Tag: LeVar Woods

Iowa’s LeVar Woods interviews with Tampa Bay Buccaneers for special teams coordinator vacancy

Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods interviewed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their vacant special teams coordinator gig.

Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods interviewed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their vacant special teams coordinator spot.

Woods took part in a virtual interview with the Bucs on Tuesday. He joins a group of candidates that also includes New Orleans Saints assistant special teams coordinator Phil Galiano, former Seattle Seahawks special teams coordinator Larry Izzo, former Tennessee Titans special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman, former New York Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and Bucs defensive and special teams assistant Keith Tandy.

Regarded as one of the nation’s finest special teams coordinators, Woods directed a special teams unit that finished ranked No. 30 nationally in ESPN’s SP+ rankings during the 2023 season.

Tory Taylor, the recipient of the Ray Guy Award, ranked third nationally this past season, averaging 48.2 yards per punt. Taylor led the nation with his 93 punts and set a single-season punting yardage record with 4,479 punting yards in 2023.

That mark broke Michigan State‘s Johnny Pingel’s punting yardage record that stood for 85 years. The Aussie saw 32 of his punts downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line as the Hawkeyes led the country in net punting, averaging 44.17 net yards per punt.

Iowa blocked three kicks in 2023 to rank tied-10th in that category. The Hawkeyes ranked 41st in punt return yardage, averaging 10.13 yards per punt. Standout Iowa defensive back and punt returner Cooper DeJean returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown in the Hawkeyes’ 26-16 victory over Michigan State in Week 5.

The Hawkeyes ranked eighth in the country in kickoff return defense, surrendering just 15.57 yards per kickoff return on seven returns. Iowa also ranked No. 20 in kickoff returns, averaging 23.37 yards per kickoff return on 19 returns.

Iowa kickers Drew Stevens and Marshall Meeder each had game-winning kicks versus Northwestern and at Nebraska, respectively.

Woods has coached other Iowa special teams standouts such as kickers Keith Duncan and Caleb Shudak, kickoff return specialist Ihmir Smith-Marsette and return specialist Charlie Jones. Both Smith-Marsette and Jones won the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year in 2018 and in 2021, respectively, while Duncan was named the Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year in 2019.

Woods was a standout linebacker at Iowa, tallying 165 career tackles, 18 tackles for loss and four sacks as a two-year starter during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. After a seven-year NFL career that included stops with the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans from 2001-07, Woods entered the coaching profession with a return to Iowa City.

He began his coaching career at Iowa as one of the Hawkeyes’ administrative assistants from 2008-11. As an administrative assistant, Woods assisted the coaching staff in compiling statistical information, gathering information on opponents and recruits, and assisting in the day-to-day operation of the football office.

Then, from 2012-14, Woods coached linebackers and assisted with special teams. During the 2015-16 seasons, Woods oversaw the tight ends and assisted with special teams. Then, in 2017, Woods became Iowa’s special teams coordinator and coached tight ends. From 2018 through this past season, Woods has served as Iowa’s special teams coordinator.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF

LeVar Woods named FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year

LeVar Woods is the 2023 FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year.

LeVar Woods was recognized as the nation’s finest by FootballScoop. It was announced on Thursday that Woods is the 2023 FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year.

Woods beat out fellow finalists Jeff Banks of Texas, Jacob Bronowski of Miami (Ohio) and Ricky Brumfield of Georgia Tech. Finalists were chosen based on nominations by coaches, athletic directors and athletic department personnel.

It’s the first time Woods has been honored as the FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year. Woods, Iowa’s special teams coordinator since 2018, led a series of units that ranked toward the top of the national ranks.

Those that watched Iowa closely understand that the Hawkeyes simply don’t accomplish what they did in winning the Big Ten West and 10 regular season games without the contributions from Woods’ special teams units.

Led by the Ray Guy Award winner in punter Tory Taylor, Iowa ranked third in the FBS with 47.7 yards per punt with 6.7 punts per game.

For a third consecutive season, Taylor set the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ single-season punting yardage record. Taylor leads the NCAA with 86 punts for 4,119 yards. His 47.9 yards per punt average leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally.

In 2023, 36 of Taylor’s punts have traversed 50 or more yards and six went for 60 or more yards. Thirty of Taylor’s punts have been downed inside opponents’ 20-yard line, 11 inside the 10-yard line and six inside the 5-yard line. Opponents average just 8.8 yards per punt return. Only 26 of Taylor’s 87 punts were returned.

Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes were terrific returning punts, averaging 10.52 yards per punt return. That was headlined by star defensive back Cooper DeJean’s game-winning, 70-yard punt return touchdown against Michigan State in the Hawkeyes’ 26-16 Week 5 win over the Spartans.

Iowa also excelled in the kick return game, ranking 21st nationally with 23.39 yards per kickoff return. Conversely, the Hawkeyes surrendered just 15.57 yards per kickoff return to rank No. 8 in the country in kickoff coverage.

Iowa was one of just 29 teams to block at least three kicks or punts over the course of the season. Kicker Drew Stevens connected on 18-of-26 field goal attempts and 19-of-20 PAT tries. The sophomore drilled a 52-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining to effectively walk-off Northwestern from Wrigley Field in Iowa’s 10-7 win on Nov. 4.

Then, backup kicker Marshall Meeder walked off the Nebraska Cornhuskers with a 38-yard field goal in Iowa’s 13-10 win over the Huskers.

Iowa enters the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl versus Tennessee at 10-3 (7-2 Big Ten). Kickoff is set for noon CT on New Year’s Day.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Hawkeyes Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Phil Parker, LeVar Woods still an absolute bargain for Iowa

Even at $2.1 million combined salary, Iowa defensive and special teams coordinators Phil Parker and LeVar Woods are an absolute bargain.

The 2023 salaries for Iowa’s football assistant coaches were revealed in an article by Chad Leistikow and Steve Berkowitz for Hawk Central. It reveals two absolute bargains for the program.

Defensive coordinator Phil Parker headlines the group with the highest salary of $1.4 million. That figure is up from the $1.3 million Parker earned last year. It’s a 7.9% salary increase, which is about average amongst the coaching staff. He is the only Iowa coach making over a $1 million besides head football coach Kirk Ferentz of course.

It sounds weird to say that the highest-paid assistant coach, one that’s now making $1.4 million is at a bargain price, but it’s true for Parker. Phil Parker has to be one of the front runners for the best defensive coordinator in college football, and certainly won’t receive many arguments against him as the best defensive backs coach in the nation.

Under Parker’s direction, the Hawkeyes led the country in yards surrendered per play and ranked second nationally in both total defense and scoring defense in 2022.

Parker is one of the best in the nation in developing recruits into NFL players, while routinely fielding a stellar defense at Iowa. Last year his incredible defense helped carry a fledgling offense to an 8-5 record, but they certainly weren’t alone in that fight.

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

While so much attention and praise is given to Iowa’s defense, LeVar Woods deserves all the credit in the world for what he’s done with Iowa’s special teams. The Hawkeyes ranked among the top three in the Big Ten in punt and kickoff returns as well as punt and kickoff return defense. Iowa was third in the Big Ten and 15th nationally in net punting, while ranking second in the conference and 19th in the nation with three blocked kicks.

Punter Tory Taylor was named first-team All-America by the Football Writers Association of America, Pro Football Focus and Phil Steele. Taylor also garnered first-team All-Big Ten honors. The Aussie averaged 45.4 yards per punt and saw 38 downed inside opponents’ 20-yard lines.

Meanwhile, freshman kicker Drew Stevens earned freshman All-America recognition from College Football News. The North Augusta, S.C., product connected on 16-of-18 field goal tries and all 24 of his PATs.

In addition to his work with Iowa’s specialists, Woods is also one of the Hawkeyes’ best recruiters. Players on the team, and those who were specifically brought in by Woods, have nothing but rave reviews about the special teams coordinator.

Woods is a guy many are envisioning as a future head coach, maybe even at Iowa after Kirk Ferentz eventually retires.  At $700,000, he is one of the biggest bargains in the nation. His impact on the program is truly irreplaceable.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Jacob on Twitter: @Jacobkeppen

Pair of Iowa football assistants among nation’s top 10 coaches per Coach Rating Index

A pair of Iowa coaches find themselves inside the nation’s top 10 per the Coach Rating Index developed by Matrix Analytical Solutions.

Iowa fans are well versed in the football wizardry of both Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker and Hawkeye special teams coordinator LeVar Woods.

Now, a special set of numbers are backing up what Iowa Hawkeyes fans already knew: This duo is elite.

247Sports got a sneak peek into some incredible numbers. Matrix Analytical Solutions developed its Coach Rating Index in 2009 to measure the careers of all on-field coaches regardless of position.

Both Phil Parker and LeVar Woods find themselves inside the Coach Rating Index’s top 10 coaches nationally. First, a bit more about what exactly the Coach Rating Index is.

The Coach Rating Index  is “a massive grading system with over 30,000 individual unit profiles and over 250,000 annual coaching result reports. If a coach was designated in an on-field role in that time span in either the FBS or FCS levels, he is in the database with a career number rating & accompanying career star rating.”

Position coaches are “graded on the cumulative play-by-play effectiveness of their unit.” Coordinators are graded on per-play efficiency. Head coaches are “graded on their win and loss records broken down and weighted by difficulty/importance in nine distinct categories ranging from expected close margin games to how they perform in games with equivalent talent profiles.” – Brandon Marcello, 247Sports.

Its data is not available publicly, but 247Sports was granted exclusive access to select data. 247Sport’s Brandon Marcello broke down college football’s 10 best coaches using the Coach Rating Index.

Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker checked in as the country’s No. 9 coach.

Phil Parker is the most overlooked defensive coordinator in the sport. He has coordinated Iowa’s defense since 2012, turning the Hawkeyes into one of the more consistent defenses of the last decade. He has coached consensus All-Americans, a Butkus Award winner and five defensive backs of the year in the Big Ten.

Despite an anemic offense, he has carried an Iowa program to bowl games with an impenetrable defense.

The Hawkeyes allowed only 3.99 yards per play in 2022, tying for the best mark in the sport in the last 10 years. – Marcello, 247Sports.

As Marcello pointed out, Phil Parker commanded arguably the greatest unit in Hawkeye history last season. Spearheaded by the Butkus Award winner in linebacker Jack Campbell, the Hawkeyes ranked second nationally in both total defense (270.8 yards per game) and scoring defense (13.3 points per game).

The Hawkeyes also ranked inside the top 12 nationally in pass efficiency defense (fourth), passing yards per game (sixth), first down defense (10th), third down defense (11th) and rushing defense (12th).

Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Meanwhile, Iowa’s special teams were once again exemplary under the direction of Woods. The Hawkeyes ranked among the top three in the Big Ten in punt and kickoff returns, and punt and kickoff return defense. Iowa was third in the Big Ten and 15th nationally in net punting, while ranking second in the conference and 19th in the nation with three blocked kicks.

Punter Tory Taylor was named first-team All-America by the FWAA, Pro Football Focus and Phil Steele, while also earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. Taylor was second in the Big Ten and 11th nationally with a 45.3 average. Freshman kicker Drew Stevens led the team in scoring and earned freshman All-America recognition from College Football News.

Woods ranked No. 6 nationally in the Coach Rating Index.

Levar Woods transitioned from tight ends to special teams in 2017, leading the unit to consistent production and opportunistic turnovers. The Hawkeyes blocked three kicks in 2022, and their punt and kick returns ranked in the top three of the conference. Meanwhile, punter Tory Taylor was a first-team All-American on three lists and kicker Drew Stevens was a freshman All-American. In fact, Iowa has had at least one All-Big Ten first-teamer from special teams in each of the last three seasons. – Marcello, 247Sports.

Iowa fans don’t take it for granted, but it really puts things into perspective when you see a list like this. Hawkeye fans have two of the absolute best manning their defense and special teams.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JoshOnREF

Iowa Stock Index: Hawkeyes’ stock report after win over Wisconsin

Iowa got the job done in a 24-10 win over Wisconsin. Whose stock is rising, whose stock is falling after the win over the Badgers?

The Iowa Hawkeyes essentially have the driver’s seat in the Big Ten West. A sentence more or less unfathomable just a month ago is a very real situation and a reality that is fully upon us.

At 6-4, following a rivalry victory over the Wisconsin Badgers for the Heartland Trophy, the Hawkeyes are tied for first place in the Big Ten West. If they win out against Minnesota and Nebraska, paired with Michigan taking care of Illinois next weekend, the Hawkeyes are returning to Indianapolis.

The three-game win streak they are riding right now has seen efforts from all three units at different times and has Iowa not only tied for first in the Big Ten West, but officially bowl eligible as well.

Quite a few Hawkeyes have had their hands in the mix helping create this winning streak, but there are a few that are seeing their stock rising as we continue down the final stretch of the season.

One honorable mention is whoever played “Jump Around” in Kinnick following the game to really let Wisconsin know who won the rivalry.

Several Iowa Hawkeyes freshmen already starting to make an impact

Running back Kaleb Johnson and kicker Drew Stevens are the two prominent names, but there’s several other freshmen making impacts for Iowa.

If there are any bright spots on this middling 3-3 Iowa football team (we certainly need some good with Ohio State coming up this week), it is the youth carving out roles already.

We already know the impact sophomore Cooper DeJean has made in the secondary this year, looking like the next star Hawkeye defensive back. Multiple freshmen, though, have started to gain significant playing time early in the season.

According to Sean Bock of 247Sports’ Hawkeye Insider, his midseason Iowa redshirt tracker shows that six true freshmen have received game time this season.

Running back Kaleb Johnson, kicker Drew Stevens, and defensive backs Xavier Nwankpa and TJ Hall have all played in Iowa’s six contests thus far. Defensive tackle Aaron Graves has appeared in five games, tight end Addison Ostrenga in four and running back Jaziun Patterson has one lone appearance this season.

Johnson already has 50 carries for 232 yards with three rushing touchdowns. He finished with seven carries for 103 yards and a pair of scores from 40 and 55 yards out against Nevada. Then, versus Michigan, Johnson scored Iowa’s first points on a 2-yard touchdown run.

Kaleb Johnson has shown flashes of success as perhaps the Hawkeyes’ starting running back of the future, however, the struggles of the offensive line this season have really hampered any consistent impact he’s been able to have. Aaron Graves currently has seven tackles and Patterson has six carries for 20 yards.

Kicker Drew Stevens has probably seen the most success of the Iowa youngsters, staking his claim as the starting kicker. Stevens is 6-of-7 on field goal attempts this season, his first miss a 45-yarder coming in Iowa’s most recent 9-6 loss against Illinois. Despite the miss, special teams coordinator Levar Woods had a lot of positive things to say about the freshman kicker.

“As far as that goes, field goal units, I think Drew is coming along as a player,” Woods said. “He is definitely young. He has had — every game is really like a new experience for him in some way because he was a high school kid a year ago. Really less than a year ago. I think he has made a huge transition since spring. We’ve all kind of seen that. He missed a kick, his last kick, against Illinois, which I know is just eating at him, but to me that shows the guy is a competitor. He may be young. He may be inexperienced, but he is a competitor, and he has that drive inside.”

Both Nwankpa and Hall have received significant playing time on special teams so far this season. While many are anxious to see the five-star Nwankpa get on the field for Phil Parker’s defense, I’d like to remind them of Cooper DeJean’s career arc at Iowa thus far. A lot of his contributions his freshman year came on special teams, and we see how well he’s done in his second year.

It may not be the most glamorous on the stat sheet, but special teams is a great way for both Nwankpa and Hall to get their feet wet, to adjust to the speed of Division 1 ball. Their time will come.

[lawrence-related id=11396]

[lawrence-related id=11410]

[listicle id=11414]

[listicle id=11402]

[listicle id=11258]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fvdcxf97xrgg1awc player_id=none image=https://hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Jacob on Twitter: @Jacobkeppen

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Week 3 rewind: 3 Iowa Hawkeyes seeing stock rising, falling

The Iowa Hawkeyes moved to 2-1 after a marathon against Nevada due to lightning delays. Let’s check on some of the Hawkeyes’ stock trends.

Saturday night, and eventually into the wee hours of Sunday morning, saw the Iowa Hawkeyes move to 2-1 with a 27-0 shutout of Nevada. In a game that took nearly seven hours from kickoff to the clock hitting zero, the circumstances were some that many players, coaches, or fans have never dealt with before.

That said, there were positives to take away from this game. The Hawkeyes got some things going offensively and were able to string together some drives. Even more promising, the Iowa offense showed some big-play ability, a very welcome sight from an offense that was looking anemic.

The Hawkeyes defense did their thing. Whether it is 7 p.m., 10 p.m , or 1 a.m., the defense is going to be lights out week in and week out. Nevada could not get anything going on a wet field and the Iowa defense didn’t let them sniff an ounce of success.

Let’s get into a handful of Iowa Hawkeyes and some that are seeing their stock take a rise.

‘We’ll let that play out’: Iowa Hawkeyes are comfortable, but undecided on specialists

As the kickoff to the 2022 season nears, Iowa is still figuring out what the final field goal and kickoff assignments will look like.

As the Iowa Hawkeyes get set to play host to South Dakota State from inside Kinnick Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m. on FS1, one important phase of football isn’t completely ironed out.

That’s the all-important third phase for the Hawkeyes. In the field goal kicking department, Iowa is accustomed to boasting some of the nation’s best in recent years. Last season, Caleb Shudak connected on 24-of-28 field goal tries. That 85.7% field goals made number ranked 13th nationally.

In Iowa’s depth chart reveal ahead of the season opener against the Jackrabbits, sophomore Aaron Blom appeared atop the place-kicking depth chart. The Oskaloosa, Iowa, native was just in front of freshman Drew Stevens from North Augusta, S.C.

According to Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz, though, there’s no true resolution just yet.

“We’ll let that play out, and it may play out for a week or two or a couple weeks, you never know. Unlike this spring, I think we’re doing better certainly in the fall. I’m more encouraged. It’s gone back and forth a little bit, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing quite frankly. But both guys have really improved a lot since last April, and they both have worked hard, have a good attitude, and I think they’re both very capable,” Ferentz said.

Asked which kicker fans would see first, Ferentz said your guess is as good as his.

“I don’t know. I’ll tell you on Saturday. I don’t know right now,” Ferentz said.

If it’s that close of a race for the field goal kicking and kickoff duties, then can fans expect to see both versus SDSU?

“Not necessarily as field goal kickers, but one may kickoff, one may kick field goals, and then we’ll see where it all goes. Right now, there’s no clear plan. We’re waiting to see how the week plays out and how they do,” Ferentz said.

[listicle id=8100]

[listicle id=8082]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JoshOnREF

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Iowa’s LeVar Woods among ESPN’s names to know for the next wave of head coaching jobs

Pete Thamel listed Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods among college football’s top assistant coaches for future head coaching jobs.

Back in June, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg tabbed Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods as one of his 45 minority coaches under the age of 45 to watch as candidates for future Division I head coaching jobs.

Now, as the 2022 college football season rapidly approaches, Woods is back on another ESPN list for potential future head coaching vacancies. ESPN’s Pete Thamel included Woods among his top assistants as a name to know for the next wave of head coaching jobs.

He has coached on both sides of the ball during his time at Iowa, along with being the special teams coordinator since 2017. Woods would be considered the staff member most likely to replace Kirk Ferentz, as he’s from Iowa, served as a captain there and has been a linchpin since 2008. – Thamel, ESPN.

Woods is certainly among the fan favorites to replace Kirk Ferentz after the longtime coach steps away. Of course, that doesn’t appear to be any time soon with Ferentz having inked a four-year contract extension through the 2029 football season.

Woods has been in charge of some of the nation’s premier special teams units. Since taking over as the Hawkeyes’ full-time special teams coordinator in 2018, Woods and Iowa have boasted some of the best units and specialists in the country.

Last season, Iowa had a pair of first-team All-Big Ten specialist selections in kicker Caleb Shudak and return specialist Charlie Jones. Jones was named the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year due to his performance in returning both punts and kickoffs, while Shudak earned first-team honors after leading the team in scoring with 108 points and setting a school record for career field goal accuracy.

Iowa’s special teams last year ranked among the national leaders in kickoff return defense (No. 14), kickoff returns (No. 17) and punt return defense (No. 18). Punter Tory Taylor was 12th in the nation in punting average with 46.1 yards per boot.

Taylor earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2020 and helped Iowa lead the Big Ten and rank fifth nationally in net punting at 42.9 yards per punt. Ihmir Smith-Marsette was also named the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year in 2019 after returning a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns.

Woods joined the Iowa staff following his NFL career and served as Iowa’s administrative assistant from 2008-11. Then, Woods served as the Hawkeyes’ linebackers coach from 2012-14.

Anthony Hitchens, Christian Kirksey, and James Morris each recorded over 100 tackles while earning All-Big Ten recognition in 2013. Kirksey and Hitchens were selected in the third and fourth rounds of the 2014 NFL draft.

The Hawkeyes’ defense ranked seventh in the nation in pass defense and 22nd in total defense in 2014 and Woods was honored as the national Linebackers Coaches of the Year by FootballScoop.

Then, from 2015-17, Woods was Iowa’s tight ends coach where he was instrumental in the development of George Kittle, Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson.

Kittle led the Iowa tight ends in 2016 with 22 receptions for 314 yards, while sharing the team lead with four touchdown receptions. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition.

In 2017, Fant led all FBS tight ends with an average of 16.5 yards per catch, and his 11 touchdown receptions—an Iowa tight end record—tied as the top figure nationally among tight ends. As a result, he was a third-team All-Big Ten honoree.

In addition, redshirt freshman T.J. Hockenson added 24 receptions for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Fant earned third-team All-Big Ten recognition.

With all of these accolades and Woods’ diverse coaching background with Iowa, it’s no surprise to see him once again listed among the nation’s top assistant coaches that are poised to take over as Division I head coaches in the future.

[listicle id=7740]

[listicle id=7913]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JoshOnREF

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Iowa Hawkeyes: 2022 special teams depth chart

Here’s a look at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ official 2022 special teams depth chart.

With Big Ten Media Days underway, the Iowa Hawkeyes went ahead and released their official depth charts entering fall camp. While there certainly could be changes along the way, there were plenty of interesting notes in both the offensive and defensive depth charts.

Offensively, quarterback Spencer Petras is once again listed ahead of Alex Padilla entering camp. At running back, Gavin Williams is given the early nod over Leshon Williams. One of the interesting notes at wide receiver is redshirt freshman Alec Wick listed within the two-deep.

Meanwhile, along the Hawkeyes’ offensive line, the starters moving left to right look like this: left tackle Mason Richman, left guard Tyler Elsbury, center Logan Jones, right guard Connor Colby and right tackle Jack Plumb.

Defensively, while Lukas Van Ness is still listed as a second-string defensive tackle for Iowa, one has to imagine Van Ness will be used both inside and outside on the Hawkeyes’ defensive line in 2022.

In the defensive backfield, junior Reggie Bracy and sophomore Brendan Deasfernandez are listed as second-stringers at free safety and right cornerback, respectively.

How is special teams shaping up? While Iowa didn’t release the full picture on special teams just yet, we did get some idea of what it will look like entering 2022. Here’s everything we know so far according to Iowa’s official depth chart reveal. As noted and discussed below, there are several notable omissions that will be key during the Hawkeyes’ fall camp.