Iowa: a football coaching history

Season	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
Record & result
Record	1-10	3-9	7-5	11-2	10-3	10-2	7-5	6-7	6-6	9-4	11-2	8-5	7-6	4-8	8-5	7-6	12-2	8-5	8-5	9-4	10-3	6-2	10-4	8-5	10-4	8-5	9-4	6-2
Postseason	—	—	W bowl	L bowl	W bowl	W bowl	L bowl	L bowl	—	W bowl	W bowl	W bowl	L bowl	—	L bowl	L bowl	L bowl	L bowl	W bowl	W bowl	W bowl	—	L bowl	W bowl	L bowl	L bowl	W bowl	—
Recruiting rank	—	—	—	—	—	#114	#6	#37	#29	#50	#64	#36	#26	#40	#56	#58	#59	#47	#41	#39	#41	#35	#23	#30	#41	#32	#38	#26
Style — pass rate
Pass rate	—	—	—	—	—	47.4	48.1	49.5	46.2	38.3	46.3	44.3	47.6	49.1	40.2	46.0	39.4	38.2	42.5	45.6	47.6	45.6	44.3	45.2	41.7	34.3	36.2	47.7
Coordinators
OC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Greg Davis	Greg Davis	Greg Davis	Brian Ferentz	Brian Ferentz	Brian Ferentz	Brian Ferentz	Brian Ferentz	Brian Ferentz	Brian Ferentz	Tim Lester	Tim Lester	Tim Lester
DC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker	Phil Parker
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense	—	—	—	—	—	15	80	83	25	51	7	84	85	8	14	57	54	15	23	58	41	61	4	3	0	24	49	45
Defense	—	—	—	—	—	94	35	33	64	88	93	25	39	26	95	37	57	79	89	95	88	98	86	99	97	78	83	86
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%	—	—	—	—	—	47.1	47.3	46.6	43.5	41.8	44.6	43.6	46.4	44.3	34.4	41.4	33.2	31.6	38.5	38.5	42.9	40.2	37.3	41.6	36.4	23.4	28.4	43.1
Red-zone pass%	—	—	—	—	—	45.2	46.4	49.1	45.2	34.2	35.9	41.9	35.5	34.5	31.5	34.5	31.5	37.1	45.0	48.4	41.8	45.3	30.1	38.0	28.9	32.7	29.1	46.8
4th-down go%opp. territory	—	—	—	—	—	8.3	5.9	13.5	19.1	25.6	20.4	17.6	27.0	27.7	27.1	39.5	19.5	34.2	47.2	34.0	22.0	15.4	19.2	16.7	15.4	12.8	33.3	4.3

Recruiter or developer?

Underperforms his recruiting talent on offense and outperforms his recruiting talent on defense.

Offense vs. talent

-24.7 pts

#187 of 208 · bottom quarter

Defense vs. talent

+31.7 pts

#9 of 208 · top quarter

Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.

Roster construction · portal era

Barely touches the portal — recruits and develops his own.

Portal arrivals

3.1★ avg rating

Portal departures

left via the portal

Net portal flow

-35

#157 of 187 FBS stints

Who they bring in

Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.

A typical class-year mix of incoming transfers.

Avg. size (raw)

6′2″, 234 lbs

across 26 of 38 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix

Size vs. position-typical

+3.4 lbs

#148 of 255 · middle half

Avg. class year

#94 of 255 · middle half

Top states: MI (4), TX (3), GA (3), OH (3), IL (3)

Who won the portal our read

Talent added

56.0

position-weighted

Talent lost

60.0

position-weighted

Net

-3.9

arrivals minus departures

Best addition: Cade McNamara (QB) from Michigan

Biggest loss: Cade McNamara (QB) to East Tennessee State

Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.

Does the system survive a coordinator change?

OC: Greg Davis → Brian Ferentz · 2017The system held

2-season window either side.

1st-down pass rate: 32.4% → 38.5% (+6.1 pts)

Confound, shown not hidden: only 30% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.

OC: Brian Ferentz → Tim Lester · 2024The offense leveled up

2-season window either side.

1st-down pass rate: 39.0% → 25.9% (-13.1 pts)

Confound, shown not hidden: only 55% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.

Roster size, by position

Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)

Quarterback

220 lbs

6′3″ avg · #166 of 767 · top quarter

Running back

211 lbs

5′10″ avg · #236 of 791 · middle half

Wide receiver

196 lbs

6′0″ avg · #255 of 791 · middle half

Tight end

247 lbs

6′4″ avg · #283 of 731 · middle half

Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters

Interior line

302 lbs

6′5″ avg · #644 of 779 · bottom quarter

D-line

276 lbs

6′3″ avg · #542 of 753 · middle half

Linebacker

232 lbs

6′2″ avg · #218 of 772 · middle half

Cornerback

197 lbs

6′0″ avg · #82 of 771 · top quarter

Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.

Where the roster comes from, by position

Grows Punter from high school

80%

#29 of 29 stints

Grows Kicker from high school

80%

#52 of 56 stints

Postseason detail2001: Beat Texas Tech 19-16 Bowl2002: Lost to USC 17-38 Orange Bowl2003: Beat Florida 37-17 Outback Bowl2004: Beat LSU 30-25 Capital One Bowl2005: Lost to Florida 24-31 Outback Bowl2006: Lost to Texas 24-26 Bowl2008: Beat South Carolina 31-10 Outback Bowl2009: Beat Georgia Tech 24-14 FedEx ORANGE BOWL2010: Beat Missouri 27-24 Insight Bowl2011: Lost to Oklahoma 14-31 Insight Bowl2013: Lost to LSU 14-21 Outback Bowl2014: Lost to Tennessee 28-45 Taxslayer Bowl2015: Lost to Stanford 16-45 Rose Bowl Game Pres. By Northwestern Mutual2016: Lost to Florida 3-30 Outback Bowl2017: Beat Boston College 27-20 New Era Pinstripe Bowl2018: Beat Mississippi State 27-22 Outback Bowl2019: Beat USC 49-24 San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl2021: Lost to Kentucky 17-20 Vrbo Citrus Bowl2022: Beat Kentucky 21-0 TransPerfect Music City Bowl2023: Lost to Tennessee 0-35 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl2024: Lost to Missouri 24-27 TransPerfect Music City Bowl2025: Beat Vanderbilt 34-27 ReliaQuest Bowl

101 NFL Draft picks: Austin Wheatley (2000), Matt Bowen (2000), Kevin Kasper (2001), Ladell Betts (2002), Aaron Kampman (2002), Kahlil Hill (2002), Dallas Clark (2003), Eric Steinbach (2003) + 93 more

17 player-seasons honored (All-America / national award): Tyler Linderbaum (2020), Daviyon Nixon (2020), Tyler Linderbaum (2021), Riley Moss (2021), Caleb Shudak (2021), Kaevon Merriweather (2022), Jack Campbell (2022), Tory Taylor (2022) + 9 more

AI Narratives — “Iowa's roster reshuffle ahead of 2025” and 1 more on the team page.

+12.0

219-130

1979–1998

Hayden Fry Builder

Hayden Fry raised the Hawkeyes from Regional Program III to Power Program III.

vs. Iowa State

+30.9 pts over 20 seasons · top 8% of 10+-season tenures (202 in sample)

Closest comparable run: Barry Alvarez’s Wisconsin run (1990–2005, 2012 (1 game), 2014 (1 game))

4th-best Iowa tenure of 8 by the numbers.

Followed Bob Commings (1974–1978) · succeeded by Kirk Ferentz (1999–now).

Season	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
Record & result
Record	5-6	4-7	8-4	8-4	9-3	8-4-1	10-2	9-3	10-3	6-4-3	5-6	8-4	10-1-1	5-7	6-6	5-5-1	8-4	9-3	7-5	3-8
Postseason	—	—	L bowl	W bowl	L bowl	W bowl	L bowl	W bowl	W bowl	L bowl	—	L bowl	L bowl	—	L bowl	—	W bowl	W bowl	L bowl	—
Recruiting rank	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Style — pass rate
Pass rate	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Defense	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Red-zone pass%	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th-down go%opp. territory	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Postseason detail1981: Lost to Washington 0-28 Bowl1982: Beat Tennessee 28-22 Bowl1983: Lost to Florida 6-14 Bowl1984: Beat Texas 55-17 Bowl1985: Lost to UCLA 28-45 Bowl1986: Beat San Diego State 39-38 Bowl1987: Beat Wyoming 20-19 Bowl1988: Lost to NC State 23-28 Bowl1990: Lost to Washington 34-46 Bowl1991: Tied BYU 13-13 Bowl1993: Lost to California 3-37 Bowl1995: Beat Washington 38-18 Bowl1996: Beat Texas Tech 27-0 Bowl1997: Lost to Arizona State 7-17 Bowl

42 NFL Draft picks: John Harty (1981), Ron Hallstrom (1982), Andre Tippett (1982), Brett Miller (1983), Reggie Roby (1983), John Alt (1984), Joel Hilgenberg (1984), Norm Granger (1984) + 34 more

+30.9

143-89-6

1974–1978

Bob Commings Steady

Bob Commings held Iowa at Regional Program III for 5 seasons.

vs. Iowa State

+1.4 pts over 5 seasons · top 27% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)

Closest comparable run: Butch Davis’s Florida International run (2017–2021)

8th-best Iowa tenure of 8 by the numbers.

Followed Frank Lauterbur (1971–1973) · succeeded by Hayden Fry (1979–1998).

5 NFL Draft picks: Earl Douthitt (1975), Rod Walters (1976), Jim Jensen (1976), Joe Devlin (1976), Rod Wellington (1976)

+1.4

17-38

1971–1973

Frank Lauterbur Steady

Frank Lauterbur slid the Hawkeyes from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 3 seasons.

−8.6 pts over 3 seasons · bottom 18% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)

Closest comparable run: Mark Duffner’s Maryland run (1992–1996)

7th-best Iowa tenure of 8 by the numbers.

Followed Ray Nagel (1966–1970) · succeeded by Bob Commings (1974–1978).

4 NFL Draft picks: Craig Clemons (1972), Charles Bolden (1972), John Muller (1973), Dan Dickel (1974)

−8.6

4-28-1

1966–1970

Ray Nagel Decliner≈

Iowa fell from Power Program III to Regional Program I under Ray Nagel.

−15.9 pts over 5 seasons · bottom 2% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)

Closest comparable run: Kevin Steele’s Baylor run (1999–2002)

5th-best Iowa tenure of 8 by the numbers.

Followed Jerry Burns (1961–1965) · succeeded by Frank Lauterbur (1971–1973).

5 NFL Draft picks: Bob Ziolkowski (1967), Ed Podolak (1969), Paul Laaveg (1970), Mike Cilek (1970), Kerry Reardon (1971)

−15.9

16-32-2

1961–1965

Jerry Burns Inheritor

Jerry Burns inherited the Hawkeyes at Power Program I and saw it slip to Power Program III.

−11.7 pts over 5 seasons · bottom 8% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)

Closest comparable run: Gary Andersen’s Oregon State run (2015–2017)

2nd-best Iowa tenure of 8 by the numbers.

Followed Forest Evashevski (1952–1960) · succeeded by Ray Nagel (1966–1970).

−11.7

16-27-2

1952–1960

Forest Evashevski Transformer

Forest Evashevski took Iowa from Regional Program II to Power Program I.

+39.7 pts over 9 seasons · top 1% of 6-9-season tenures (368 in sample)

Closest comparable run: Art Briles’s Baylor run (2008–2015)

1st-best Iowa tenure of 8 by the numbers.

Followed Leonard Raffensperger (1950–1951) · succeeded by Jerry Burns (1961–1965).

+39.7

52-27-4

1950–1951

Leonard Raffensperger Short tenure

5-10-3

1939–1942, 1946–1949

Edward Anderson Steady

Edward Anderson slid the Hawkeyes from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 8 seasons.

+6.3 pts over 8 seasons · top 29% of 6-9-season tenures (368 in sample)

Closest comparable run: Bruce Snyder’s Arizona State run (1992–2000)

6th-best Iowa tenure of 8 by the numbers.

Followed Irl Tubbs (1937–1938) · succeeded by Slip Madigan (1943–1944) · returned in 1946, succeeding Clem Crowe (1945) · succeeded by Leonard Raffensperger (1950–1951).

+6.3

35-33-2

1945

Clem Crowe Short tenure

2-7

1943–1944

Slip Madigan Short tenure

2-13-1

1937–1938

Irl Tubbs Short tenure

2-13-1

1936

Ossie Solem Short tenure

3-4-1