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Kirk Ferentz delivers blunt assessment of midseason redshirt decisions for Iowa
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Kirk Ferentz is dealing with a couple of off-field decisions this week as Iowa moves on from the Week 6 loss to Ohio State.
Those decisions involve wide receiver Kaleb Brown and running back Leshon Williams opting to redshirt the rest of the 2024 season. Williams has already confirmed his plans to test the transfer portal.
At his Tuesday press conference, Ferentz took time to thank that duo for their contributions while also wishing them both best of luck in the future. In fact, Ferentz applauded the decision of both players because it is best to avoid having players on board who are not totally committed to the team.
“It’s just a reflection of the times, it’s certainly not unique to us… I applaud both guys because what you don’t want is someone in the program who doesn’t have both feet in the circle and totally committed to the team,” Ferentz said.
Meanwhile, Ferentz was rather direct when it came to the impact for Iowa’s plans this season. Without much of an impact on the field from either player, Ferentz said the Hawkeyes are unable to lose something they do not have.
“You can’t lose what you didn’t have,” admitted Ferentz. “If someone hasn’t really been playing, it’s not like you’re losing a lot of contribution if that makes any sense. I don’t know what the stats are on either player we’re talking about this season. If Leshon had left last November it would have been impactful… The bottom line is this: Not to be callous, but if a player’s not playing you really can’t lose anything that way.”
Williams, after leading the Hawkeyes in rushing last season, battled offseason injuries and has just 47 yards of offense this fall. Brown has just 1 catch for 18 yards, so Ferentz certainly has a point with that aspect of his assessment.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.