IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa Moon Family Head Football Coach Kirk Ferentzis one of 20 head coaches named to the 2026 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List. The announcement was made Thursday by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc.
The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity — the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.
The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc., taking into consideration each program’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR), commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2026 season.
Ferentz is heading into his 28th season as Iowa’s head coach, the longest tenured head coach in college football. Ferentz has coached 14 individual national award winners on 17 occasions and 101 NFL Draft selections during his tenure. He has guided Iowa to Big Ten championships in 2002 and 2004, and Big Ten West Division titles in 2015, 2021 and 2023.
Ferentz has led the Hawkeyes to 209 wins, including 133 in the Big Ten, making him the winningest coach in Big Ten history. He was a Dodd Trophy semifinalist in 2023, while earning the Coach of the Year honor in 2015.
Ferentz has led the Hawkeyes to 23 bowl invitations, including 14 January bowl game appearances. Iowa has finished in the top half of the Big Ten 19 times under his leadership and the Hawkeyes have been ranked in the final Top 25 rankings six of the last eight seasons.
Ferentz was named the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year in 2015. He has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year four times (2002, 2004, 2009, 2015) and was named the Woody Hayes and Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year in 2015, as well.
The Hawkeyes open the 2026 season Sept. 5, hosting Northern Illinois at 3:15 p.m. (CT) on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium.
