As the 2025-26 college football season is just around the corner, The Athletic’s Chris Vannini ranked the nation’s top 25 head coaches of the 21st century, with Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz making the list among the sport’s elite names.
According to Vannini’s rankings, Ferentz was named as the No. 22 coach on the list. Vaninni shared that the Iowa legend’s consistency is underrated amongst other coaches of his stature.
Ferentz will pass Woody Hayes as the winningest coach in Big Ten history with two more victories. His consistency is underrated, reaching bowl eligibility in 23 of the last 24 seasons with five top-10 finishes. The Hawkeyes have had five Top 25 finishes in the last seven seasons but no top-10 finishes since 2015. – Chris Vaninni, The Athletic.
Regarding the accomplishments that allowed the Hawkeyes’ head coach to reside in the No. 22 slot, Vaninni listed Ferentz’s two Big Ten championships, five top-10 finishes, three BCS and New Year’s Six bowl appearances and eight double-digit-win seasons as evidence to support his ranking.
Ferentz took over the head coaching duties in Iowa City in the 1999 season following the illustrious career of College Football Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry, who retired after a 143-89-6 record over 20 years with the Hawkeyes.
Despite struggles in the early years of Ferentz’s tenure at Iowa, the Hawkeyes’ program eventually found even ground and has now evolved into a well-respected program that has continuously developed NFL-ready talent year after year.
Ferentz’s recent success with the Hawkeyes also places Iowa in an elite group of programs that have recorded at least eight wins in each of the last 10 seasons, joining Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Ohio State.
Concerning how other Big Ten coaches fared in the rankings, 10 of the top 25 names listed either currently coach or were formerly…
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Publish date : 2025-06-01 12:50:00
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