Kaleb Brown is a former 4-star wide receiver who transferred to Iowa after playing his true freshman campaign at Ohio State. He has not seen much of an impact this season, but he maintains a lot of respect for OC Brian Ferentz.

Ferentz, of course, has been harshly criticized as the Hawkeye offense has struggled mightily under his watch. It was recently announced he will not return for the 2024 season with interim AD Beth Goetz pulling the plug to announce that decision midseason.

Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Brown admitted it was “a tough situation” all the way around but made it clear he thinks “highly” of Ferentz. He did not elaborate further but cited “real-life things.”

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Overall, Brown has respect for Ferentz and his efforts and felt it was “tough” to see social media’s reaction to the move.

Brown has appeared in 6 games for the Hawkeyes this season, and he finally produced his first catch with a clutch 23-yard reception against Northwestern.

While Iowa’s move to finalize Ferentz’s fate makes some sense, it is not surprising to see Brown or any other player express those kinds of sentiments about the OC. Even with the challenges, it would be unlikely to see offensive players for the Hawkeyes come out with criticism for Ferentz at this point in the process.