2015 Kirk Ferentz
Iowa Hawkeyes

Kirk Ferentz has been the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes since before the turn of the century. In coaching terms this is an eon, but in 2015 he has put together his best coaching season to date, leading a generally unfancied Iowa team to an undefeated regular season and has recorded the most wins in a single season in school history.

This is the Ferentz whose name was linked to jobs in the NFL on a seemingly constant basis five years or so ago. The fact Ferentz has been able to pull out this kind of season at a school as unremarkable as Iowa is astonishing. Iowa does not have the fertile recruiting grounds of an SEC school or one in Texas, but Ferentz has masterfully made the most of the talent available. He has installed a work ethic and a lunch pail attitude of the kind that is whispered about in Big Ten lore through time.

In a world of spread offenses and throwing the ball a thousand times a game the Iowa attack does most of its work on the ground. This is a decision Ferentz made based on the way his offensive line can dominate games and it is a tactic that has been the backbone of this amazing season.

To complete a perfect regular season after starting the year unranked in one of the Power Five conferences is almost unbelievable. The Hawkeyes slipped into the Top 25 after winning at ranked Wisconsin and have been continually moving up in the polls ever since with win after win and teams in front of them falling by the wayside.

Ferentz has been the model of consistency while at Iowa, but 2015 marks the best coaching season of his long and potentially Hall of Fame worthy career.