Former Iowa State Coach Accepts Position on Packers Coaching Staff

The Green Bay Packers have hired a former Iowa State Cyclones coach to their staff.

Nov 27, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; A Green Bay Packers helmet is seen against the Detroit Lions during the third quarter at Ford Field. | David Reginek-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones football staff underwent massive changes this offseason because of Matt Campbell accepting the head coaching position with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

He has since been replaced by Jimmy Rogers, who had his work cut out for him because so many coaches followed Campbell to Happy Valley. Amongst the departures was wide receiver coach Noah Pauley, whose stay in College Station has ended up being a brief one.

Hired by the Nittany Lions less than two months ago, he is on the move once again. As shared by Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Pauley is off to the NFL, accepting a position on the coaching staff of the Green Bay Packers under head coach Matt LaFleur.

Pauley will be hired as wide receivers coach with the Packers, the same role he was supposed to have at Penn State, and the position he held with the Cyclones for three seasons. Iowa State fans were disappointed when he left for the Nittany Lions because of how well he did during his time in Ames.

Noah Pauley hired by Packers

Iowa State's wide receiver coach Noah Pauley talks to media at the school football facility on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

He is going to be replacing Ryan Mahaffey, who was hired away by the Philadelphia Eagles to become the run game coordinator and tight ends coach under their new offensive coordinator, Sean Mannion.

There is one player on the Green Bay roster whom Pauley already knows very well: wide receiver Christian Watson. Before being selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State, Watson was coached by Pauley.

He was with the Bison for four seasons as a wide receivers coach, from 2019 through 2022, before heading to Iowa State. Before that, he coached at his alma mater, Minnesota-Duluth, as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for three seasons.

The #Packers are hiring Penn State’s Noah Pauley as wide receivers coach, sources tell @CBSSports.

Rising star who interviewed for the 49ers OC job last year. Has developed future top three round draft picks like Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and current Packer Christian Watson. pic.twitter.com/tHdMLIwZD6

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 5, 2026

Pauley is a highly regarded coach and one who has seen his profile grow in recent years. Considered a rising star in the coaching ranks, he interviewed for the offensive coordinator’s position with the San Francisco 49ers under Kyle Shanahan last year.

In addition to his work with Watson at North Dakota, Pauley also did an excellent job with wide receivers on the Cyclones.

Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel were selected in the second and third rounds, respectively, by the Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL Draft after both players recorded 1,000-yard campaigns in 2024.

The resume certainly speaks for itself. He was knocking on the door of an NFL job last year and has now burst through with Green Bay. The future is incredibly bright for Pauley as he embarks on a new challenge.

Iowa State has replaced him at wide receivers coach with Derrick Sherman.