Iowa Hawkeyes Football

HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 212

HAND: TBD

ARM: TBD

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: TBD

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: TBD

BROAD: TBD

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POSITIVES

— Rocked up player with good size. Possesses very good functional strength in all aspects of the game.

— Thrives as a box defender. Plays the run well with good reads and physicality. Ability to track the ball carrier and sort through the trash.

— Has the ball skills needed to locate and play the ball in the air.

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NEGATIVES

— Choppy back-pedal. Hip tightness shows up in coverage. Struggles to swivel hips or open and run.

— Lacks desired twitch. Can take a couple steps to get going, causing him to lose angles and create separation.

— Poor range when playing the deep defender. Shows difficulty getting off the hash to cover the sideline.

— Below-average vision and route recognition. Often loses track of threats in his area.

— Heavy footed at times. Shiftier ball carriers can make him miss in space. Does not have the movement skills to stop his feet when tackling.

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NOTES

— DOB: 12/20/99

—2022 second-team AP All-American; second-team All-Big Ten

— Semifinalist for Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award

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OVERALL

Kaevon Merriweather is a safety with average length and good size and weight. He is a bigger body safety with very good functional strength. Although he has shown the ability to play deep and in coverage, he fits the mold of a strong safety who plays downhill and does his best work from the box. When playing the run, Merriweather is a stout defender. He is a run-first defender who comes down quickly and looks to meet the ball carrier close to the line of scrimmage. He shows the ability to make the correct reads, while also sorting through the bodies in his way. A strong defender, he does a very good job of using his hands to take on and control blocks while also quickly disengaging from them.

Merriweather is primarily a wrap tackler who wrestles ball carriers down to the ground, but occasionally, he has shown to front them up and run through them with bigger hits. When tracking ball carriers to the sideline, he can take good angles, although there are times when his lack of speed shows up. Here, some of the faster ball carriers can outrun his angles when in space. He has also been known to struggle with the stopping and starting aspect when tracking the ball. Generally, once he is made to stop his momentum, he struggles to start up again.

When playing in pass coverage, Merriweather can play from deep and from in the box. While playing as a deep defender, he lacks the desired speed needed to play balls thrown to the sideline. When in coverage, he does a great job of getting his head around to locate the ball. He has the ball skills to play the ball in the air but doesn't have the hands to capitalize and finish the play with an interception. When in underneath zone coverage, he has the ability to cover crossers and routes in the flat but struggles to carry routes downfield because of his hip tightness and lack of top-end speed.

Ultimately, Merriweather is a draftable player with backup potential. Depending on where he lands, he will have to have a specific role for a defense to find the field. He will need to improve his movement and coverage skills in order to stick around for an extended career.

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GRADE: 5.6 (Backup or Draftable/Rounds 6-7)

OVERALL RANK: 245

POSITION RANK: S21

PRO COMPARISON: DeShon Elliott

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

Iowa senior linebacker Jack Campbell helped the Hawkeyes defeat the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, but the 22-year-old received some devastating news afterward.

Campbell's grandfather, William Smith Jr., who was 76, died Friday night after a car struck him as a pedestrian, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. He was transported to Vanderbilt Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Campbell's parents decided not to tell him until after the game so he could have "one last time to play with his Iowa Hawkeye teammates," the school said, via Adam Hensley of Hawk Central.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement:

Our hearts are with Jack and his entire family as they grieve the tragic death of their grandfather and father, William Smith, Jr. We know Mr. Smith was a strong influence on his grandson and a faithful Hawkeye football supporter. All of us -- players, coaches and staff members -- will keep the Campbell family in our thoughts and prayers during this profoundly difficult time.

Campbell played a significant role in Iowa's 21-0 win over Kentucky, posting one sack, 10 tackles and two tackles for a loss.

He had an outstanding 2022 campaign for the Hawkeyes. In 12 games entering the Music City Bowl, he had posted one pass breakup, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, 115 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss.

Campbell was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and also became the first Hawkeye to take home the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 249

HAND: 10 1/4"

ARM: 31 7/8"

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: 4.65

3-CONE: 4.24

SHUTTLE: 6.74

VERTICAL: 37.5"

BROAD: 10'8"

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POSITIVES

— Quick to key and diagnose zone versus gap runs to put himself in a good position to make plays.

— Comes downhill in a hurry to fill his gap on the front side of gap runs. Takes good angles in pursuit against stretch runs or outside zone.

— Physical and strong at the point of attack to get extension against offensive linemen. Has plenty of upper-body strength to stack and shed.

— Wraps up and uses good pad level when tackling.

— Gets his hands on and can force reroutes against receivers and tight ends when playing underneath in zone coverage.

— Has good eye discipline. Locates threats coming into his area and can read the quarterback's eyes to step into throwing windows.

— Impressive ball skills for a linebacker. Uses his height and long arms well to force quarterbacks to try to make perfect throws to beat his coverage between the second and third levels over the middle. Has shown the hand-eye coordination to make one-handed interceptions.

— Hustle player who will make tackles down the field in pursuit.

— Great size for an NFL linebacker.

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NEGATIVES

— Falls for a lot of pre-snap eye candy and can get caught out of position against motion.

— Has a habit of taking on blocks square and stopping his feet on contact, which can cause him to lose ground if he doesn't win at the point of attack. Reliant on his upper-body strength.

— Only adequate hip fluidity. Doesn't have enough speed when spot-dropping/running backward to play a lot of Tampa 2 coverage.

— Subpar change of direction is an issue in man coverage against running backs and shifter tight ends and on scramble drills.

— Doesn't have any moves as a pass-rusher. Just runs full speed and tries to run through blockers as a blitzer.

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2022 STATISTICS

— 13 GM, 128 TOT, 5.5 TFL, 1 SK, 1 FF, 3 PBU, 2 INT

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NOTES

— DOB: Aug. 22, 2000

— A 3-star recruit in the 2019 class, No. 662 overall, No. 44 OLB, per 247Sports' composite rankings

— Injuries: Knee (2022, missed spring ball)

— 27 career starts

— 2022 Honors: First-team All-Big Ten (coaches and media), Consensus All-American, Butkus Award winner (nation's best LB)

— 2021 Honors: Team MVP on defense, Academic All-Big Ten, second-team All-American (FWAA and Phil Steele), first-team All-Big Ten (league media and Phil Steele), third-team All-Big Ten (coaches)

— 2020 Honors: Academic All-Big Ten

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OVERALL

The combine will be key for Jack Campbell, as questions remain about his athleticism when it comes to his transition to the NFL. He was athletic enough to be the most decorated linebacker in college football this season, but his change of direction and hip fluidity are questionable for a modern-day NFL linebacker.

With that being said, Campbell isn't devoid of traits that will translate to the NFL. He has impressive speed when coming downhill, which helps him plug gaps against the run and close on pass-catchers in zone coverage. He's also arguably the best linebacker at stack-and-shedding in this draft class, and he has good instincts in zone coverage.

Schematically, the Hawkeye would be best as a middle linebacker in a system that uses a lot of one-high looks and Cover 3. That would give him some help over the top and keep him from having to carry wide receivers in Tampa 2, while still taking advantage of his ability to tighten throwing windows as an underneath defender in zone coverage.

Campbell is not a one-size-fits-all type of player. He could slide in the draft if teams are looking for a linebacker with more man-coverage skills. However, he could be a great Day 2 pick for a team seeking an impact run defender on the second level of its defense.

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GRADE: 7.8 (Potential Impact Player)

OVERALL RANK: 27

POSITION RANK: LB1

PRO COMPARISON: Leighton Vander Esch

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Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder

Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Cade McNamara is transferring to Iowa, with a formal announcement expected soon, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

McNamara entered the transfer portal on Monday as a graduate transfer.

McNamara was a 4-star prospect in the 2019 class and ranked 268th nationally, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He originally committed to Notre Dame before flipping to Michigan.

The Nevada native didn't play at all in 2019, sitting behind starter Shea Patterson. However, he appeared in four games during the 2020 campaign, replacing Joe Milton III before being named Michigan's starter for the 2021 season.

In 14 games in 2021, McNamara completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns against six interceptions. He also rushed for 37 yards and one score. The Wolverines went on to win the Big Ten and earn a berth in the College Football Playoff.

McNamara lost his starting job in 2022 following a quarterback battle with J.J. McCarthy.

McNamara started the first game of the season against Colorado State, completing 9-of-18 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. McCarthy started the second game against Hawai'i, completing 11-of-12 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns to win the starting job.

The 22-year-old appeared in the win against Hawai'i and the following week's win over UConn, but he suffered a knee injury in that game and underwent surgery before being ruled out for the season.

McNamara can play at Iowa for two seasons. He redshirted as a freshman, and the NCAA gave any athlete from the 2020-21 campaign an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the season.

Iowa finished the 2022 regular season with a 7-5 record, sitting third in the Big Ten West behind Purdue and Illinois. The Hawkeyes currently have Spencer Petras, Joey Labas and Carson May as the quarterbacks on their roster.

Iowa will bolster its offensive line in 2023 after having secured a commitment from Kadyn Proctor.

Proctor announced in June he was staying in the state of Iowa after attending Southeast Polk High School outside of Des Moines.

https://twitter.com/KadynProctor1/status/1542568684136325121

He's the No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 12 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2023 recruiting class.

Hawkeyes starting left tackle Mason Richman is only a sophomore, but starting right tackle Jack Plumb will be moving on after graduating. Perhaps Proctor has a path to starting right away as a true freshman. If not, he could back up Richman on the left side or Nick DeJong before assuming a larger role in 2024.

After looking at Proctor's tape in November, 247Sports' Allen Trieu compared him to nine-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams:

Has prototypical size and has short-area burst and twitch at that size. Can run when asked to pull and make blocks in space. Has good strength and looks to finish blocks and plays with good general tenacity. Was not often challenged at the high school level though and often overwhelmed his opponents with pure size and strength. Still does not have any obvious big weak points, but continued technical development and then adjusting to college level competition will help ensure he reaches his upside. Has the physical ability to play very early and can be an All-American and early draft choice.

Given his proximity to Iowa City, the 6'7", 330-pound blocker has also drawn parallels to Tristan Wirfs, who spent three years at Iowa and was a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

However, Proctor distanced himself from any connection with Wirfs since he thought that implied he was also on his way to the Hawkeyes.

"I'm just trying to be myself and make a name for myself," he told the Des Moines Register's Alyssa Hertel. "Of course, I can look like somebody. But when someone's saying I am the next (Tristan Wirfs), that sort of means I have to follow the same path."

He also played down any idea he and Southeast Polk teammate Xavier Nwankpa were any sort of package deal. Nwankpa was the fifth-best safety and No. 53 player in 2022, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Nwankpa beat Proctor to Iowa City, signing with the Hawkeyes in December 2021. He's made four tackles in 11 appearances so far this season.

Proctor possesses the frame that has become requisite for elite offensive tackles, and his agility isn't in much question, either. Trieu wrote how Power Five coaches became enamored with Proctor after they watched him dunk a basketball when he was a freshman.

Ryan Smith, the founder of Innovative Sports Performance, has trained him since he was in the eighth grade and told Trieu he was "one of the best athletes I've ever worked out in my life."

Proctor still has plenty of work ahead before he becomes an All-American lineman with the Hawkeyes, but he has the requisite tools to thrive in college.

It wasn't always pretty, but the No. 2 Ohio State football team crushed the visiting Iowa Hawkeyes 54-10 on Saturday in Ohio Stadium.

OSU's defense stole the show. The Buckeyes forced six Iowa turnovers, including a pick-six from linebacker Tommy Eichenberg off Iowa starting quarterback Spencer Petras that gave the Buckeyes a 25-10 lead in the second quarter.

PICK SIX@OhioStateFB adds on in the second quarter pic.twitter.com/UIdeng27vp

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 22, 2022

For the day, Iowa had three lost fumbles and three picks. The Hawkeyes also turned the ball over on downs after a failed fake punt attempt.

Oh no 😬

This fake punt by Iowa definitely didn't go according to plan pic.twitter.com/mdF6Hz3Kvy

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 22, 2022

Petras and backup quarterback Alex Padilla combined to complete just 11 of 24 passes for 81 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. Sam LaPorta was the only Iowa pass-catcher to register more than seven receiving yards.

Iowa's defense held its own for much of the game. Joe Evans sacked Heisman favorite C.J. Stroud, recovered the ensuing fumble and ran 13 yards for a touchdown to put Iowa up 6-3 early. OSU only had 128 yards of offense by halftime, and Stroud tossed an early third-quarter pick.

However, Iowa's offense couldn't get anything going, and Stroud eventually got into a rhythm with four second-half touchdown passes. For the day, he completed 20 of 30 passes for 286 yards.

Ultimately, Twitter pointed the finger at head coach Kirk Ferentz and his son, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, for the team's performance.

Really, it's utter coaching malpractice by Iowa.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) October 22, 2022

https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1583874389883650048

https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1583875178097889280

Iowa probably would be worse if they punted on every first down (defense would get tired, they do sometimes score) but they wouldn't be THAT much worse

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) October 22, 2022

Iowa’s offense after changing QBs pic.twitter.com/mDpDBkulW7

— Max Olson (@max_olson) October 22, 2022

Iowa's defense deserves so much better than this.

— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) October 22, 2022

Sometimes coaches' buyouts sound crazy, then sometimes you see that Iowa pays Brian Ferentz $900,000 to run its offense and you wonder if it might be better to pay him $1 million not to

— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) October 22, 2022

I don’t wanna make excuses for Padilla, but maybe if he’d been given even a single snap prior to The Shoe, he wouldn’t look like this.

I don’t blame Petras. I don’t blame Padilla. This is 💯 on the law firm of Ferentz and Ferentz. #Hawkeyes

— Troy Banning (@TroyBanning) October 22, 2022

Brian Ferentz is now the main character in Office Space who just stops trying to do his job and dares his employer to fire him pic.twitter.com/KPrfGFXx4t

— Three Year Letterman (@3YearLetterman) October 22, 2022

Iowa entered Saturday ranked 128th out of 131 FBS teams in scoring (14.7 points per game), including a seven-point outing against Division FCS South Dakota State to start the year.

Iowa will look to bounce back Saturday at home against Northwestern. OSU will visit Penn State on the same day.

Amid all the excitement around the country for the triumphant return of college football on Saturday was a game between South Dakota State and Iowa that set the sport back several decades.

The Hawkeyes survived a disgusting display of offense with a 7-3 victory over the Jackrabbits, but no one should come away celebrating anything that happened at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa's seven points came from two safeties and a field goal by Aaron Blom.

Iowa had one scoring drive on offense today and it was 5 yards on 4 plays.

— Max Olson (@max_olson) September 3, 2022

Both offenses combined for 288 yards, including 92 rushing yards on 66 carries. Iowa's Spencer Petras, the winning quarterback, went 11-of-25 for 109 yards with one interception.

South Dakota State did have an opportunity to take the lead after getting the ball back at its own 20-yard line with 36 seconds left to play. Mark Gronowski went 1-of-4 for six yards on the drive, including an incomplete pass on fourth down to seal the loss.

If there was anyone who came out of this game better off than when things started, it was Iowa punter Tory Taylor. The junior had 10 punts that covered a total of 479 yards with seven of them landing inside the South Dakota State 20-yard line.

Jackrabbits punter Hunter Dustman saw plenty of time on the field. He had 457 yards on 11 punts, but none of his attempts stopped inside Iowa's 20-yard line.

Sums up this pic.twitter.com/rHewIPXt4c

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) September 3, 2022

Iowa's performance in this game isn't hard to figure out. Head coach Kirk Ferentz did nothing to change an offense that ranked 99th in FBS in points per game (23.4) and 13th out of 14 Big Ten teams in yards per game (303.7) last season.

Rather than try to make changes to the offensive coaching staff during the offseason, Ferentz acted like Principal Skinner from The Simpsons trying to figure out if he was out of touch.

Brian Ferentz retained his position as offensive coordinator for a sixth season. He also added the title of quarterbacks coach in February after Ken O'Keefe stepped down.

Abdul Hodge, who played linebacker at Iowa from 2001 to 2005 and was a linebackers coach for three seasons at South Dakota, was brought on to coach the Hawkeyes tight ends. Brian Ferentz previously worked with the tight ends but relinquished that job to work with the quarterbacks.

Iowa showing off its renovated offense. pic.twitter.com/P71uHl6k2H

— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) September 3, 2022

Kirk Ferentz has become an institution at the University of Iowa. This is his 24th season leading the program. He's the Hawkeyes' all-time leader in games coached (289), wins (178), bowl appearances (18) and bowl wins (nine).

But at some point, you can't keep doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result.

If Hawkeyes fans want to be charitable about Saturday's showing, they can say it was the first game of the year and teams have to work through things to figure out what kind of team they are going to be. The team also won 10 games last season and has gone 36-13 since 2018, including Saturday.

That's a reasonable perspective, but it doesn't line up with what Iowa has been for a number of years.

South Dakota State is an FCS powerhouse with an appearance in the national title game two years ago and a trip to the playoff semifinals in 2021, but this was Gronowski's first game back after tearing his ACL late in the 2020 season.

Some growing pains were to be expected with the offense, especially playing an FBS defense. This game was more of an indictment for Iowa than anything else.

Iowa's Kirk Ferentz is the longest-tenured FBS coach in the nation, and he has concerns about the evolving landscape of college football.

Ferentz expressed the need for some oversight while speaking to reporters Tuesday at Big Ten media days.

"We need some intervention, and then my bigger concern is: Who's going to do it, right? Where's it going to come from? Where's that leadership going to come from, because we're all busy?" Ferentz said.

Ferentz is entering his 24th season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Amid an offseason defined by conference realignment and NIL scrutiny, Ferentz has not liked what he's been seeing.

"There's just a lot of vagueness, a lot of uncertainty. We really don't have a firm structure. We don't have a basic set of operating rules," he said. "I don't think anybody right now can really explain the NIL in detail, what you can and what you can't do. I know you can't entice recruits, but it sure seems like maybe that's going on a little bit. There's just a lack of overall clarity."

Ferentz, who turns 67 on Aug. 1, signed a contract extension through 2029 this offseason that will pay him $7 million annually. Further illustrating his frustration with the state of college football, he pointed to the verbal back-and-forth between Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher in May.

"You've got two head coaches, prominent head coaches and both good coaches, who are bickering in the public forum, and you know, that's not a good look for our sport," Ferentz said. "It's not a good look for the conference, and that makes you wonder, 'So, what are we doing here? How come we can't straighten all this out?'"

Ferentz also lamented the effect NIL is having on recruiting and transfers.

"So you go into the portal, you come back in my office and say, 'I got a deal for, let's say, $250,000,'" Ferentz said. "How do I know that's right? We have no way of knowing. Is that what his adviser is telling him? There's a lot of that going on already, and I don't know where it ends."

Iowa Hawkeyes head football coach Kirk Ferentz pushed back Monday at the notion he disbanded an advisory committee that was created in response to allegations of a culture of racism and bullying within the football program.

Chad Leistikow of the Des Moines Register shared a letter the coach sent to Hawkeyes players sharing his side of the story in which he said it is "not accurate" to say he disbanded the group:

In letter sent to Hawkeye players obtained by the Register, Kirk Ferentz says advisory group has not been dissolved and clears the air on some topics. pic.twitter.com/wRPeokdOeC

— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) January 18, 2022

Ferentz pointed out he was the one who created the group and not the university or athletic department. He also said the group does not have any official decision-making power and was only designed to help him and the program improve.

Most notably, he said that the group will continue with new members after some asked to step away:

It has been reported that this group has been disbanded or dissolved. That is not accurate. Several members indicated their interest in stepping away from the committee in December, as they felt their work had made a real impact and the time was right to transition to a new group of new voices. Therefore, I made the decision to release the members from their commitment following the bowl game and shared that with them via email. The group is ongoing, and I am in the process of inviting new members to join the group." 

This comes after Vanessa Miller and John Steppe of The Gazette reported Ferentz "abruptly dissolved the volunteer group" following a meeting in October that was described as "contentious."

According to that report, committee chair David Porter sent the group a text message that said the school should "bring in a new head football coach, football staff, and athletic director." He also called Ferentz "loyal to a fault" and suggested the coach will "fall on the sword for his son and his staff because he thinks it's the right thing to do. I disagree."

Porter was reportedly particularly upset about an October meeting between the committee and the coaching staff that was supposed to happen during a bye week. Instead, according to the report, Ferentz attempted to cancel it so the coaching staff could have some time off during the season.

What's more, many of the coaches reportedly did not come with an answer to Porter, who emailed asking, "What is your role in creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) environment and what have you done to help foster that environment?"

As Miller and Steppe noted, the committee was formed when a number of current and former players pointed to culture problems within the program.

The Husch Blackwell law firm interviewed 111 people, many of whom were players, and produced a 28-page report that found the program "perpetuated racial or cultural biases and diminished the value of cultural diversity."

The report also said the staff "over-monitored players to the point that they experienced heightened anxiety and maintained a culture that allowed a small group of coaches to demean players."

More than 20 former players said former strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle was a problem, and he was placed on administrative leave before the two sides officially separated with the coach receiving more than $1.1 million in salary.

As for Ferentz, he and Iowa recently agreed to a contract extension that runs through 2029. He has been the head coach of the Hawkeyes since the 1999 season.       

Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz dissolved the team's alumni advisory diversity committee on Tuesday, per Vanessa Miller and John Steppe of The Gazette, a week after committee chair and former Hawkeye offensive lineman David Porter called on Ferentz to resign. 

"I have come to a decision that this is an appropriate time to dissolve our committee as it stands currently,” he wrote in an email to the 10-member alumni committee. "As we start a new calendar year and prepare to move forward with our preparation for the 2022 season, I am giving thought to how we restructure the committee/board in a way that best serves our program moving forward."

On Jan. 2, Porter wrote in a text chain to the advisory group that it was time to "bring in a new head football coach, football staff, and athletic director."

He added that Ferentz will "fall on the sword for his son and his staff because he thinks it's the right thing to do. I disagree. The only way I see to save his legacy, protect the program, help those kids, and continue to move forward at the same time is for Kirk to retire."

That appeared to reference an October meeting between the advisory committee and the coaching staff on a bye week, which Ferentz had tried to cancel to give his staff time off. 

Porter had emailed Ferentz on Sept. 20 with one question he wanted the coaches to answer: "What is your role in creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) environment and what have you done to help foster that environment?"

Porter said that while some coaches prepared an answer for the October meeting, many did not. The conversation also reportedly turned heated when Porter and the committee said they wanted the program to focus more on education, since "football is going to be over somehow and some day, and these kids are student athletes, they're students first."

One coach reportedly responded that "college football is all about money."

Ferentz said his decision to disband the diversity committee was not related to Porter's texts earlier in January.

"Dave Porter did not share his sentiments with me directly,“ he said in a statement. "I was surprised and disappointed by his comment and wish him the best moving forward. His comment had no influence on the decision regarding the advisory committee."

The advisory committee was formed in 2020 after a group of former players said publicly that the Iowa program had issues of racism and disproportionately unfair treatment toward Black players within its culture.

In July 2020, the law firm Husch Blackwell conducted an investigation after interviewing 111 people and found the Iowa program "perpetuated racial or cultural biases and diminished the value of cultural diversity."

In Nov. 2020, 12 former Iowa players—including star running back Akrum Wadley—sued the university. While many of the charges in the lawsuit were dismissed by a federal judge, two were allowed to proceed: one that the school fostered a "racially hostile environment" and the other that Brian Ferentz, Kirk's son and the team's offensive coordinator, and former strength coach Chris Doyle used racial slurs and "intentionally discriminated" against Black players.

"There was always a racist joke, or any little insult that my circle of guys, we all experienced," Wadley told Jesse Washington of The Undefeated in December. "Over time, these little things turn into major issues and they take a toll on you."

The elder Ferentz is scheduled for a deposition in the case this month and signed a new contract through the 2029 season on Friday.