Hawkeyes hire Packers’ analyst Tim Lester, ex-Western Michigan coach, to revive offense
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/01/2024 (976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Former Western Michigan coach Tim Lester was hired Wednesday to turn around Iowa’s underperforming offense.
Lester replaces coach Kirk Ferentz’s son, Brian Ferentz, who finished this past season on the staff after athletic director Beth Goetz told him in late October that he wouldn’t return in 2024.
The 46-year-old Lester spent a year as a senior analyst for the Green Bay Packers after Western Michigan fired him in 2022.
“His experience as both a head coach and a coordinator at several different levels of football gives him an excellent perspective,” Kirk Ferentz said. “I believe his expertise and personality make him a perfect fit for this position.”
Lester was 37-32 in six seasons at WMU, where he was a star quarterback in the late 1990s. He previously was quarterbacks coach at Purdue in 2016 and offensive coordinator at Syracuse in 2014-15. He also has coached at the Divisions II and III levels.
“When you have coached at every level of football like I have, you have a true appreciation for an opportunity like this at the University of Iowa,” Lester said. “I know the tradition and history of the Hawkeye program and I am excited to get to work with the outstanding players and coaches.”
Iowa has had the Big Ten’s least productive offense two straight years and ranked second-to-last in 2021. The system under Brian Ferentz was panned for being outdated and unimaginative. Iowa was one of two teams in the nation with a pass completion rate under 50% this past season. Seven wide receivers have entered the transfer portal over three years.
The Hawkeyes have still managed to win 28 games since 2021, including two 10-win seasons, largely because of a defense that consistently ranks among the nation’s best.
But Iowa has wilted on the biggest stages. Last season the Hawkeyes were shut out 31-0 at Penn State, 26-0 against Michigan in the Big Ten championship game and 35-0 against Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl.
Lester’s offenses at Syracuse struggled, ranking 13th in the 14-team Atlantic Coast Conference in both 2014 and ’15.
WMU’s offense was ranked in the top 35 nationally in total offense four consecutive seasons (2018-21) under Lester. He was the primary play-caller from 2018-20.
His 2022 WMU offense, coordinated by Jeff Thorne, was worst in the Mid-American Conference at 301 yards and 19 points per game.
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football