MSU, Pat Fitzgerald Making Huge Special Teams Coordinator Hire

This is as exciting as it gets for a special teams coordinator hiring.

Michigan State and new head football coach Pat Fitzgerald are set to hire LeVar Woods to become the team's new assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, a source from inside the athletic administration has confirmed to Spartan Nation. Woods had previously been the special teams coordinator at Iowa.

The Hawkeyes have been known for being one of the best teams in the country at football's third phase. Their superiority in that phase is a big reason Iowa ended up defeating MSU when the two programs met in November.

Fitzgerald pulling Woods away from his previous stop is particularly impressive because Woods is an Iowa alumnus and has coached for the Hawkeyes and Kirk Ferentz in some capacity since 2008.

Woods used to play for Ferentz during his early days in Iowa City, and also eventually turned that into an NFL career.

He appeared in games for the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and the Tennessee Titans, where he played a lot of special teams. Woods also played linebacker.

Iowa's Recent Special Teams Success

Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, April 13, 2022, at the Hansen Football Performance Center in Iowa City, Iowa. 220413 Levar Woods 005 Jpg | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Every year, it has seemed like Iowa has had an ace up its sleeve when it comes to special teams. Woods was most recently coaching one of college football's best kick and punt returners ever, Kaden Wetjen. He returned a punt for a touchdown against the Spartans last month, and ended up scoring four special teams touchdowns this past season alone. Wetjen has six total touchdown returns for his career (two kickoff, four punt).

The kicking game has also been good for the Hawkeyes. Kicker Drew Stevens has made nearly 80% of his field goals during his career and has made 18 career kicks from 50-plus yards.

Lest we also forget the thing that Iowa has been so good at that it's been made fun of for it: punting. Woods coached former Hawkeye punter and All-American Tory Taylor, who became so good that the Chicago Bears spent a fourth-round pick on him.

The punting has remained a strength for Iowa after Taylor left. Their current punter is Rhys Dakin, who was an honorable mention All-Big Ten this year after averaging 43.2 yards per punt, with him placing 16 inside the 20-yard line to only three touchbacks. Dakin might have been even better the year before, reaching second-team all-conference from the media when he averaged 44.1 yards per punt.

Current MSU Staff

Michigan State Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald addresses fans during a men's basketball game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at the Breslin Center. Fitzgerald had been formally introduced earlier that day. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Woods is one of the first true "outside" hires that Fitzgerald has made. Some of the other on-field hires to this point have been the retainings of defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and safeties coach James Adams.

New names on the staff have been linebackers coach Max Bullough, defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III, and strength and conditioning coach Joel Welsh.

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