On Monday, April 14 the NCAA announced its final decision regarding a reported Iowa football recruiting violation from 2022, which involved impermissible contact with quarterback Cade McNamara.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz and Hawkeyes assistant coach Jon Budmayr were previously suspended for one game that season, but now, wins are being vacated for the 2023 games in which McNamara participated. (Iowa went 4-1 in those games).
Ferentz is the Big Ten Conference’s all-time leader in coaching victories.
According to Hawk Central columnist Chad Leistikow, “It was not immediately clear exactly how Ferentz’s record in Big Ten history would be adjusted. He surpassed Woody Hayes’ 205 wins for No. 1 on the all-time list last season. Assuming he has to subtract four wins and one loss, Ferentz would be back to a 209-127 record at Iowa entering the Hawkeyes’ Sept. 5 season opener against Northern Illinois. But in that case he would still be the Big Ten’s all-time winningest coach.
“Iowa argued that the vacation of wins was over the top in its appeal to the Division I Committee on Infractions hearing panel. Prior to the ruling, Ferentz officially owned a 213-128 coaching record in 27 years at Iowa, including a mark of 18-9 during McNamara’s two seasons — though Deacon Hill was the primary Iowa QB in 2023 after McNamara tore his ACL in Week 5. McNamara did not play in any of Iowa’s final five games of 2024, which were started by Brendan Sullivan (three times) and Jackson Stratton (twice) after the quarterback reported concussion symptoms. He wound up transferring to East Tennessee State for a seventh year of college.”
Big Ten football coaching wins leaders (updated)
*Note: This is total wins while coaching a Big Ten team, not wins against Big Ten opponents
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What does NCAA penalty mean for Kirk Ferentz’s Big Ten wins record?
Reporting by Gus Martin, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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