Before long-time head coach Kirk Ferentz returned to Iowa City, he spent multiple years in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens.
After spending eight seasons on Hayden Fry's staff as an offensive line coach, Ferentz spent two seasons as the head coach at Maine before jumping to the NFL.
For six seasons (1993-1998), Ferentz spent time as an offensive line coach for the Browns and Ravens, but one thing was clear: the payroll.
Following the landmark House v. NCAA decision that changed the landscape of college athletics forever before last season, it paved the way for revenue-sharing programs to pay athletes directly.
Ferentz doesn't hate the programs, but has now pushed for a some kind of salary cap multiple times.
Ferentz is concerned with CFB's 'cloudy' future
While Ferentz has no issues with revenue-sharing programs, calling them a "worthy and needed step," he does hate the lack of clarity around them.
NEW: Iowa's Kirk Ferentz tells @PeteNakos it’s frustrating not knowing what’s real in College Football:
— On3 (@On3) February 20, 2026
“Six years of experience in the NFL, and a lot of things I don’t miss about the NFL, but one of the things I miss is the clarity in terms of expectations and what the rules… pic.twitter.com/7x2XbH1tGZ
Ferentz sat down with On3 Sports' Pete Nakos and spent most of the time railing against the NCAA for its lack of transparency regarding revenue-sharing.
While Ferentz does not miss his time in the NFL, one thing he misses is the clarity on payroll rules.
He said he knew what the ceiling and the floor were, but he currently has no idea what they are in college football.
Ferentz's hatred of the transfer portal is well-documented, and he pointed to the millions of dollars flowing through it as a reason something has to change.
He said he hears what these teams' payrolls are, but no one can document or prove it. He thinks it's "clear" that some teams are bigger than others.
Ferentz has been knocked in the past for not embracing change, but he has a legitamate gripe here.
While he did not explicitly say there should be a salary cap for college athletics, his response in the interview suggests that is what he wants in place to establish more transparency.
A salary cap is not on the horizon for college athletics, but if Ferentz had his way, it would have been in place from the beginning.