TAMPA, Fla. — On the eve of the 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl, in the serene, sunlit media room at Raymond James Stadium, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz responded to a question regarding the importance of bowl games with the kind of considerate, grounded honesty that has characterized his 27-year tenure in Iowa City.
Bowl games are more than just off-season filler or calendar markers for Ferentz. These are important opportunities to compete, hone team skills, and celebrate the hard work and development of a long season. “Every chance a team has to compete is special,” he said, encapsulating the sentiment that reverberates subtly but effectively throughout his program and the larger Hawkeye community. These aren’t empty words for a coach who has led Iowa football longer than any other member of the Power Five; they are a reflection of decades of steady preparation and sincere gratitude for another day on the field.
Ferentz talked about how important the experience itself is, not just the outcome. Since none of the players on this year’s team had ever visited Tampa, it was a unique and thrilling experience for them. He said it was enjoyable to see how they responded to everything from the hospitality surrounding the ReliaQuest Bowl to the opportunity to spend one more week together before the offseason. Ferentz praised the bowl organizers for creating an atmosphere that players truly enjoy, saying, “It’s been first class all the way.”
Additionally, he emphasized the importance of competition at this point in a group’s journey. The fact that Iowa and Vanderbilt both arrived with the majority of their rosters intact in a college football landscape increasingly characterized by opt-outs and offseason starts before New Year’s Day speaks volumes about the culture and pride within each team, he believes. Ferentz remarked, “I think you’re looking at two teams that are really going to work hard,” considering the spirit of competition that both programs offer.
Ferentz also didn’t avoid its simplicity. When asked what it would mean to win this bowl, he chuckled a little and said, quite bluntly: winning your last game *feels great; losing, well, “it stinks.” In addition to striking a chord with the audience, his candid, almost homegrown clarity emphasized his conviction that every moment matters. “It’s difficult to downplay the significance of these games if you like competition, which I believe is what college football is all about.”
Vanderbilt’s fifth-year head coach, Clark Lea, who has rapidly emerged as one of the SEC’s rising stars, stood on the other side of the podium. From the moment Ferentz spoke, Lea’s admiration for him was clear. He paused before identifying Ferentz as one of the “a few guys in our profession that are considered to be the highest level.” Lea acknowledged that both teams strive for a culture of stability and sustained success, which Ferentz has established, and that this respect extended beyond wins and losses.
However, Lea’s admiration was both personal and professional. He talked about how much he appreciates coaches who remain loyal to who they are, a quality that he believes has been essential to Ferentz’s success. With a genuine smile, Lea remarked, “You’ll never be Coach Ferentz because we can only be who we are, but what you see in the results is a commitment to exactly who they are.” Not only does this dedication help the program win games, but it also attracts and inspires the right individuals.
Lea added that he personally admires and aspires to emulate Ferrentz’s thematic consistency at Vanderbilt, from how players are developed to how teams approach each challenge. It’s the kind of legacy that is determined by a program’s fundamental identity throughout highs, lows, and every season in between rather than just by trophies.
The story isn’t just about a football game in Tampa on New Year’s Eve as both coaches address the media prior to kickoff. In a sport that frequently prioritizes flash over substance, it is about two programs at different stages of their journeys discovering respect for one another. Ferentz believes that every bowl game is important because it’s a chance to compete, bond, and finish a season on your terms, not because of your stature. Standing on the same field as a coach whose tenure and accomplishments shed light on the direction he believes Vanderbilt will take is an honor for Lea.
