Iowa Hawkeyes announce contract extension for Kirk Ferentz

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•01/14/22

The Iowa Hawkeyes announced a contract extension for head football coach Kirk Ferentz on Friday afternoon. He just completed his 23rd season as the head coach of the Hawkeyes.

Ferentz’s total annual compensation under the new agreement will be $7 million and includes a $500,000 base salary, with $5.5 million in supplemental compensation, and a $1 million longevity bonus. The contract expires on Jan. 31, 2030, when Ferentz will be 75 years old.

His previous contract ran through the 2025 season. Ferentz and the members of his staff will also continue to be eligible for bonuses based on performance.

The announcement was made by Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta.

“Kirk’s consistent leadership and success over 23 years has been amazing and appreciated as he has led our football program in a first-class manner,” Barta said. “His success over the past 23 years speaks for itself. He is an asset to the University of Iowa and our athletics department as a whole. The foundation of his program is strong, and the future looks bright.”

His previous contract ran through the 2025 season.

Iowa is coming off a successful season in which they finished 10-4 overall. They had a pretty rough finish to their season. They were thoroughly whipped by the Michigan Wolverines 42-3 in the Big Ten Championship Game. Iowa also lost the Citrus Bowl 20-17 to Kentucky in gut-wrenching fashion. The Hawkeyes could find no answer for the Wildcats’ electrifying receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson.

Iowa has developed a tremendous amount of NFL talent under Ferentz’s watch. In the 2022 NFL playoffs, the Hawkeyes have 16 players in the playoffs, ranking them sixth in the country in that category.

Since 2015, Ferentz has guided Iowa to three ten plus win seasons, including a 12-2 season in 2015 that finished with a Rose Bowl berth.

One of the best seasons during his tenure with the Hawkeyes came back in 2002-2003, when Iowa finished in the top 5 in the country. They finished 11-2 overall after losing 38-17 in the Orange Bowl to the USC Trojans.