th in rushing yards per game at 150.4), Polasek has overseen a solid rebuild of Wyoming’s schemes, guiding them to new heights under longtime head coach Craig Bohl. Outside of the immediate Ferentz family and protégés, another name that could get a ring in Iowa City is current Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who has served alongside KU head coach Lance Leipold since their days at Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Kotelnicki has overseen the ‘RPO’ (Run, Pass, Option) revolution that’s led both the Jayhawks and Buffalo Bulls before that to unprecedented levels of success — with KU ranking 17th nationally in rush yards per game (192.4) and 38th in total yards per game (423.3) — despite the Jayhawks losing talented starting QB Jaylon Daniels to an injury this year.
Others who could get tabbed to replace the junior Ferentz include Akron head coach and former Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead (+500), SMU’s Casey Woods (+900), and UNLV’s Brennan Marion (+1900) — each of whom has overseen rebuilds of their chosen school’s offensive schemes and could be solid picks to do the same at Iowa. For now, Ferentz’s farewell tour includes home games against Rutgers (this Saturday) and Illinois (Nov. 18) at home, before heading to Nebraska to close out the regular season on Nov. 25.
The Hawkeyes will look to win the only way they know how (ugly) in those contests, as they look to return to Indianapolis to play in the Big Ten title game in 2023, sending Brian Ferentz out in style.
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