Beth Goetz met with reporters on Tuesday for an introductory press conference as she officially took over as Iowa’s athletic director this week.

Goetz, who had been Iowa’s interim AD since August, was asked about the Hawkeyes’ ongoing search to hire a new offensive coordinator. Iowa has not announced a replacement for Brian Ferentz despite announcing his departure back in October.

Goetz was asked about the budget for hiring a new coach for the role and about the process in general.

“I feel really good about where the process is,” Goetz said. “I know there are a lot of people anxious, certainly to hear what the final decision is and who is going to be joining that team. And I think all those puzzle pieces are going to come together in short order.

“I’ve worked very closely with coach [Kirk Ferentz]. Certainly we have a financial blueprint that we work through. And then from there, we evaluate each and every current staff member and also those that we may be considering for that role.”

Goetz also acknowledged the “escalating” salaries for football coaches across the country but said Iowa will do what it needs to do in order to remain “competitive.”

Here’s Goetz’s full comments:

Iowa is hoping to take a big step forward offensively next season. This past year, the Hawkeyes averaged just 3.94 yards per play offensively. That ranked dead last amongst all 133 FBS teams for the 2023 season.