There’s a new sheriff in Iowa City, and her name is Beth Goetz. Iowa’s interim athletic director is less than three months into her new job. What’s her first major move? Firing the head coach of the football team’s son.

“I think anytime you know you’re in these situations, you just kind of tune out what’s around,” Goetz said of facing outside pressure to make a decision on Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. “It’s our job to evaluate all the information we have. You make the best decision you can at the time for both the short and long term of the program. And then that’s what you go with.”

Kirk Ferentz now has the power to hire an offensive coordinator under Goetz’s supervision. As long as the hire doesn’t conflict with nepotism laws, that coordinator will report to Ferentz.

“We empower our head coaches to make decisions that they think are best in the hiring process and of course administrators are involved,” Goetz said on Tuesday. “Of course, we’re engaged with them and how we exchange ideas, but those are decisions we’ll leave up to the head coach.”

Goetz made a bold choice, and one she obviously feels was one she had to make. Knowing she was not just letting go of the offensive coordinator, but Kirk Ferentz’s son.

“I think any time people are involved in any decision, it’s difficult and certainly those that mean a lot,” Goetz said. “That’s certainly a piece of the puzzle but at the end of the day you make the best decision you can in the best interest of the program.”

Goetz declined to give much of a comment as to if Brian’s points per game and win objectives were a contributing factor in the decision.

“Looking back to what contributed to anything is just not something I want to get into.”

The University of Iowa stated they will begin a national search for an athletic director in early 2024, but Goetz is certainly leaving her mark on the program as she makes her case to become the university’s permanent AD.

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