Iowa football's Kirk Ferentz named to Dodd Trophy preseason watch list

As the 2026 college football season swiftly approaches, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz named to the 2026 Dodd Trophy preseason watch list. The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. made the announcement Thursday.

The Dodd Trophy celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership, and integrity — the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s coaching philosophy.

The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc., taking into consideration each program’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR), commitment to service and charity in the community, as well as projected success for the 2026 season.

Continuing to forge excellence on and off the field.

Coach Ferentz has been named to the Dodd Trophy Watch List 🏆#Hawkeyes x @thedoddtrophypic.twitter.com/CANIsk2nSu

— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) July 9, 2026

Ferentz is entering his 28th season as Iowa’s head coach, where he holds the title of longest-tenured head coach in college football. In his 28 years at the helm of the Hawkeyes, Ferentz has coached 14 individual national award winners on 17 occasions and 101 NFL draft selections, and has guided Iowa to Big Ten championships in 2002 and 2004, and Big Ten West Division titles in 2015, 2021, and 2023.

Ferentz has led the Hawkeyes to 209 wins, making him the winningest coach in Big Ten history in all games played while a member of the Big Ten. Ferentz has led Iowa to 133 Big Ten wins to rank third in league history in that category, trailing only Michigan’s Bo Schembechler (143) and Ohio State’s Woody Hayes (153).

The legendary 70-year-old coach has led the Hawkeyes to 23 bowl invitations, including 14 January bowl game appearances. Iowa has finished in the top half of the Big Ten 19 times under his leadership, and the Hawkeyes have been ranked in the final top 25 rankings six of the last eight seasons.

He was a Dodd Trophy semifinalist in 2023 and earned the Coach of the Year honor in 2015. In addition to his 2015 Dodd Trophy honor, he has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year four times (2002, 2004, 2009, and 2015) and was named the Woody Hayes and Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year in 2015.

The 19 coaches joining Ferentz on the preseason list represent Alabama, Boise State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Miami (FL), Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M,USC, and Washington.

The Hawkeyes open the 2026 season on Sept. 5, hosting Northern Illinois at 3:15 p.m. CT at Kinnick Stadium.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football's Kirk Ferentz named to Dodd Trophy preseason watch list