Kirk Ferentz Expresses Support For Hawkeye Legend Jack Campbell

The calendar has now flipped to November, which is historically a very successful month for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa football program. 

The Hawkeyes went 2-2 in November, but here's an interesting statistic from Brecht's Beat on Substack: Ferentz is currently 64-33 in the month before Christmas as Iowa's head coach, and though the stakes in every football game are always high, they may just be a tad higher in 2026. 

It's far from a guarantee, but the Hawkeyes would be right in the College Football Playoff conversation if they can win the final four games of the regular season (Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois, and Nebraska) and get some help from others ranked ahead of them. 

Speaking of rankings, the first CFP rankings will be revealed on Tuesday night. To no one's surprise, Ferentz is just focused on Saturday's road test at Northwestern, but no one attending Tuesday's press conference was prepared for Ferentz's response. 

Ferentz mixed a lot of different tangents into his answer, but he did joke around that the only reason the weekly rankings show exists so ESPN, the network that holds the rights to televise the CFP, can make more money off it, blocking out every other major sport that it doesn't carry in the process such as Major League Baseball's World Series. 

"I'm like, are they still playing the World Series or what? Oh, yeah, FOX, ESPN -- I got it, okay. I better watch out because I'm pro-FOX, right? We're a FOX conference and several others, but we're not ESPN, so we probably won't make the rankings. Haven't gone that far, but anyway, I'm not too worried about it," Ferentz joked. 

Jokes aside, how has Ferentz been able to win so many games in November? He was asked about this during his press conference, but the answer was more simple then you might think. According to Ferentz, Iowa's success late in the season is tied to stress because everyone knows they don't have a lot of season left, and bringing the right mindset as well. 

Only time will tell to see if the Hawkeyes can continue those November winning ways, but they are ready to take on the Wildcats. Here are some other notes from Ferentz's press conference. 

As expected, Ferentz kicked off his press conference by acknowledging former Hawkeye standout linebacker Jack Campbell. The current Detroit Lions star suffered a neck injury during a game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon and has been receiving treatment at a local hospital ever since. The Lions have reported that Campbell's condition is "positive" after he was carted off the field motionless in a stretcher, but any further news will be released by the Campbell family if and when they decide to release it.

Ferentz has been in contact with the Campbell family over the last few days and encouraged Iowa fans to keep Jack and his family in their thoughts as they navigate through this difficult time. 

"We're all keeping him in our thoughts, and certainly hope everybody that's a Hawkeye fan does the same," Ferentz said. 

Jack's younger brother, Drew, is currently a third-year defensive lineman for Iowa. There's no question the last three days have been difficult for him, but Ferentz said that the entire team has rallied around Drew as he processes the last few days while trying to get ready for a game at the same time. 

"We're doing all we can to help him out. What we're all hoping for is good news with each and every day," Ferentz added. 

While November is a good time of the year to start playing your best football of the year, it's also the time of the year where the physical nature of this sport results in a growing injury report. 

Ferentz mentioned that several players are "nursing injuries" at the moment (WR Tony Diaz is at 100% health, though) and could potentially be out for Saturday's game, but the only player he confirmed would miss the Northwestern contest is starting center Cael Winter. Losing one of the most key positions in the game is not something a football team wants, but Ferentz is confident in backup Michael Myslinski. 

Myslinski has been through his fair share of injuries in his career as well, which is why he is still playing college football at 25 years of age. That experience could be very beneficial for the Hawkeyes, as Ferentz revealed to the media that Myslinski lost the starting job to Winter "by a nose" in fall camp. 

"Mike is more than ready to go. He's experienced. He's confident. Everybody on the team believes in him. Just a credit to him to stick it out," Ferentz said.