Maryland’s New Addition: Former Iowa OC Brian Ferentz Joins Terrapins as Analyst
According to a program source who spoke with The Athletic on Friday, Maryland plans to bring on former Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz as an analyst for the Terps. The 41-year-old, a former assistant with the New England Patriots, worked for ten years at Iowa, first as the offensive line coach and then as the offensive coordinator from 2017 to 2023. There, he also served as a quarterback, running back, and tight end coach.
Ferentz’s tenure as a coach has been erratic. When Rob Gronkowski was a tight ends coach with the New England Patriots in 2011, Ferentz was credited with teaching him how to block. In 2012, Ferentz became an offensive line coach at Iowa. In addition to leading the Hawkeyes to the 2016 Joe Moore Award as the finest offensive line in college football, he assisted Brandon Scherff in winning the Outland Trophy in 2014.
After taking over as offensive coordinator in 2017, Ferentz twice assisted the Hawkeyes in scoring more than thirty-one points in a single season. However, Iowa’s offense was among the worst in NCAA football from 2021 to 2023. Ferentz’s contract was set to expire in 2023 if he did not average 25 points per game, according to former Iowa athletics director Gary Barta. Ferentz’s employment will end at the end of the season, as new athletics director Beth Goetz declared last autumn, as it became apparent the Hawkeyes would not reach that milestone.
Iowa ended with the fewest yards per game in Big Ten play since Northwestern in 1984, despite winning the Big Ten West Division.
Mike Locksley, the coach of the Terps, was previously employed by Nick Saban at Alabama, where the Tide had great success promoting experienced staff members who had served as coordinators and head coaches to analyst positions. In addition to providing further knowledge on their offensive line play and run game, Ferentz should be able to help Locksley and Terps offensive coordinator Josh Gattis get ready for opposing defenses.
Beyond the Big Ten, Ferentz is connected to Maryland. Before relocating to Iowa City, Brian Ferentz spent two years as an athlete at Gilman, a nationally recognized football powerhouse. His father, Kirk, was the assistant coach of the Baltimore Ravens from 1996 to 1998.
This autumn, Brian Ferentz, the eldest of five siblings, will join younger brothers James and Steve on football teams. James Ferentz, 34, is the assistant offensive line coach for the New York Giants after he announced his retirement from the game this spring. South Dakota’s outside linebackers coach is thirty-year-old Steve Ferentz.
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