Kirk Ferentz has harsh words for Iowa players choosing to enter the transfer portal

Well folks, welcome to the new world of college football where it is basically "opt-out week."

What is opt-out week? Well, once a team has played four games, or a player themselves has played in four games, they then have the opportunity to redshirt and sit the rest of the season in order to preserve a year of eligibility and enter the transfer portal at the end of the season.

Every team is dealing with players choosing to basically "opt-out," and Iowa is no exception, even though the Hawkeyes don't have a ton of guys choosing to redshirt and transfers come to the end of the season, they did have two offensive weapons that make this choice.

Running back Leshon Williams and wide receiver Kaleb Brown both announced they would be redshirting this season and plan to enter the transfer portal at the end of the season. Both Williams and Brown saw limited action this season due to an injury to Williams and Brown was suspended the first game of the season due to an incident that took place over the summer.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz spoke with the media on Tuesday after the loss to Ohio State, and Ferentz didn't mince words when he was asked about Brown and Williams choosing to redshirt and transfer.

"Not to be callous, but if a player isn't playing, you don't lose much," Ferentz said in his Tuesday press conference.

Yes, these guys didn't play much, but Williams was dealing with an injury for most of this young season, and in training camp, he was actually looking like the guy that would be the lead back in the running back room. However, due to the Williams injury, Kaleb Johnson got the starting role at the beginning of the season and made the most of it. Johnson has been one of the best running backs in the country and the highlight of the Iowa offense.

When it comes to wide receivers, Kaleb Brown was destined to be one of the top receivers this season, but after missing the first game due to a suspension, other guys stepped up. Receivers such as Reece Vander Zee and Jacob Gill are leading the pack with three touchdowns combined on the season.

When asked against Brown during the press conference, Ferentz again was stern and said he didn't want to talk about players who weren't with the program anymore.

It is probably safe to say that Ferentz won't be talking with Williams and Brown a lot with the decision they have made, and he is planning to move forward and work with the guys still in the building.