Should Iowa's AD regret Ferentz' 10-year extension?

Published Aug. 3, 2015 10:56 a.m. ET

foxsports

Back in 2010, Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta gave head coach Kirk Ferentz a 10-year contract extension, locking him up through the entire decade. Hindsight may be 20/20 but before Iowa fans groan, keep in mind he was coming off an 11-2 season where they won the Orange Bowl and finished No. 7 in the final poll.

Since getting that extension that pays him an average of $3.65 million per season, Ferentz has guided the Hawkeyes to a 34-30 record overall, is under .500 against FBS opponents, and 19-21 in league play. Still, despite this mediocrity, Barta does not regret the deal, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette:

“Kirk was still being sought after, by both professional teams and by a particular collegiate team at the time,” he said said. “I never have and may never again give a coach a 10-year contract, but it wasn’t just about winning. It was the way he went about his business. The graduation rates, the approach to his students in life, creating them to be future leaders and, yes, the winning. All of that combined."

With the school’s lagging ticket sales and excitement around the program dipping, Ferentz needs a bounceback season in the worst way, as the large buyout for his contract continues to get smaller. Barta can never admit it publicly, but as more time goes by, that huge extension looks more and more like a mistake.

(h/t Cedar Rapids Gazette)