Iowa Hawkeyes Coach Leaves Program for NFL

The Hawkeyes' coaching staff has been shaken up.

Oct 14, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; General view of Iowa Hawkeyes helmets prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks have swooped in and lured Iowa offensive analyst Keller Chryst to join their staff, as reported by 247Sports' Matt Zenitz.

Chryst has spent the past two seasons with the Hawkeyes, helping offensive coordinator Tim Lester in revitalizing the Iowa offense. Still, with more work to be done for the Hawkeye offense in 2025, the lure of the NFL was too much to pass up. Chryst will join head coach Mike Macdonald’s staff in Seattle for his first crack at an NFL position.

Chryst and Macdonald have not crossed paths in the coaching ranks, though Chryst’s family tree stretches far into the football world; his dad, Geep, was an NFL coach and is now a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars, his uncle, Paul, was the head coach at Wisconsin, and his brother, Jackson, is a quarterback at Oregon State.

As a player, Chryst played quarterback for Stanford from 2014-2017 before playing one season at Tennessee as a grad transfer in 2018. He joined the coaching ranks as a GA at Wisconsin while Paul Chryst was still the head coach in 2021.

Leaving Iowa, Chryst will now work with veteran free agent starter Sam Darnold in Seattle while the franchise develops third-round pick Jalen Milroe behind him. It isn’t yet clear what role Chryst will serve specifically. Seattle employs Klint Kubiak as its offensive coordinator and Andrew Janacko as its quarterbacks coach. The team does not have a dedicated passing game coordinator listed on its coaching staff roster.

Kirk Ferentz did add to his offensive staff earlier this offseason by hiring Warren Ruggiero, who has spent the past decade with Wake Forrest as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. While new transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski will have one less voice in the room, he isn’t left totally empty-handed.