Iowa Football Coach Kirk Ferentz Tests Positive for COVID-19

Iowa announced head football coach Kirk Ferentz has tested positive for COVID-19 in a release sent out Friday.

The Hawkeyes' season-ending game against Michigan was already canceled amid a COVID-19 outbreak for the Wolverines. 

It is unclear if Ferentz will coach in Iowa's bowl game. The Big Ten requires a 10-day quarantine period for coaches who test positive, which would keep Ferentz out into the bowl season. Iowa is likely to play in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30, making Ferentz eligible to return by then.

The Hawkeyes went 6-2 in the regular season and were one of three schools (Penn State and Rutgers) to play eight games in 2020. Ferentz has led Iowa to eight straight winning seasons, and this will be the school's 18th bowl appearance of his tenure.

"We have been fortunate this season to have played eight games and to have very few positive cases," Ferentz said in a statement. "When the team returns to practice on Tuesday, I will participate via Zoom and our collective focus will be on preparing for the bowl game."

Five Big Ten coaches (Wisconsin's Paul Chryst, Purdue's Jeff Brohm, Mayland's Mike Locksley and Ohio State's Ryan Day) have had confirmed positive COVID-19 tests during the 2020 season.