Iowa fan brutally trolled Brian Ferentz with viral prank

Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz calls out to players during a NCAA football practice on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, at the Hansen Football Performance Center in Iowa City. Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen

The Iowa Hawkeyes were caught in an awkward situation this week thanks to the efforts one one fed-up fan.

Frustration has boiled over among Hawkeyes fans over the team’s horrendous start to the season on offense. Iowa has scored just 14 points in two games against South Dakota State and Iowa State, and their 158 yards per game and 21 total first downs both rank dead last in the country.

Much scrutiny has surrounded the job of offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, who is also the son of head coach Kirk Ferentz. The situation grew more embarrassing after one Iowa fan used the website Cameo to request personalized messages from Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffrey and former Oklahoma coach and one-time Iowa star Bob Stoops. Both coaches unknowingly recorded messages of support to an otherwise unidentified Brian by request, with both alluding to Brian still having the support of his father despite recent difficulties. Stoops suggested that the subject of his video “break free from the family business,” while McCaffrey said to consider “making a move back to New England,” a veiled reference to Ferentz’s stint as a Patriots assistant from 2008 to 2011.

In statements to Scott Dochterman of The Athletic, both McCaffrey and Stoops made clear that they had no idea they were recording joke messages, or that the Brian in question was meant to be Ferentz.

Nobody can blame McCaffrey and Stoops here, but this hardly looks good for Iowa. The performance on offense has been bad enough without fans piling on like this, as funny as it may be.

It’s unfortunate that Mike Leach, another Cameo user, does not have any ties to the Hawkeyes. His message probably would have been phenomenal.