IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and an assistant coach will be suspended for the No. 25 Hawkeyes’ opener against Illinois State on Aug. 31 over a violation while recruiting a player.
Iowa athletic director Beth Goetz said Thursday the suspension of Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr was self-imposed.
Seth Wallace, assistant defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, was named assistant head coach in January and will fill Ferentz’s role for the game against the Redbirds.
“There’s a line,” Ferentz said at a news conference. “I crossed that line.”
Ferentz is beginning his 26th season at Iowa, where his 196 wins rank third all-time among Big Ten coaches.
The Hawkeyes have won 10 games three of the past five seasons and reached the Big Ten championship game last year.
Ferentz did not name the player whose recruitment was at issue. The Athletic, citing an unnamed source, reported it was quarterback Cade McNamara.
He transferred from Michigan before the 2023 season and started the first five games before a knee injury ended his season. Ferentz said Thursday that McNamara is Iowa’s No. 1 quarterback entering the opener.