To be clear, I am not starting this thread because I necessarily think or hope Kirk Ferentz will retire after this season, but rather for the simple fact that the man is 70 years old, and the end of his tenure is clearly getting close. He's under contract through 2029, but almost nobody coaches until the end of their contract these days. So we can assume that Kirk will likely hang it up sometime in the next 1-3 years.
So the question I will pose is this: How does he do it? There are several options, as I see it:
Pretty obviously, I think the earlier in a season that you know you will be changing coaches, the better. But I don't think that is very Kirk-like. He generally keeps a laser focus on the current season and the next game.
As to what is most likely, I think back to his comments after it was announced that Brian wouldn't be retained. He said then that his practice, during his 20+ years as head coach, has been to conduct a full evaluation of the program at the end of the season. He specifically noted that the in-season announcement was a break from that tradition. So when it comes time for Kirk to hang it up, I believe this is the timing we can expect -- an announcement sometime in mid-January. Obviously, this would not be ideal, as the coaching carousel will have mostly run its course by this point. But one thing we know about Kirk Ferentz is that he gives zero effs about the "quick hiring process" mentality (think of any time he has hired assistants ... he's never moved fast). Also, he might know that a retirement announcement late in the process makes it more likely that one of his assistants gets the gig.
Again, all this to say that I am not calling for Kirk to retire this year or at any specific time. Nonetheless, that time is coming, one way or another. And if I were Beth Goetz, this would be something I might be having conversations about with the head coach.
So the question I will pose is this: How does he do it? There are several options, as I see it:
- Announce prior to his final season, that it will be his last. This would allow the university several months to start lining up a successor, and give Kirk a chance to have a "farewell tour" of sorts.
- Announce sometime during his final season, that it will be his last. This would also give the university extra time to start the hiring process, though not as much as the option above.
- Announce immediately after the last regular-season game. This seems like the most common, as it's also in the window when most coaches are fired and the coaching carousel heats up.
- Announce immediately after a potential bowl game.
- Announce a couple of weeks after a potential bowl game, after Kirk and the coaching staff do their annual post-season post-mortem. (Notable: I believe Kirk's contract year ends on Jan. 31.)
- Announce at another point in the year, such as May or June. This would likely force the university to hire an "interim" coach for the following season.
Pretty obviously, I think the earlier in a season that you know you will be changing coaches, the better. But I don't think that is very Kirk-like. He generally keeps a laser focus on the current season and the next game.
As to what is most likely, I think back to his comments after it was announced that Brian wouldn't be retained. He said then that his practice, during his 20+ years as head coach, has been to conduct a full evaluation of the program at the end of the season. He specifically noted that the in-season announcement was a break from that tradition. So when it comes time for Kirk to hang it up, I believe this is the timing we can expect -- an announcement sometime in mid-January. Obviously, this would not be ideal, as the coaching carousel will have mostly run its course by this point. But one thing we know about Kirk Ferentz is that he gives zero effs about the "quick hiring process" mentality (think of any time he has hired assistants ... he's never moved fast). Also, he might know that a retirement announcement late in the process makes it more likely that one of his assistants gets the gig.
Again, all this to say that I am not calling for Kirk to retire this year or at any specific time. Nonetheless, that time is coming, one way or another. And if I were Beth Goetz, this would be something I might be having conversations about with the head coach.
