Through the years Coach Ferentz has done a great job of doing more with less than any coach I can think of, he knows he can’t recruit toe to toe with the elite programs, it’s easy to pass him off as an “ok” coach, I think he is one of the better coaches around. Iowa is not or won’t be OSU or Alabama, geography, population and demographics make that a reality. It’s no coincidence to me that Nick Saban was a good not great coach at MSU, he became a great coach when he moved to some of the best recruiting territory in the country at LSU and Alabama.
I really like that the Hawks really invest in their players and their development, seems to me that at places like OSU, Alabama, etc, they don’t have to invest as fully, they just recruit more 4 and 5 star talent.