IOWA CITY, Iowa — Kirk Ferentz has taken the minutelong walk from his coaching suite to the All-American Room podium maybe 150 times since the Iowa football facility was completed in 2015. Tuesday was the first time the walk and subsequent news conference appeared uncomfortable for the 68-year-old coach.

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Perhaps two-thirds of those trips were unwanted; few football coaches like in-season news conferences, especially after a loss. But this one felt different. Ferentz looked humbled, and not in the honored fashion. This time, he was publicly checked by interim athletics director Beth Goetz in a way he never was with Gary Barta. The briskness of his walk to and from the podium relayed his emotions more than any of his words ever could.

Monday, Goetz announced offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz — Kirk’s oldest son — will leave the program at season’s end. The move has major ramifications, not only for this year’s Big Ten West co-leading Hawkeyes but also for 2024 and beyond. Neither Kirk Ferentz nor Goetz provided clarity on how that conclusion was reached. And the biggest question of all — what does this mean for the head coach’s future — was left unanswered.

“Things are as they always are, to worry about this game and bigger scale, bigger picture for these four games,” Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday. “That’s where my focus has been this entire season. Obviously, there were more than four games a week ago, two weeks ago.”

“The concern anytime you would have to replace a Hall of Fame coach in any sport is real,” Goetz said. “Obviously, we’ve got more than our fair share here at Iowa, and you want to keep them here as long as you can so they can continue to lead our great programs.”

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This is where one of college football’s most stable programs stands entering November. Since 1979, Iowa has had two coaches with a combined 397 victories. Ferentz succeeded his former boss, Hayden Fry, in 1999 and is two wins shy of tying Bo Schembechler for third in wins as a Big Ten coach. But after the next four games and the postseason, Ferentz’s future is uncertain.

The head coach appeared slightly emotional throughout his news conference. The so-called “Drive for 325,” hovered over Brian Ferentz for nearly nine months after Barta halted his two-year rollover contract in February. In addition, Barta installed performance objectives of 25 points per game and seven wins for the OC to return to his previous contract. If the team failed to meet either objective, then Brian Ferentz’s contract would expire.

Kirk Ferentz: Announcement came from ADs office. A departure from his previous decisions on staffing over 24 years.

— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) October 31, 2023

Through eight games, the Hawkeyes sit at 6-2 overall and tied atop the Big Ten West. But they average just 19.5 points per game and have totaled five offensive touchdowns in five Big Ten games. Unless the offense unleashed a swath of scoring akin to a penniless person winning the lottery, the Hawkeyes were going to finish far short of 25 points per game. However, instead of letting the season reach its conclusion, Goetz announced the decision with four regular-season games remaining.

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In prepared remarks Tuesday, the announcement’s timing is what appeared to aggravate Kirk Ferentz the most. He expanded on his thoughts when asked later in his news conference.

“My policy has typically been to evaluate everything — players, coaches, all that — postseason because in-season we have a lot on our plates,” he said. “That’s kind of been the nature of it, and it’s been that way probably since I got started full time in ’81. There’s not enough time in the day. That’s where our focus is.

“Everything you do is precious in terms of time relations. So to me, it’s a better time. It’s a less emotional time. I can give you a lot of reasons why I’ve done it that way, but it really doesn’t matter. It’s really not significant right now because we’re dealing with something that we have to deal with, and we will.”

Goetz largely deferred to her four-paragraph statement regarding the timeline.

“The only consideration is what we think is in the best interest short-term,” Goetz said.

Given the high-profile nature of Brian Ferentz’s firing, it does draw into question how involved Goetz will be in the replacement process. Barta, who worked as athletics director from 2006 until Aug. 2, usually was notified about football hirings but became involved only when Brian Ferentz first was hired in 2012. Because of the University of Iowa’s nepotism policy, Barta served as Brian Ferentz’s official supervisor. Goetz now holds that role.

Where this became a problem is with the offensive performance. The Hawkeyes have a slight scoring uptick from last year’s 17.7 points per game (123rd) but they sit at 14.2 in Big Ten play. Iowa ranks last nationally in total offense (232.4 yards per game), which is 26.4 yards below the No. 132-ranked offense. That comes off a 251.6-yard average last year that was the worst in Big Ten play during the Ferentz tenure. There was little confidence the offense could make the required strides under Brian Ferentz.

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Despite removing the current offensive coordinator, Goetz said she will stay out of the way for the next hiring.

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“We empower our head coaches to make decisions that they think are best in the hiring process,” Goetz said. “Of course, administrators are involved in how we engage with them and exchange ideas. But those are decisions that we’ll leave up to that coach.”

Over Kirk Ferentz’s tenure, the athletics department has served as little more than football’s rubber stamp. It’s hardly unique to Iowa — most major institutions operate that way — but this removal was personal. Both Ferentzes tried to downplay their relationship over the years, but the father-son dynamic had obvious overtones that affected the program. Kirk Ferentz tried to separate the family element from the football decision but conceded, “I’m very fond of him.”

The primary question is how much will the scarring from his son’s dismissal weigh on Kirk Ferentz as he deliberates his next move? That answer will come on his own terms.

(Photo: Jeff Hanisch / USA Today)