IOWA CITY – University of Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz announced the appointment of Broderick Binns as Director of Player Development and Tyler Barnes as director of recruiting. Both assignments are effective immediately.
“Broderick and Tyler bring important strengths to complement our coaching staff,” said Ferentz. “A comprehensive recruiting program and a proactive player development program are critical to our continued success.”
“We are excited to have Tyler join our football staff,” said UI Director of Athletics Gary Barta. “Because of the relationship with Coach Ferentz, we made certain all UI policies and procedures in place for this type of situation were followed from the very beginning of the process.
“As we have done in similar cases with which most people are familiar, (Kirk and Brian Ferentz, and Tom and Terry Brands), our management plan calls for Tyler to report to another staff member in senior administration. This process has worked well for us previously and we expect it will in this case as well.”
Binns, a four-year letterman for the Hawkeyes during his playing career, has served as a graduate assistant coach with the Hawkeyes the past two seasons, assisting with the Hawkeye special teams.
Binns, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, enjoyed a very successful playing career as a defensive end for the Hawkeyes from 2008-11. He earned second team All-Big Ten honors as a senior and earned the Roy J. Carver Most Valuable Player Award for defense. He was a three-year member of the Iowa Leadership Group during his career.
Binns earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Iowa in 2012. He was employed as a teacher and coach at Cretin-Derham High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, prior to joining the Iowa staff as a graduate assistant, coaching football, basketball and track. He is pursuing a master’s degree in sports management.
“Broderick has been a valuable contributor to our success the past two years,” said Ferentz. “With his experience in the program as both a player, and graduate assistant coach, Broderick has a full understanding of the program and what it takes for us to have success. We are excited to have Broderick as a fulltime member of our support staff.”
Barnes previously served on the Iowa staff in student assistant (2009-10), graduate assistant (2011), and administrative assistant (2012) capacities. As director of recruiting, Barnes will have a lead role in all aspects of prospect identification, assist the coaching staff in off-campus recruiting efforts, and coordinate all aspects of on-campus recruiting activities.
Barnes rejoins the Iowa staff after serving on the Vanderbilt University football staff the past three years. He held the position of director of player personnel the past two seasons after serving as co-recruiting coordinator in 2013.
“Tyler also returns with several years of experience within our program,” said Ferentz. “His added experience from another high-quality college football program allows him to bring valuable input and insights to our program.”
Barnes earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 2009, with a double major in Finance and Sports Studies. He earned his master’s degree from Iowa in Recreation and Sports Management in 2011.
Barnes is married to Joanne Ferentz, Coach Ferentz’s daughter. The hiring of Barnes followed all University of Iowa nepotism policy requirements. Barnes is a native of Decatur, Illinois and a graduate of MacArthur HS.
