‘Definition of overachieving’: Big Ten coaches sound off on the 2022 Iowa Hawkeyes anonymously
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Sure, the preseason All-American and All-Big Ten lists give fans a great indication of the type of talent each roster has heading into any given season. Those are great media fodder when comparing teams’ rosters, too.
Still, one of my favorite pieces of each offseason is getting a look into what the coaches have to say anonymously about each program. Athlon Sports’ annual magazine delivers on that front each and every offseason and 2022 is no different.
Regardless of where you might rank them, the Big Ten has a collection of some of the finest coaches in all of college football. Iowa just so happens to have arguably the best head coach of anybody in the Big Ten. When those coaches and their assistants break down how they view a program, it’s some pretty fascinating stuff.
Once again, Athlon Sports tasked the Big Ten’s coaches with providing an anonymous breakdown of the Iowa Hawkeyes heading into the 2022 college football season. Here’s everything they had to say about Iowa.
'They do not care if you think they should do it different.'
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In 2021, Iowa won 10 games for the seventh time under head football coach Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes also captured the Big Ten West for the second time and have won 19 Big Ten games over the past three seasons, the program’s most successful stretch since winning 20 league games during the 2002-04 seasons.
“Every year that goes by, it’s apparent this staff isn’t going anywhere until the head man (Kirk Ferentz) decides to leave. They do what they do, they do it well and they do not care if you think they should do it different. They’ve got total support, too. So if everyone’s calling for the OC’s (Brian Ferentz) head, it doesn’t really matter. This program moves at its own pace.” – Athlon Sports.
'They're a model of defense.'
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker and the Hawkeyes boasted one of the nation’s stingiest defenses in 2021. The Hawkeyes held opponents to just 19.21 points per game last season, ranking No. 13 nationally in that category. Iowa also led the nation in interceptions with 25.
“They’re a model of defense. They’re assignment sound, physical up front and they’re rarely out of position. When you look at them on film, it’s all vanilla. It’s hard to see an ‘Iowa scheme’ in anything. The Iowa part of it is running base stuff with great fundamentals, or playing sound gaps and understanding assignments on the fly. They’ll cover your route concepts quickly because they’re smart, and they’re smart because they’re well-coached. That’s why you see so many flashier teams with more talent come in there and get brought down to Iowa’s pace and style. They command games, even with less talent.” – Athlon Sports.
'They're going to let those guys battle it out.'
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Iowa has itself a full-fledged quarterback battle heading into fall camp. The majority believes that Spencer Petras will emerge as the Hawkeyes’ starting quarterback once more, but Alex Padilla will get his legitimate chance to win the job at least according to one anonymous Big Ten coach.
“The offensive line was young up front last year, and that showed at times. The issue is going to be production at the quarterback position. They’re going to let those guys battle it out.” – Athlon Sports.
'The program is the definition of overachieving in this sport.'
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
As another one of the anonymous coaches stated earlier, as long as Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz is around, fans and opponents have a great idea of what the Hawkeyes will be. Ferentz and his staff will squeeze every last drop of potential out of the personnel on campus.
At times, it might be frustrating for some fans that Iowa doesn’t recruit the same type of talent that the other heavyweights in the Big Ten are regularly able to bring into their campuses. And, yes, if Iowa could kick its offense into overdrive, then who knows what the ceiling might look like in Iowa City. Still, it’s almost impossible to argue with the proven track record Ferentz has delivered here and opposing league coaches get that.
He and his staff have a plan, they’re sticking to it and they’re going to win more games than they lose.
“The program is the definition of overachieving in this sport. Yes, they probably need to be more creative on offense, but they’re not listening to the outside, trust me.” – Athlon Sports.
The takeaway
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Nobody should expect opposing Big Ten coaches to offer up any scathing reviews of Kirk Ferentz’s program. Why would they? He’s highly respected, and he should be. After all, Ferentz has been the model of consistency and now he’s the all-time winningest coach in Hawkeye history.
The rest of the league’s coaches understand some of the inherent challenges attached to building a consistently successful program at a place like Iowa versus say a Michigan, Ohio State or Penn State. The reviews are in, and, once again, it’s very high praise for the Hawkeyes from their peers.
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