Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes just made a massive addition to the staff for next season.
Iowa moved quickly to replace long-time special teams coordinator LeVar Woods after he left the program for a similar position with Michigan State.
The program promoted defensive analyst Chris Polizzi to special teams coordinator to replace Woods.
The Hawkeyes also lost offensive analyst Warren Ruggiero to Wake Forest, leaving potentially two analyst positions open.
A little under a month after Polizzi was promoted, the Hawkeyes found an unexpected hire to take his place.
Iowa added Jay Norvell as an offensive analyst
A former head coach with multiple years of coaching experience with ties to the Iowa program was plucked from Colorado State.
Sources: Former Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell is joining the staff at Iowa as an offensive analyst. Norvell spent nine seasons as a college head coach at CSU and Nevada, authoring five bowl seasons. He' an Iowa graduate who served as an honorary captain in November. pic.twitter.com/OwjY7OkSPp
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 4, 2026
Former Hawkeye Jay Norvell is joining the staff as an offensive analyst after spending the past four seasons as the head coach with the Colorado State program.
Norvell was a member of the Iowa football program from 1982 to 1985 under former legendary head coach Hayden Fry.
Norvell was also recently in Iowa City, serving as an honorary captain in Iowa's game against Michigan State at Kinnick Stadium last season.
Before rejoining the Iowa coaching staff, Norvell made stops at Northern Iowa (1988), Wisconsin (1989-1994), Iowa State (1995-1997), Nebraska (2004-2006), UCLA (2007), Texas (2007-2014), Nevada (2014-2021), and Colorado State (2021-2025).
He also spent six seasons in the NFL from 1998 to 2003.
With Norvell taking one of the analyst spots, Hawk Central is reporting that analyst Billy Vandemerkt will assume Ruggiero's former offensive analyst position, while Norvell will work primarily with the tight ends.
Norvell is a great hire for the Hawkeyes, making Tim Lester's staff even better before next season.