Iowa's Next Offensive Coordinator: Potential Candidates

Interim Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz announced on Monday that current offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz will no longer be with the program following the 2023 season.

With the news, Kirk Ferentz and company will be in search of a new OC sooner rather than later, assuming he stays into 2024. Though some names have floated around the fanbase as dream hires, we'll focus on names that Ferentz will want to employ and who will gladly follow along with his system. So, what names are -- or should be -- on the short list for the Hawkeyes to go after this offseason?

We'll start off with the realistic targets, followed by names close to the program and long shot hires that would make the fanbase happy.

Currently serving as Kirk Ferentz's senior special assistant, Jon Budmayr was brought into the program to help develop the offense. He was also a big pull out of the transfer portal for quarterbacks Cade McNamara and Deacon Hill. 2025 quarterback and Iowa recruit Jimmy Sullivan recently raved about Budmayr in an interview as well.

The former Wisconsin quarterback and assistant coach has previously served as an offensive coordinator for just one year at Colorado State. During his tenure there, the Rams averaged 23.7 points per game while putting together 163.9 yards per game rushing and 251.8 yards per game passing. Starting quarterback Todd Centeio completed 229 of 380 passes (60%) for 2,960 yards and 15 touchdowns, while throwing 10 interceptions. The Rams went 3-9 that season.

Under Budmayr's tutelage at Wisconsin, then-junior Jack Coan finished with the third-most passing yards in school history (2,727) and the third-best passing completion rate in Wisconsin history (69.6 percent). Coan’s passer rating is also the third-highest at Wisconsin for a single season (151.8). Budmayr was also pivotal in the recruitment of Graham Mertz, a four-star quarterback and the No. 42 player in the class of 2019.

Other than Coan's standout year in 2019, Wisconsin QBs were fairly average under Budmayr in 2018 and 2020.

Iowa's offensive line coach from 2017 to 2020, Tim Polasek currently serves as Wyoming's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

So far this season, the Cowboys are 124th in total offense, just six spots ahead of Iowa, who ranks last in the country. In 2022, he led a unit that included Honorable Mention All-Mountain West quarterback Andrew Peasley. Peasley completed 144 of 275 passes (52.4 percent) for 1,574 yards and ten touchdowns to nine interceptions while Titus Swen led the running attack for the Pokes and finished the year with 1,039 yards on the ground. Wyoming's offense ranked No. 14 in the nation in red-zone offense (90.6 percent) and No. 44 nationally in rushing offense (181.4 yards per game) that season.

While at Iowa, Polasek coached All-Americans and first-round draft picks Tristan Wirfs and Tyler Linderbaum, as well as future professionals Alaric Jackson, Cole Banwart, Coy Cronk, Ike Boettger, Boone Myers and more.

Prior to his time in Iowa City, Polasek served as an assistant in a variety of positions at North Dakota State between 2006 and 2012, before returning to the Bison as the team's offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016.

Best known for his tenure as the head coach at Wisconsin, Paul Chryst currently serves as an offensive analyst for Texas. He also played quarterback for the Badgers and was a three-time letter-winner in Madison.

As the head man for Wisconsin, Chryst went 67-26 between 2015 and 2022 before being fired on October 22, 2022 after the team started 2-3. Over four of his first five seasons in Madison, Chryst led his alma mater to 10-win seasons, including top-10 finishes and Cotton and Orange Bowl titles in 2016 and 2017. He twice earned Big Ten Coach of the Year and helped the Badgers to three division titles and a Rose Bowl following the 2019 season.

Chryst's coaching history has been on the offensive side of the ball, going back to his early days coaching running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers for the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football in 1991-92. Chryst has served as an offensive coordinator at Illinois State (1995), the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders (1996), Oregon State (1997-98, 2003-04), and Wisconsin (2005-11).

At Wisconsin, Chryst directed two potent offenses in 2010 and 2011 -- the Badgers averaged 41.5 ppg (6th nationally) in 2010 and 44.1 ppg (6th) in 2011. They also averaged 445.2 yards per game (21st) in 2010 and 469.9 yards per game (14th) in 2011.

The Wisconsin offenses did not hit those same heights after Chryst took over as head coach in 2015. Between 2015 and his firing in 2022, Wisconsin ranked 81st (26.8 ppg), 67th (28.4 ppg), 28th (33.8 ppg), 62nd (29.7 ppg), 21st (34.1 ppg), 88th (25.1 ppg), 84th (25.4 ppg), and 76th (26.3 ppg). The Badgers ranked between 36th and 51st in total offense between 2017 and 2019, but also finished 79th or worse in Chryst's other five seasons in charge.

Chryst’s nephew Keller serves an analyst for the Hawkeyes after spending two seasons in a similar role at Wisconsin.

A former Hawkeye who has repeatedly coached his position groups at a high level, LeVar Woods has shown that he has what it takes to be successful in whatever football endeavor he chooses.

Currently serving as special teams coordinator, Woods has been in the role since 2017 and has been a member of the Iowa staff since 2008. He previously served as tight ends coach (2015-17), linebackers coach (2012-14) and as an administrative assistant with the Iowa program (2008-11).

Though Woods doesn't have direct experience leading the entirety of the offense, he may be a favorite to land the job. Woods has been with the program for 15 years, has NFL experience, and also helped coach future NFL tight ends George Kittle, Noah Fant and TJ Hockenson.

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Current members of the Iowa staff that Ferentz could look to as options at offensive coordinator include offensive line coach George Barnett, running backs coach Ladell Betts, tight ends coach Abdul Hodge and wide receivers coach Kelton Copeland.

Barnett previously served as Miami's (OH) offensive coordinator and co-OC from 2013 to 2020, also leading the offensive line group. In his final season with the RedHawks, the Miami offense averaged just under 400 yards total offense, while ranking second in the conference by allowing just four sacks. At Iowa, he also coached Linderbaum in his final year with the Hawkeyes.

Betts is an NFL veteran, having played in 111 career games and rushing for 3,326 yards and 15 touchdowns. Prior to his days in the league with Washington, he played running back for the Hawkeyes from 1998-2001, rushing for over 1,000 yards in his junior and senior seasons. He has helped develop running backs like Tyler Goodson, Kaleb Johnson, and Leshon Williams over the last two seasons at Iowa.

Hodge is yet another former Hawk and NFL veteran on the staff, as he played linebacker for Iowa from 2002-05. He ranks third in career tackles (453) and is one of three Hawkeyes to lead the team in tackles three consecutive years (2003-05). Since taking over as tight ends coach last season, he has coached current Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta as well as Luke Lachey and Erick All.

Copeland has led Iowa's wide receivers since 2017 after previous coaching stops at Northern Illinois and South Dakota. Some of the top products Copeland has produced in his time in Iowa City include Nick Easley, Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith.

Easley surpassed 100 career receptions and 1,000 career receiving yards in his two seasons under Copeland, Smith-Marsette currently plays for the Carolina Panthers and Smtih is an NFL free agent after previously signing with the Arizona Cardinals this season. Through eight games this season, Iowa's wide receivers have 31 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns.

The Stoops family tree just won't be forgotten in Iowa City, no matter how they've grown in age, nor how much money they may want.

Bob Stoops, who is a former Iowa defensive back and staff member under Hayden Fry at Iowa, most recently coached in the XFL as the head man for the Dallas Renegades. He's most well known for his tenure as the head coach at Oklahoma from 1999 to 2016. He finished his career in Norman with a 191-48 overall record.

Everyone and their mother would like to hire Ryan Grubb, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 8-0 Washington Huskies. Grubb has the Huskies ranked fifth nationally in total offense so far this season, putting together 4,010 yards and 40 touchdowns through eight games this season.

Though he has no ties to the Iowa program, he does have ties to the state: he's originally from Kingsley, Iowa, and played running back and wide receiver at Division III Buena Vista University in Storm Lake.

Lastly, what if former Hawkeye quarterback Drew Tate returned to Iowa City as the offensive coordinator after playing and coaching stints in the CFL and coaching college football?

In 2022, he led Northern Iowa's tight end groups to one of its most productive seasons in the last five years, as the top three in the position group totaled 33 catches for 470 yards and four touchdowns. He coached under Bodie Reeder, UNI's current offensive coordinator,who has experience leading offenses to high-level production in the FBS and FCS.

Tate is currently serving as the wide receivers coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.