Vote: Who is the 2025 Iowa High School Football Class 5A Preseason Coach of the Year?

Camps across Iowa are popping up, as the high school football season kicks off. Just a handful of weeks remain until we are under the Friday Night Lights.

With that, High School On SI Iowa is looking to hand out preseason awards, starting with the top coaches in each classification of Iowa high school football.

Preseason coach of the year and player of the year polls will be featured.

Voting will end on Sunday, August 24 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.

Here are the nominations for the Class 5A Iowa Preseason Coach of the Year in 2025:

Scott Chandler, Iowa City Liberty

A former University of Iowa standout who played in the NFL, Scott Chandler has quickly built Iowa City Liberty into a power. After finding success in 4A, the Lightning have done the same against the “big boys” of the state in 5A, including a run to the semifinals last year where they finished 10-2 overall.

Jerry Pezzetti, Ankeny Centennial

Back in 2021, Jerry Pezzetti placed his name atop the state list for most head coaching wins with 433. Since, he has added to that total, including eight last year for the Jaguars. Pezzetti is in the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Gary Swenson, Valley

With multiple state champions on his resume and well over 400 coaching wins, Gary Swenson will go down as an absolute legend in Iowa high school football. His Tigers are always among the state’s best, especially in the postseason.

Aaron Wiley, Bettendorf

Only a handful of men have served as head football coach at Bettendorf, as Aaron Wiley has been in that role since 2008. A long-time assistant, he became just the sixth head coach for the Bulldogs. Wiley is the second-winningest coach in program history, making 16 playoff appearances including six trips to the semifinals and a runner-up finish in 2011.

Tom Wilson, Dowling Catholic

From 2013 through 2019, nobody beat Dowling Catholic and Tom Wilson when it came to the high school playoffs. The Maroons set an Iowa record by winning seven consecutive Class 4A state championships during that time. They lost six total games during that span, and have lost more than three games in a season just once since in the Bound-era.

Brian Woodley, Johnston

A multi-time coach of the year winner, Brian Woodley guided Johnston to its first-ever state semifinals appearance inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls in 2022. He was also the head coach of the annual Shrine Bowl after helping the Dragons to an eight-win campaign in 2024.

Brad Zelenovich, Southeast Polk

Since Iowa high school football formed a Class 5A division, nobody - not Dowling Catholic, not Valley - has won the title except the Rams. Brad Zelenovich is a genius, as he not only develops high-level talent that goes on to play for national title contenders, he gets the most out of every single player to wear a Southeast Polk uniform each fall.

Editor’s Note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the nominees and in no way discredits any other players, coaches or teams that may not be mentioned in the poll.