Kirk Ferentz suspension adds embarrassing layer to Iowa's ugly 2023 offense

Iowa can't even cheat correctly.

On Thursday, the NCAA suspended head coach Kirk Ferentz and assistant Jon Budmayr for Iowa's Week 1 game against Illinois State on Aug. 31.

Per ESPN, the punishment stems from a recruiting violation regarding quarterback Cade McNamara, who joined the program following the 2022 season.

The violation didn't do the Hawkeyes any good.

In his first season in Iowa City, McNamara appeared in five games and was 46-of-90 (51.1 percent) for 505 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

He suffered a season-ending ACL injury on Sept. 30.

The longest-tenured coach in college football, Ferentz has turned Iowa into a consistent winning program — it has 11 consecutive winning seasons. However, Ferentz's staid offensive approach has kept Iowa from being a legitimate champion contender under his watch.

It would be one thing if, like McNamara's former team, Michigan, Ferentz's violations led to anything meaningful.

Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh recently received a four-year show-cause penalty for recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At least the Wolverines won the 2023 national championship.

Meanwhile, Ferentz saw his son, former offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, fired a year after the program circumvented the rules to land McNamara.

Last season, the Hawkeyes averaged 15.4 points per game, ranking 132nd out of 133 teams.

While a one-game suspension against an FCS opponent is a slap on the wrist, one could argue Ferentz has already been punished enough considering he watched every Iowa offensive snap last season.