Following Iowa's matchup with Tennessee on January 1 (12 PM CT, ABC), Brian Ferentz will no longer be the offensive coordinator for the Hawkeyes. On Friday, Ferentz spoke with the media for the final time as the leader of the Iowa offense, joined by starting center Logan Jones.
"I just feel fortunate that I have been a part of this place," Ferentz said. "I [feel fortunate to] have been around the people that I have been around and had a chance to work with those people on a day-to-day and coach players like Logan and a lot of players that came before him."
Ferentz was informed that he would be relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator following the season during Iowa's bye week in October, yet he remained focused on the task at-hand -- winning football games and leading the Hawkeye offense.
"I made a commitment to this football team and to this football program," he said. "I intended to honor that commitment. I feel like I have done that. I fully anticipate doing that for the next three, four days, whatever it is, and then cross the other bridge [of finding a new coaching job] when I get there."
"This place is important to me," Ferentz added. "The University of Iowa is important to me. Football program is important to me. It is always important that I finish the right way and do my job."
Amid all the noise about his firing, Ferentz has not been happy with how the narrative has been consumed by his departure as opposed to the success of the team, which has a chance to finish the year with 11 wins for just the fourth time in school history.
"Quite frankly, probably what I resent the most about this situation is that the focus has come off of our football players, who have really accomplished some tremendous things this year," Ferentz said. "It has gone on to things that just quite simply do not matter. They are trivial and silly in my opinion."
"I think that is where the focus should be. That is where I would like it to be. I cannot control what you guys do or what other people say, but I think we are really missing something that is pretty special that is going on."
Though he was sure to address his ill will toward the story surrounding him rather than the highly-accomplished team, Ferentz went on to reflect on the fact that he gotten to know and work with his father, Kirk, on a professional level since taking over as the offensive line coach in 2012 and then the offensive coordinator in 2017.
"As you get older, you meet your parents as people, and, obviously, I think everyone has that opportunity for the most part," Ferentz said. "Sometimes what you find maybe does not live up to maybe what your idea of what your parents was, right, because you see them as actual human beings, and we are all flawed.
"I think it is special that I have gotten to coach with my father. He has lived up to everything that I imagined him to be. So I have enjoyed every minute of working with him. I do not know specific memories or anything like that. I will remember my time fondly. It was a lot of fun."
Kirk Ferentz weighed in during Thursday's media availability about his son's tenure in Iowa City as a coach.
"I'm appreciative that [Brian] has been a coach for 12 years in the program," he said. "He's been fully invested and done a lot of really good things for us. His contributions have been very valuable. It's always been important to him, and I respect the fact that he's been out here. I don't want to speak for him, but I think part of his motivation is -- like all of us -- he cares about the players he works with on a day-to-day basis."
It's been fun for the players, too. Jones shared that he will miss playing for the soon-to-be former offensive coordinator for the Hawkeyes, and that this game does have an added emotional element.
"You get to play for a guy like Coach Brian, it means a lot," he said. "You get a guy who will stop by and say hi to your mom, have a conversation with her, and she will come to me after the game and say how much that means to her. You get a guy like Coach Brian that comes in and does that, just the type of man he is, it means a lot to me. It means a lot to my mom, too."
"He does it with every player on the offensive, defensive side of the ball," Jones added. "Yeah, it says a lot about him, and I think it is going to be a very emotional game for us, and we are going to go out there and try and play our best football."
The 2024 Citrus Bowl between #17 Iowa and #21 Tennessee is set for 12 PM CT on ABC on January 1, 2024.
