IOWA CITY, Iowa — There was so much material to cover in this week’s Iowa mailbag that we split it into two parts. Until there’s white smoke coming from Fortress Kinnick on the 2023 coaching staff, there are some questions that don’t have answers (here was the first batch of questions).
Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for clarity.
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How much longer do you realistically see Gary Barta sticking as Iowa’s athletic director? Who would be the realistic candidates if he were to leave in the next few years? — John S.
Do you believe Iowa athletics would benefit from new athletic leadership? Has the department reached its ceiling with the current leadership? — SEC Y.
Barta and Kirk Ferentz enjoy the longest athletic director-football coach working relationship in Division I. It hasn’t always been easy between them, but they’ve worked together since Aug. 1, 2006, when Barta took over.
No other athletic department features Iowa’s continuity. Ferentz is the dean of college football coaches, and the only AD still in place when he began in 1998 is Oklahoma’s Joe Castiglione. Barta is fifth in tenure among athletic directors. Ferentz, women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder and wrestling coach Tom Brands were in place before Bob Bowlsby left in 2006. Of Iowa’s four highest-profile sports, only men’s basketball has had a change under Barta, and he hired Fran McCaffery in 2010.
Iowa competes at a high level. Last March, the men’s and women’s basketball teams won Big Ten tournament titles, and the women took the regular-season crown, as well. The wrestling team claimed the 2021 NCAA title and is ranked No. 2 nationally (which isn’t good enough, I know, but it’s good comparatively). Football has finished the season ranked in five of the past eight years and hasn’t won fewer than eight games since 2014. Men’s track, baseball, field hockey and other sports also have earned Big Ten titles and NCAA postseason success.
There have been issues, including Title IX and gender discrimination losses in the courtroom, which have cost the department about $10 million in fees and settlements. There were missteps to the COVID-19 pandemic when Barta eliminated four sports, then was forced to bring back women’s swimming and add another women’s sport for the 2023-24 school year (women’s wrestling). With an influx of Big Ten revenue, the financials remain strong while the department repays a $50 million loan to the university. Iowa generated $151 million in revenue in fiscal 2022.
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Iowa has employed only three athletic directors since 1970 — Bump Elliott, Bowlsby (1991-2006) and Barta. But there are some areas where Iowa could freshen up. Barta, 59, has a contract through June 2024. If he retires or a change takes place, new deputy athletic director Beth Goetz is a solid candidate with a strong resume. Northern Iowa athletic director David Harris would get a strong look, too.
Is there any update on the diversity committee that reporters wrote was dissolved but Ferentz responded was evolving? — TM R.
The former players’ diversity committee was enacted following an external investigation of massive allegations of racial bias in 2020. Though considered advisory, the committee had serious differences of opinion in its functionality. Chair David Porter took a more active role, and it became contentious with the football staff and other committee members. Ferentz dissolved the committee, then sought counsel from university DEI officials, who recommended their office oversee anything related to race.
In a one-on-one interview with Des Moines Register columnist Chad Leistikow in June, Ferentz said the committee would not return and he planned to have former players visit his team with conversations taking place frequently. During official and unofficial visit weekends, current players conduct panel discussions with prospects and their parents with no coaches or officials present.
What percentage would you give the men’s basketball team for making the Big Dance? Can Caitlin Clark lead the women’s team to a Final Four? — Derek H.
I’d go 50 percent with the men’s basketball team. Halfway through the Big Ten season, the Hawkeyes are 13-8 overall and 5-5 after beating Rutgers 93-82 on Sunday. Iowa entered Sunday at No. 42 in the NET, which is bubble territory. There are 32 automatic bids into the 68-team NCAA Tournament and there are 31 at-large teams ahead of Iowa. Considering there will be upsets during the conference tournaments, Iowa likely will sweat Selection Sunday. Of course, the inexplicable loss to Eastern Illinois (NET 340) is a pockmark on a decent resume.
Clark absolutely can, but it will take a consistent team performance to reach the Final Four. The women’s team sits in first place and is ranked in the top 10 but is prone to scoring and defensive lapses that could cost it against high-level competition. The good thing is it survived a six-minute offensive slump with nine missed shots and four turnovers at No. 2 Ohio State and won by 11.
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A fourth national title would give Spencer Lee a claim to best wrestler ever at Iowa. Where would you put him in Iowa athletics all time? — Jeff B.
Iowa wrestling is one of college sports’ greatest dynasties, and Brands was a major factor in maintaining it as a wrestler and coach. He said Lee is the best to do it at Iowa, and I agree. I’ve followed the sport for 40 years, and nobody I’ve seen is better. Now, is Lee a Mount Rushmore face for Iowa athletics? If you take out the coaches, he’s in that discussion. It probably includes Nile Kinnick, Luka Garza, Lee and then either Clark or Megan Gustafson.
What is more likely to occur by 2030: the Detroit Lions win the Super Bowl or Iowa’s men’s basketball team reaches the Sweet 16? — David L.
Since neither has happened, I’m taking a leap of faith here. I like what Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell are building in Detroit, so I’ll go with the Lions. Iowa has had several teams capable of advancing but flamed out in the NCAA Tournament two straight years with first-team All-Americans.
Now that it appears Spencer Petras is done playing quarterback at Iowa, where does he rank statistically among the multiyear quarterbacks who have played under Ferentz? — Dennis K.
Petras’ multiyear predecessors have better statistics in most areas. Petras threw for 5,199 yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons as a starter. Of the other three-year starters the last 20 seasons, Nate Stanley leads in yards (8,302) and touchdown passes (68), followed closely by Drew Tate (8,292 yards, 61 touchdowns) and Ricky Stanzi (7,377 yards and 56 touchdowns).
Of the two-year starters, James Vandenberg (5,786 yards, 35 touchdowns) and C.J. Beathard (5,562 yards, 40 touchdowns) also are ahead of Petras. The two-year starters closest to Petras statistically were Jake Rudock (5,199 yards, 34 touchdowns) and Kyle McCann (4,349 yards, 23 touchdowns).
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What happened to the field sideline wide receiver screen where the slot would run out toward the sideline and get a block from the X WR? — Patrick W.
That play left Iowa City along with Greg Davis’ playbook. Beathard and receiver Matt VandeBerg had great chemistry on that route, but I can’t recall seeing it since the 2016 season.
What do other sports feel about the new wrestling-specific complex on the way? — Dan L.
I’ve heard nothing negative from other coaches about the new $28 million wrestling-only facility. For facility projects, the priority is set on donations. Wrestling’s big donors came up with the funds for a new facility, and it will keep Iowa City-Coralville on a short list for national and international wrestling events, which bring an influx of visitors to the area.
Next on the list is a combined facility for women’s gymnastics and the spirit squads, along with a new baseball stadium. Plans are to raze the grandstand at Duane Banks Field and build a structure with luxury seating and suites around the current diamond. If I had a vote, I’d build new baseball and softball stadiums on the west edge of campus between Finkbine Golf Course and I-380 where field hockey, tennis and soccer compete. It would provide more foot traffic to the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame and allow for more parking where the baseball stadium currently resides. That area is so congested with Kinnick, Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the football practice facility and, of course, the hospital area.
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In Big Ten country, which trips had the best “bang for your buck?” What was the most “fun” as far as atmosphere, fans, food? — T.J. G.
They’re all so different it really depends on what you’re looking to do. I enjoy trips to Minneapolis, Washington, New York/Newark and Chicagoland for what you can’t experience in the college towns. I attended a Garth Brooks concert the night before the 2014 Iowa-Minnesota game, and I had a private tour at the White House before Iowa-Maryland. You’re not getting those experiences before games in Champaign or Madison.
That said, I enjoy arriving at the traditional college towns at a decent hour, spending a night out with colleagues and taking in the atmosphere. I did more of that when I covered college basketball. The Nebraska football fans are always nice, but I don’t get the full experience because it’s played the day after Thanksgiving. Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State are great, but a $600 hotel room in State College usually chases me to Altoona. I’d probably go with Columbus as the best road venue because it combines the collegiate feel with large-city amenities.
What frequency can Hawkeyes fans expect to make a West Coast football trip? Does the new Big Ten TV contract still require each member to play two games on BTN? Are there any other B1G TV contract requirements for appearances on the new partner channels? — Tri K.
None of the details are finalized yet, but the expectation is for every football player to visit every campus once in a four-year collegiate career. So even if each team gets three protected rivals, that means Iowa would play at USC and UCLA at least once in a four-year period. I doubt there would be two trips to Los Angeles in the same season.
The television situation also remains under heavy discussion. Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan each had two BTN appearances last season (one conference, one nonconference) but I’m not sure if that continues. Likewise, all we know about the TV contract is Fox gets the first choice, but whether it’s weekly or a draft system remains ambiguous. We’ll know more in the coming weeks.
Is McCaffery content with the state of Iowa’s name, image and likeness? Would any issues cause him to look at other opportunities (like a certain school where he met his wife)? — Tom K.
Not having The Swarm Collective in place was a significant disadvantage for the basketball program last spring. It kept it from bringing in a bona fide post player. Now, Filip Rebrača has played at a second- or third-team All-Big Ten level, but the Hawkeyes could use a true post. McCaffery was justified in his frustration. When the portal merry-go-round starts in early April, the collective will make its mark on the basketball program.
I’m not sure how Notre Dame basketball operates within the various Fighting Irish collectives, but I know men’s basketball doesn’t approach the same type of interest as it does at Iowa. Notre Dame averages 5,726 fans at home games. Iowa sits at 11,684, which is a down year attendance-wise. Maybe someone like McCaffery would reinvigorate the Irish basketball program.
How is NIL handled for sports other than football and men’s basketball and women’s basketball? — Wayne R.
The collective operates only for those three sports, and there are no plans to expand into other sports. That became a sticking point with the athletic department, which fears a Title IX backlash because the collective involves few women’s athletes.
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Last week, the department created the Iowa Hawkeyes NIL Marketplace through Opendorse. Current and former athletes can create custom pages and allow businesses and fans the ability to pitch specific NIL opportunities such as endorsements. Some athletes, including Lee, Clark and Cooper DeJean, have agents or business managers who work to promote their athletes for NIL opportunities.
How much money would I have to throw around to get you and Marc Morehouse to do a podcast together again? — Alex D.
It was fun to work alongside Marc on the “On Iowa Podcast” for 11 years before he moved to the forests of northwest Illinois. The last episode ended with 65,000 downloads, so it resonated with listeners. He still pokes his head up on Twitter, and we get riled up from time to time. There’s no better dude or sportswriter than Marc. I’d be thrilled to do a podcast with him again.
(Top photo of Gary Barta: Keith Gillett / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
