Late last week (August 22) it was announced that the Iowa Hawkeye head football coach, Kirk Ferentz, would be facing a suspension due to recruiting violations.

Ferentz as well as the Wide Receivers coach, Jon Budmayr, both received a 1 game suspension for violations while recruiting the Quarterback Cade McNamara. Kirk Ferentz will miss the 2024-2025 season opener, and will likely be watching the game from the comfort of his own home.

With the Head Coach missing the season opener this Saturday (August 31) how with this affect the way the team prepares to face Illinois State?

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It appears that things won't change much for the players on the field.

Hawkeyes Players

While the team might have been surprised by the late announcement of the suspension, it hasn't thrown them off of their game very much.

Sebastian Castro, a senior defensive back told KCRG, it's still Kirks team.

"It’s still KF’s team (in practice). He did make it a point, like don’t focus too much on him. He does want to be out there, but just do the job and do it with our brothers."

Even though the team won't have their head coach with them on the sidelines, he's still with them every day in practice. He still will be involved in the game plan and he can help coach the team up until Saturday's game. Junior Wide Receiver, Jacob Gill also mentioned that at the end of the day, it's up to the players to win football games.

"Ferentz mentioned earlier when he addressed us. The players win games, coaches help a lot, but at the end of the day players got to go out there and win the games."

The Assistant Head Coach for the Hawkeyes is Seth Wallace who will be in charge of the head coaching duties during Saturday's season opener.

Interim Head Coach

According to Hawkeye Sports, "Seth Wallace was elevated to assistant head football coach at the University of Iowa in January, 2024. He has coached Hawkeye linebackers since 2016 and served as Iowa’s assistant defensive coordinator the past seven seasons."

While both coaches are considered "masters at their craft" by the players, Kirk Ferentz and Seth Wallace do have fairly different styles when it comes to coaching. Deontae Craig is a senior defensive lineman and he spoke to KCRG about their different styles.

"They are both masters at their craft. I mean coach Wallace, he takes a different approach. Coach Ferentz is a little more laid-back. Wallace is a little more ‘in your face,’ but that’s just how most defensive coaches are."

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday. The Hawkeyes enter this game as the 25th ranked team in the country and despite Kirk Ferentz absence, are still favored to take care of business at Kinnick Stadium.