Rumors are just that. However, the mill was moving pretty quickly over the past seven days. The search for a new Iowa offensive coordinator is in full swing, and names for potential offensive candidates have circulated the internet.
The Athletics’ Scott Dochterman tweeted that former Iowa assistant and NFL head coach Joe Philbin was the frontrunner for the job. Others with knowledge of the search have in essence alluded to the same idea.
Philbin was the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers team that won the Super Bowl in 2010 and set numerous NFL records in 2011. Philbin went on to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2012, but was fired in early 2015 after losing 30 of 55 games over 3 1/4 seasons.
However, before journeying the NFL, Philbin was an assistant to Kirk Ferentz at the University of Iowa from 1999-2002, coaching the offensive line.
“I’ve got great respect for Joe,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “He’s a tremendous coach here. He did an excellent job here. He’s an excellent coach, he was in Green Bay. He had a cup of coffee as an NFL head coach, which is how that works typically.”
“Great person, great football coach.”
The other candidate that drew headlines was… (dun dun dun) Nebraska’s former head coach Scott Frost. Well, not really. Kirk Ferentz did take a swing at his old Big Ten West opponent.
“I can think of a guy that entered the conference recently that came with widely acclaimed offensive stats,” Ferentz said, likely alluding to Frost. “That’s typically how those guys get to be well known — throwing it, running it, wishbone.”
Frost’s tenure with Nebraska ended with a 16-31 record over nearly five seasons. He was fired in the middle of 2022.
Ferentz said on Monday that there’s been three phone calls. It’s been reported that there was no mutual interest with Scott Frost, but Ferentz had a few words to say about Philbin — and former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst.
Chryst coached Wisconsin and operated under a similar ethos that the Hawkeyes employ now. Run the football, win in the trenches — and take care of the football. Chryst was also 5-2 against the Hawkeyes as the head coach of the Badgers.
“I’ve always had tremendous respect for Paul,” Ferentz said of Chryst. “I think it’s publicly stated, he did an outstanding job in Wisconsin. Since we got here 25 years ago, that’s a team we’ve been chasing.”
“That time they were the champs, and we were obviously not. I mean, I’ve always had great respect for Paul… he’s a really good person. Really good coach.”
Ferentz said that no decision can or will be made until after the Citrus Bowl.
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