Ferentz was a team football captain and was named the ECAC Division II Defensive Player of the Week after 12 tackles and two fumble recoveries in a win against UMass.

Ferentz worked under Fry and offensive coordinator Bill Snyder, and alongside assistant coaches Barry Alvarez, Dan McCarney, and Don Patterson.

Six of those players played over 100 games in the NFL: Offensive guards Ron Hallstrom, Mark Bortz, and Bob Kratch, tackles Brett Miller and John Alt, and center Joel Hilgenberg.

While on a recruiting trip in January 1993, Ferentz received a message from NFL's Cleveland Browns inviting him to interview for their open offensive line position.

New general manager Ozzie Newsome and Ferentz convinced Modell and head coach Ted Marchibroda to select UCLA offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden with its first round pick, fourth overall in the 1996 NFL draft, instead of Nebraska running back Lawrence Phillips.

[15] Betts, running behind a young offensive line, would finish the season as team co-MVP and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors.

Defensive back Matt Bowen also won second-team all conference honors, was team co-MVP, and would be selected in the 2000 NFL draft with tight end Austin Wheatley.

[17] Betts rushed for 1,060 yards and 10 touchdowns behind the offensive line whose young players had struggled the prior seasons but now were experienced in Ferentz's zone blocking scheme.

Several players earned first or second-team Big Ten honors, including Betts, offensive linemen Eric Steinbach and David Porter, defensive end Aaron Kampman, and sophomore Bob Sanders, a lightly recruited but hard-hitting safety recommended to Ferentz out of high school by his mentor Joe Moore.

[20] The Hawkeye offensive line, featuring first-team all-Big Ten members Steinbach, Robert Gallery, and Bruce Nelson and second-team all-conference tackle Porter, paved the way for running back Fred Russell and the Iowa rushing attack.

The lone regular season loss came against in-state rival Iowa State, in which Seneca Wallace and the Cyclones came back from a 24–7 halftime deficit to defeat the Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium.

12 Penn State and a thrilling back-and-forth victory against Purdue, in which the dual-threat Banks and nimble tight end Clark connected twice for crucial touchdowns at Kinnick.

Two convincing conference wins followed, including a 44–16 rout of Michigan State, in which the Hawkeye defense stopped star Spartan receiver Charles Rogers' 14-game touchdown streak.

On January 1, 2005, they defeated LSU and his former coaching mate Nick Saban 30–25, after a thrilling 56-yard touchdown pass from true sophomore Drew Tate to Warren Holloway as time expired in the Capital One Bowl.

Running back Shonn Greene won the Doak Walker Award behind a vastly improved offensive line that featured All-American guard Seth Olsen, senior center Rob Bruggeman, and young tackle Bryan Bulaga.

The Hawkeyes began the season ranked 9 in the AP poll, returning key players Stanzi, McNutt, Adrian Clayborn, Tyler Sash, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, and Karl Klug.

The inconsistent 2011 Hawkeyes finished 7–6 (4–4 Big Ten), defeating ranked Michigan 24–16 but losing to unranked rivals Minnesota and Iowa State.

In the 2011 offseason, thirteen football players ended up in University Hospital with extreme cases of rhabdomyolysis following a workout administered by strength coach Chris Doyle.

After a later press conference was convened after national scrutiny, Barta, head coach Ferentz, and Doyle were not in attendance, instead letting a parent of an injured player and UI doctor answer questions.

[34] The Hawkeyes lost their final 6 games after starting tackles Brandon Scherff and Andrew Donnal both suffered season-ending injuries against Penn State.

A humbling defeat to Tennessee in the Taxslayer Bowl resulted in Ferentz naming Beathard the starter for 2015 and Rudock transferring to Michigan under new coach Jim Harbaugh.

Linebacker Josey Jewell also finished first-team All-American, won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the Jack Lambert Award.

[47][48] On July 27, 2020, ESPN published an article citing instances of racial inequities levied against black players throughout Ferentz's tenure as a head coach.

[61] Dominant defense and great special teams play led to Ferentz's third Big Ten West title, though Michigan had little difficulty defeating Iowa once again in the championship game.

[69] Following the 2006 NFL season, rumors circulated that Ferentz may have been in consideration for the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coaching job after Bill Cowher stepped down.

"[77] During the 2020 racial unrest in the United States after the murder of George Floyd by police, Black former Iowa football players called for changes within the program.

After a review with athletic director Gary Barta, Kirk's son Brian Ferentz continued his role for Iowa football without suspension, leave, or fine.

The victim's mother sent two letters sent to school president Sally Mason, accusing university officials of encouraging her daughter, an Iowa student-athlete, to pursue resolution "informally" and within the athletic department.

[102] In 2010, Satterfield signed a plea deal, pleading guilty to assault with intent to inflict serious injury and was fined $625, with a suspended prison sentence due to his testimony against Everson and his lack of previous criminal record.

[105] In 2011, thirteen football players ended up in University Hospital with extreme cases of rhabdomyolysis, a serious muscle condition, following an offseason workout administered by strength coach Chris Doyle.