Kirk Ferentz: Good But Never Great

It's been another very good year for Iowa. Not a great year, as those are few and far between, but a really good year. They lost two close games to start the season before winning six straight and becoming so intimidating that Michigan has faked a Covid outbreak to avoid playing them (that last part is not true in the slightest, but if Ohio State fans can claim it, Iowa fans should be able to be at least as stupid). I'm not going to get into whether this season should have happened, but it did, and it was a nice distraction. There are sports that suffer without fans, but football is not one of them.

But it was still just a good year. It's both comforting and frustrating having Kirk Ferentz as your coach. You always know you're going to get competence, and everything falls into place, something special might happen, but Kirk is set in his ways, and that is why he may have been a very good coach, but he never became a great coach.

The last few years may be the greatest example of this. The biggest issue at Iowa is that you aren't going to have the greatest skill position players so you trudge along with a safe offense that chews up clock and keeps a dominant defense as fresh as possible. It's usually that Iowa doesn't have the weapons, but that hasn't been the case lately.

In 2018, they had two first round tight ends in TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant along with two talented young receivers, and three viable running backs that they could sub in and out for whoever best fit their situation.

In 2019, those talented young receivers grew up as Ihmir-Smith Marsette, Brandon Smith, Tyrone Tracy, and Nico Ragaini were all viable weapons on the outside, and late in the season Sam LaPorta emerged as a dangerous tight end target. This was also the year that Tyler Goodson came in as a true freshman and proved he might be Tyler GoodDAD, because he made opposing defenders look like children (Tyler Greatson is too easy).

Now in 2020, ALL of those guys were still there, and they added Charlie Jones, who never got to play wide receiver but was absolutely dynamite as a punt returner and gave Hawkeye fans plenty to dream on. They literally had too many weapons.

Did Iowa update their offense to take advantage of this incredible glut of talent? Folks, they did not, and that is why they went 6-2 this past year instead of 8-0 with a date against Ohio State where the Buckeyes wouldn't be the overwhelming favorite (OSU would definitely still be favored). 

I know their accomplishments are quite different, but when it comes down to it, Nick Saban and Kirk Ferentz are pretty damn similar as coaches. They love defense, with a defensive line pressuring enough for their secondary to make big plays while the linebackers roam around to clean up any messes. They want to run the ball as much as possible, because it's a point of pride for their lines to beat the hell out of the opposing lines. 

But the difference between the two happened two years apart. In 2011, Iowa had a disappointing season, finishing just 7-6 and ending the season with a bad loss to Oklahoma. Their offensive coordinator left, and they chose to go with Greg Davis, the most uninspired pick possible, but one that Ferentz could control to keep the offense in his image without any flash getting in the way.

Two years later, Alabama had a disappointing 11-2 season (turns out that Alabama and Iowa have slightly different definitions of disappointing), ending the season with a bad loss to Oklahoma. Nick Saban got rid of Doug Nussmeier and brought in Lane Kiffin, and letting Kiffin run the offense that he wanted to run. Saban still had some say, but it was clear that this was Kiffin's offense. One year later they were in the College Football Playoff, the year after they won the National Title. He's ran through some offensive coordinators since then, but has kept the attacking wide open style to outgun his opponents. The dominant defense might give up some more points since they are on the field more, but he sacrificed in order to better his team as a whole.

Greg Davis left after 2016, giving Kirk another opportunity to pick a forward-thinking offensive coordinator. He instead gave his son, Brian Ferentz, the job, and a defense that is, without a doubt, worthy of being in the College Football Playoff, gets to play in another middling bowl game. 

Iowa isn't special. There's nothing about its history or infrastructure that guarantees it will be a good program. What Kirk Ferentz has done has been so impressive, but with the defense that Phil Parker has guided these past few years, and the numerous offensive weapons that they have developed, these teams could have been special.

Kirk Ferentz is a very good football coach, but refusing to leave his comfort zone on offense is what will ultimately prevent him from ever being great.

Luka Garza vs. Spencer Lee - Who Will Have The Better Year?

The Iowa Hawkeyes are in an insane place right now. They have the #3 ranked basketball team and will presumably have the #1 ranked wrestling team when that season gets underway. As crazy as that is, they also have favorites to be crowned the best basketball player and best wrestler in the nation. This stuff doesn't happen for Iowa. I mean, even in wrestling, Iowa hasn't had a Hodge Trophy favorite since Brent Metcalf, and he won his back in 2008. For basketball, just thinking off the top of my head, I don't think Iowa has had a first round pick since Ricky Davis in 1998. The last time it was a top-10 pick, back in 1980. So, yeah, this is a bit of unchartered territory for the Hawkeyes. I'm not saying Luka is that level of draft prospect, but it gives you an idea that elite talent is fairly rare for the Hawkeye program.

So the question becomes, when you have the best at their respective sports, who is going to end up having the better year?

First off, we have Spencer Lee, who at first glance seems to be untouchable. I mean, is anyone a real threat for him this year? He has dominated his entire college career, and he only seems to have gotten better this offseason. Patrick Glory and Vito Arujau are good, maybe great, but greatness doesn't even begin to get on Lee's level. The only potential road block would be for Daton Fix to drop weight for this season, and even then, I'm not sure if it matters. Without Fix around, there is a legitimate shot that Spencer Lee could bonus every single opponent this season. Although slightly far-fetched, there's a chance that nobody goes the distance with Spencer Lee as he might just tech fall and pin his way through the season. I know, I know, that is very unlikely, but it's crazy to objectively look at it, and go, "It's not impossible." 

On top of all of that, Iowa is the clear favorites to win the National Championship this year. Penn State has reloaded, but still, Iowa has the potential for All-Americans in every single weight class, including four guys with VERY realistic shots at a National Championship (Lee, Eierman, Marinelli, Kemerer). This team is SPECIAL. It's going to be an amazing year, and it will all be led by Lee.

And then we have Luka Garza, who, let me be clear, is not a slouch. He was incredibly close to being named the Naismith Award Winner last year, being edged out by Obi Toppin, and when most guys put up that incredible of a season, they get out of town and into the NBA as fast as possible. I mean, it's not like he can really improve on what he did last year. 

Except he might.

There have been enough videos online over the summer to get me WAY too excited about what he will do this season. The man already possessed a plethora of moves inside, but now he has dabbled with a sky hook while relentlessly working to create a more consistent three-pointer. It was an all-time year last year, and now it might get better? Good lord.

But even if Garza does his absolute best, it isn't going to compare to Spencer Lee individually. Lee's average is better than Garza's best; the wrestler is just that good. But what could put Garza over the top is team success.

I am in the great, great, great minority that loves college wrestling more than college basketball, but I understand the importance of a great Iowa basketball team. I mean, if Iowa made the Final Four, how incredible would that be? It would definitely be incredible enough to make it a serious discussion about who had the best year this season.

And if Iowa wins the National Championship? That thought would have seemed crazier than Spencer Lee going on a tech fall and pin streak through an entire season, but now, there is a clear path. Iowa would have to play incredible basketball and tighten up their defense, but again, they are the third ranked team in the nation right now. This dream could legitimately become a reality.

And if Garza wins the Naismith AND leads the Iowa Hawkeyes to a National Championship, it would be impossible to say any Iowa athlete had a better year than that.