Iowa Football Reveals Four New Staff Members

Now that everything has settled with the 2025 season, it's time for the Iowa Hawkeyes to put all of their attention into 2026.

Iowa received rave reviews for their decision to add Jay Norvell as an offensive assistant. Upon revealing he was one of the four new staff members, they gave him an even more impressive title.

The former head coach comes to Iowa with plenty of experience, but he's not coming alone. Iowa has added two more analysts and someone on special teams to help new hire Chris Polizzi.

After learning they'd be playing Michigan and Ohio State back-to-back this season, Iowa knew they needed to ramp everything up and make sure everyone was prepared as much as possible. With these hires, they've done just that.

Senior Football Analyst: Jay Norvell

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

Longtime head coach Kirk Ferentz was thrilled to bring Norvell to his alma mater, a place where he thrived on the field and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant.

"Jay was an outstanding player at the University of Iowa when I was here in the 1980’s. He has a long and varied coaching career that will be a real benefit to our offensive coaching staff and players," Ferentz said.

Oct 10, 2025; Fort Collins, Colorado, USA; Colorado State Rams head coach Jay Norvell in the second quarter against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Iowa Athletics noted the fact that Norvell was an honorary captain for their game against Michigan State this year. Nov. 22 seemed to be the date everything began to swing into motion as Norvell quickly returned to Iowa after the 2025 season concluded.

Special Teams Quality Control: Kevin Spencer

Iowa has officially announced the hiring of four new assistants:

Jay Norvell - senior football analyst (offense)
Kevin Spencer - special teams quality control
Kyle Hazell - analyst (offense)
Mac McLeran - analyst (defense)
— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) February 6, 2026

Iowa knew they lost a good one in LeVar Woods, but they quickly promoted Polizzi as his replacement. Now, the entire special teams unit is coming together with the addition of Spencer.

Ferentz spoke, "Kevin spent nearly three decades coaching in the National Football League and many years in college football. He knows first-hand the importance of special teams to our program and will be an asset to that unit going forward.”

This will be Spencer's third stint in Iowa. He previously was with the team from 2017-18, along with 2020-21.

Analysts: Kyle Hazell (Offense) and Mac McLaren (Defense)

Kirk Ferentz announced the hiring of four new staff members on Friday. Jay Norvell will serve as the senior football analyst (offense), Kevin Spencer will be special teams quality control, while Kyle Hazell (offense) and Mac McLeran (defense) are football analysts.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) February 6, 2026

"Hiring analysts to support our football program makes us better in every way,” Ferentz added. “Analysts allow our coaching staff to get a jump start on preparation and can offer a fresh perspective on trends and opportunities as we prepare for the season. I am pleased to add these four leaders to support our football program."

Hazell is fresh off stints with Toledo, Youngstown State, and the University of Dayton. His father had a 32-year coaching career, so it's clear his abilities run in the family.

McLaren just spent four seasons with Southern Illinois where he made numerous linebackers into stars. Now, he's ready for a bigger challenge and being an analyst for Iowa's defense will be a huge step up.

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