CBS Sports gives Kirk Ferentz top-third spot in Big Ten coach rankings

The Big Ten is ushering in a new era of teams and with that comes a new cast of main characters. The Big Ten sees four new head coaches joining the mix. But, none of them have been at their programs as long as Kirk Ferentz has been with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

As always, the new coaches require a shuffling of the ranks. Who is the best? Who is improving? Who is on the hot seat? One coach who firmly controls his position and has no worries is Kirk Ferentz.

After another 10-win season last year, Ferentz has climbed up the pecking order in CBS Sports Big Ten coaching rankings for 2024. Kirk Ferentz is ranked as the No. 6 coach in the Big Ten out of 18.

6. Iowa

Kirk Ferentz (18 overall):  You can call him old-fashioned, and you can call him stubborn, but there’s another adjective that describes Ferentz that’s far more important to his ability as a football coach. You can call him a winner. Ferentz has made it routine to get the absolute most out of his Hawkeyes. You can complain all you want about the way the they go about it, but they just had their third 10-win season in the last five years.

How changes to the league will impact things moving forward remains to be seen, but Ferentz and Iowa look to be ready to make some adjustments on offense this year. They’ll still be Iowa, just a different version. Last year: 8 in Big Ten – Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports

This is a two-spot jump from last year, where he ranked eighth in the conference. Ferentz also cracks the top 20 nationally as America’s No. 18 ranked head coach.

Ferentz has a new task cut out for him moving forward. The conference has expanded and that creates new challenges. Iowa will face more travel heading west to Oregon , USC , UCLA , and Washington .

Recruiting will become more national than ever, forcing Iowa to become a national player while still dominating in-state recruiting.

One thing that won’t change, though, is Ferentz fearlessly leading the Hawkeyes. He has embraced change throughout his entire career and succeeded at every turn.

Contact/Follow on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7