Iowa Football's Culture is Driving One Unit's Success Amid Many Changes

Changes are inevitable in college football, but the Iowa Hawkeyes handle that with culture, which is driving the success of the special teams unit.

Oct 9, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz reacts to a successful extra point kick against the Washington Huskies during the first quarter at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In today's college football world of ever-changing rosters, transfer portal moves, and head coaching changes, the aspect of culture continues to fall by the wayside more and more each year.

That is, of course, unless you are the Iowa Hawkeyes, who have built a culture over three decades under head coach Kirk Ferentz. He has helped set a standard at Iowa that continues to elevate the Hawkeyes' special teams units, even amid many changes.

Iowa special teams coordinator Chris Polizzi has the unit performing well

The Hawkeyes had to replace their special teams coordinator, punter, and kicker this offseason, which is no easy task for a team that so often relies on its special teams to win games.

Chris Polizzi came in as Iowa's special teams coordinator and has embraced the standard set by Kirk Ferentz to help this unit perform at its expected level.

"I think with any person when you set a standard, and you can show them, 'This is the way we operate from the second you wake up to the second you go to sleep, in the meetings, in the weight room, in practice. These are your habits. These are how we take notes,'" Polizzi said of the special teams.

"And you have a guy like Coach Ferentz that can point to so many different individuals. You can bring individuals back, Drew Stevens, Ty Nissen’s back here with us.

"Nate Kaeding has come by, Jason Baker, Tory Taylor, all these guys that can help these guys out in the sense of, 'Hey, I put on that helmet when I walked in that locker room.' That's a tremendous resource for the players.

Iowa's special teams are trending up

Through six games, Iowa's special teams are performing at a level that is probably above what most expected, given all of the changes they had to overcome. Polizzi didn't blink, though, and he pointed directly to the culture that Kirk Ferentz has in place as a major reason why.

"I still don't think we've hit that era of a Tory Taylor, a Kaden Wetjen, a Nate Kaeding, a Drew Stevens, but I think these guys are working towards it.

"And again, I point to the culture that Coach Ferentz sets and, you know, between the strength staff and athletic training and the assistance that we have here, it's everything's simpler because they -- they've walked that before," Chris Polizzi continued.