The Iowa Way, Reimagined: Beth Goetz, Big Ten Realities, and the Strategic Rebuild of Hawkeye Athletics

The University of Iowa’s athletic department has always leaned on identity. Known for loyalty, physicality, and steady leadership, it has maintained relevance in the Big Ten despite lacking the budget or market power of Michigan or Ohio State. However, college athletics is changing rapidly, becoming increasingly corporate, national, and competitive, and Iowa now finds itself at a pivotal moment. With media revenues surging, NIL dynamics escalating, and travel demands intensifying, institutional inertia is no longer a luxury.

Enter Beth Goetz, Iowa’s newly minted athletic director and the first woman to permanently hold the position. Goetz is not simply a caretaker of Iowa’s values; she’s a reformer with a clear strategic agenda. Her early tenure has already reshaped the department’s tone and direction. Her major personnel moves, including the high-profile hiring of basketball coach Ben McCollum, reflect a willingness to take calculated risks to modernize Iowa Athletics without abandoning its core identity.

The Big Ten Foundation—and the Cost of Belonging

As a founding member of the Big Ten, Iowa never had to justify its place in the league. The conference has long provided the Hawkeyes with stability, brand elevation, and recruiting relevance. But the landscape has shifted. With the additions of USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, the Big Ten is now a bi-coastal media empire. The infusion of cash, expected to yield $70–80 million in annual distributions per school by 2026, brings with it steeper competition and greater pressure to invest aggressively across all sports.

Iowa’s FY2023 athletic budget was approximately $167 million, a solid but not elite figure by conference standards. The university remains self-sustaining and fiscally disciplined, but as programs like Penn State and Oregon push further into NIL, analytics, and Olympic sport dominance, Iowa’s strategic path demands more than tradition—it demands modernization, efficiency, and visionary leadership.

Ferentz and the Coming Football Succession

No figure looms larger over Iowa sports than Kirk Ferentz. The longest-tenured coach in the FBS has delivered decades of consistency, marked by NFL player development, January bowl wins, and a disciplined, development-first culture. But at 69, Ferentz’s time is nearing its end. Whether he retires in 2025 or pushes toward 2029, the succession decision will define Beth Goetz’s legacy.

Goetz has already shown she’s not afraid to act. In 2023, following an anemic offensive season and a public outcry over a performance clause in Brian Ferentz’s contract, she declined to retain him as offensive coordinator. That decision, though overdue, was a powerful signal: loyalty no longer takes precedence over accountability.

When Ferentz retires, Goetz must hire a coach capable of preserving Iowa’s identity while elevating its competitiveness in a rapidly evolving Big Ten. It will be Iowa’s most politically sensitive and strategically consequential hire in decades. The ideal successor will need to recruit nationally, navigate NIL landscapes, and evolve Iowa’s offense, all without alienating an intensely loyal fan base. Goetz’s track record suggests she’ll meet that moment with the same blend of institutional awareness and executive clarity that she’s already brought to other parts of the department.

The McCollum Hire: Culture Meets Bold Vision

Goetz’s decision to hire Ben McCollum as men’s basketball coach exemplifies her approach. After building a winner at Drake University, McCollum had become one of the hottest coaching commodities in the nation. Known for his motion-heavy offense, disciplined teams, and player development, McCollum represents a step away from Iowa’s previous era of respectable-but-stagnant March performances under Fran McCaffery.

Landing McCollum was not a safe, “Iowa-style” move. It was a calculated gamble on upside, one that many peers hesitated to make. Goetz, however, saw what others missed: a system builder who aligns with Iowa’s values but raises the ceiling of what the program can achieve. It’s a clear sign that Goetz isn’t just managing expectations; she’s actively redefining what Iowa Athletics should expect from itself.

Wrestling in Decline—and How Goetz Plans to Revive It

No Iowa sport is more emotionally sacred than wrestling. The program has produced 24 NCAA team titles, national icons, and a fan base that fills Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the dead of winter. But in recent years, Penn State has overtaken Iowa, and even programs like Missouri and Arizona State have begun to chip away at its legacy.

Goetz recognizes that wrestling must evolve. She has worked with the Iowa Swarm collective to increase NIL support, opened channels for expanding recruiting beyond traditional Midwest strongholds, and encouraged staff to embrace analytics and recovery science —tools that modern powers now use as table stakes. While she’s careful not to disrupt the cultural integrity of the sport, her approach signals that nostalgia is no longer a strategy.

Should the head wrestling coach embrace that direction and modernize, his future may be assured. But suppose he declines to embrace the challenge? In that case, his time is limited, as Iowa fans are increasingly disenchanted with being an afterthought.

Women’s Basketball and the Post-Clark Era

Few programs in the country have matched the explosion in visibility seen by Iowa women’s basketball during the Caitlin Clark era. Final Fours, record-setting TV ratings, and sellout crowds turned Iowa into the epicenter of women’s hoops. But with Clark now in the WNBA, the department must pivot, not to preservation, but to sustainable relevance.

Goetz has supported Coach Lisa Bluder and her successor, Jan Jensen, with enhanced staffing, donor support, and continuity of branding. Her public support of the program and behind-the-scenes investment in recruiting, facilities, and media positioning have made it clear: Iowa’s commitment to women’s basketball didn’t leave with Caitlin Clark.

Health, Wellness, and Competitive Infrastructure

Iowa’s behind-the-scenes infrastructure is one of its greatest strengths. Through a close relationship with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Hawkeye athletes receive elite care, including mental health counseling, sleep tracking, nutrition planning, and injury recovery, all embedded within their day-to-day training.

Goetz has already signaled her intent to expand and professionalize these services as part of Iowa’s recruiting pitch and internal performance culture. With Big Ten travel now spanning the country, her emphasis on holistic health is more than an ethical investment, it’s a competitive differentiator.

Departmental Standing and Strategic Outlook

Relative to its Big Ten peers, Iowa ranks:

• Top 5 in football consistency, with succession looming
• Top 2 all-time in wrestling, but fading in recent years
• Top 3 in wellness infrastructure and medical integration
• Top tier in women’s basketball visibility
• Middle tier in athletic budget and NIL scale
• Top 3 in coaching talent management under Goetz
• Trending upward in men’s basketball after the McCollum hire

What emerges from this snapshot is a department in transformation. The culture that once made Iowa special is still intact. Still, Goetz is introducing modern tools, metrics, and talent to raise the bar. Her administration is decisive, risk-tolerant, and not beholden to outdated hierarchies.

In a conference that’s becoming more like a national sports league, Iowa doesn’t need to become something it’s not. But under Beth Goetz, it is learning that even tradition needs updates. With bold hires, a focus on athlete wellness, and a clear eye toward the post-Ferentz future, Iowa is beginning to write its next chapter, not as a plucky underdog, but as a program with plans.
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And for the first time in a long while, it has the leadership to pull it off.