Kirk Ferentz, the longest-tenured coach in the FBS Division I football level, enters another year as the head man of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Already having a storied career that is Hall of Fame-worthy, Ferentz is looking to continue building his legacy.
The 2025 Hawkeyes may have the recipe for that. With a revamped offense and the usual defensive prowess, Ferentz is chasing his first trip to the College Football Playoff. If he can make it there, it is a final rose in an already overflowing bouquet of career accomplishments.
Those accomplishments and his ability to win have him climbing CBS Sports’ rankings of Big Ten head coaches in 2025, and he is making his way into the top five at No. 5.
5. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
National rank: No. 19
Ferentz’s tenure at Iowa — the longest of any active FBS coach — has delivered steady success, but the Hawkeyes have struggled to consistently compete with the Big Ten’s elite. Ferentz turns 70 in August ahead of his 27th season at Iowa. Although he’s been to the Big Ten Championship Game three times in the past decade, the last conference crown for the Hawkeyes came way back in 2004. Half the players on Iowa’s 2025 roster weren’t even born then. Ferentz remains one of the sport’s most respected figures, with 204 wins — the most among any active FBS coach. Last year: No. 6 in Big Ten – Cody Nagel, CBS Sports
While he wins, and does so at a very high rate, the next step for the Iowa Hawkeyes as a program is to get the monkey off of their back and compete against the top of the conference. Iowa consistently beats up on the cellar dwellers, but showing up consistently against the best of the best has eluded Iowa for the last half-decade.
With Kirk Ferentz turning 70, the retirement watch is certainly on, but only he may know what that timeline looks like. Does a run to the College Football Playoff expedite that and send Kirk Ferentz out on a high note?
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football’s Kirk Ferentz climbs into top 5 of CBS’ Big Ten head coach rankings
Reporting by Riley Donald, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
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