Kirk Ferentz, 26 seasons in as No. 23 Iowa football head coach, still relishing in bowl game opportunity

IOWA CITY — Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz still says he learns something new about college football everyday.

Yes, even after 26 years as a Hawkeye head coach.

Despite the chaos, and ripple effects, of the College Football Playoff bracket and final rankings, Ferentz still recongizes Iowa’s efforts to receive a bid to the ReliaQuest Bowl as a high achievement for a season finale.

“We still view it as a very significant accomplishment to play in a bowl game, especially one as good as this,” Ferentz said Sunday afternoon. “Obviously it's going to be a big challenge for us to play an opponent as good as Vanderbilt.”

The Hawkeyes are set to face the No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores, an SEC program that sat on the cusp of reaching the 12-team CFP bracket after a 10-2 (8-2 SEC) regular season.

It’s the first time the two programs will meet on the gridiron, and it’s Iowa’s seventh all-time appearance in Tampa Bay for a postseason bowl game. The Hawkeyes have won four of their last seven bowl game appearances, and won their last appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl in 2019 over Mississippi State.

Vanderbilt, led by second-year head coach Clark Lea, also has quarterback Diego Pavia at the helm. The senior signal caller has been in the Heisman trophy race all season, and was a part of the landmark NCAA case that granted JUCO student-athletes an extra year of eligibility.

The same ruling that allowed returner/wide receiver Kaden Wetjen to play this season.

“I want to thank him for getting extra years for players, because that helped Wetjen get back in the fold,” Ferentz said. “And then also just the dynamic impact he's on their team, not only what he does physically, but the leadership and the confidence I think he helps breed.”

Ferentz also confirmed he doesn’t anticipate any of Iowa’s players to opt out of the ReliaQuest Bowl at this time.

“Every indication I have right now is our entire roster is ready to roll,” he said. “We still have a couple of weeks till game time, so I'll keep everybody posted. But right now, I think our team is really eager to accept this opportunity.”

The Hawkeyes are preparing for the bowl almost like a bye week: give the starters some rest, even with their desire to play, and evaluate the future Hawkeyes that will take over next season.

That specifically revolves around the Iowa defensive and offensive line, as well as the quarterback room. The Hawkeyes have five seniors on the defensive line, as well as three on the offensive line. Quarterback Mark Gronowski only had this year for eligibility.

Ferentz and his coaching staff have just under four weeks until facing the Commodores on New Year’s Eve, and it gives Iowa the flexibility to use practices as another evaluation metric.

And the staff has an excuse to be around the team a little bit longer.

“I think the best part about just an opportunity to compete one more time and for our team to be together for another four weeks,” Ferentz said. “So that's one of the real benefits of playing in a bowl game, certainly Tampa, and we know this through experience.”

It’s the normalcy that Ferentz is enjoying with the ever-changing landscape of college football. There’s opportunity for the Hawkeyes to make one more appearance on national television and face Vanderbilt for the first time in a ranked matchup.

Quintessential football, and Ferentz is choosing to relish in the chance.

“There's no downside to playing in a bowl game,” Ferentz said. “Absolutely no downside when you get to play a top 15 ranked team. That's really special.”

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