Maryland football hires former Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz as senior offensive assistant

COLLEGE PARK — Former Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz has joined the Maryland football staff, a spokesperson for the Terps said Friday.

Ferentz, the son of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, is a senior offensive assistant and does not count as one of the 10 on-field coaches.

Brian Ferentz, 41, will be working with an offense that’s entering a season of change with the departure of Big Ten-leading passer Taulia Tagovailoa. The Terps, who hold their annual spring game Saturday, have Music City Bowl starter Billy Edwards Jr., NC State transfer MJ Morris, redshirt sophomores Cameron Edge and Jayden Sauray and redshirt freshman Champ Long competing at quarterback.

Brian Ferentz had been Iowa’s offensive coordinator from 2017 until then-interim athletic director Beth Goetz fired him last October, effective at the end of the season. The Hawkeyes had one of the nation’s least productive offenses three straight years, and fans and media alleged nepotism had allowed him to keep his job as long as he did. Goetz said the decision to remove Brian Ferentz was made after her conversations with Kirk and Brian Ferentz and school president Barbara J. Wilson.

Brian Ferentz was replaced at Iowa by Tim Lester, a former college head coach who spent time with the Green Bay Packers. He is installing a new offense for the Hawkeyes, who went 10-4 last season but ranked last in offense in Division I and averaged just 15.4 points per game. Three of their losses were shutouts, including the Big Ten championship game against Michigan and the Citrus Bowl against Tennessee.

In February, former athletic director Gary Barta restructured Brian Ferentz’s contract, cutting his salary $50,000, to $850,000, and requiring the Hawkeyes to average 25 points per game over a 13-game season in order to secure his return in 2024.