NCAA sanctions Iowa for pre-portal tampering by Ferentz staff, four 2023 wins vacated

The NCAA announced tampering violations involving Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and assistant Jon Budmayr linked to extensive contact with a student-athlete at another school before he entered the transfer portal; Budmayr even spoke with the athlete’s parent and arranged a call with Ferentz, after which the player transferred and played in five games in 2023. As a penalty, Iowa will vacate four wins from the 2023 season (Utah State, Iowa State, Western Michigan, Michigan State), dropping Ferentz’s record to 209-128. The COI supported the sanctions despite Iowa’s disagreement and noted potential governance changes to how eligibility and penalties are determined in similar cases.