Josh Helmer | Hawkeyes Wire

Before it travels to Tampa, Fla., for its date against No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz revealed on Thursday afternoon that one of its key staffers, special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, is departing the program to take a coaching position at Michigan State.

Woods will join new Michigan State head football coach Pat Fitzgerald on the Spartans’ coaching staff. Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Woods is leaving to serve as Michigan State’s assistant head coach and special teams coordinator.

“Lastly, I just want to take a minute here and just give you a program update, just to make this announcement. LeVar Woods, who’s going to come up here in a second, has decided to take another position. He’s going to take a position at another program, so he’s going to coach throughout the bowl game, throughout this bowl game and then he’ll be headed to Michigan State.

“I know it was a tough decision for him, and it was a really good opportunity for him to consider. We’ve had several coaches have that opportunity as well, so just first and foremost want to congratulate him on that,” Ferentz said of Woods.

Woods was emotional on Thursday as he addressed his decision to join the Michigan State staff.

“There are definitely places that shape you and there are places that make you. For me, Iowa’s both. I grew up here. I learned what it means to work, to be accountable, to show up when it’s hard, to put the team ahead of myself and I had the privilege of wearing the black and gold, living out a dream that so many kids in this state carry with them from the first time they toss a ball in the backyard. The University of Iowa gave me more than football. It gave me my life,” Woods said in announcing his decision to head to East Lansing, Mich.

Woods, who was a two-year starter for Iowa at linebacker, developed a reputation for routinely fielding some of the nation’s best special teams units. Presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding return specialist in college football, senior Kaden Wetjen won the Jet Award in 2024 and is once again a finalist this season.

Wetjen has garnered first-team All-American honors from USA TODAY Sports, the Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp and On3.

Under Woods’ direction, Iowa had the Ray Guy Award winner in former punter Tory Taylor and the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year in 2021 in Charlie Jones.

Woods was named Iowa’s special teams coordinator in March of 2017 after previously serving as one of the Hawkeyes’ administrative assistants (2008-11), as Iowa’s linebackers coach (2012-14) and as Iowa’s tight ends coach (2015-17).

Fitzgerald takes over as Michigan State’s head football coach after winning 110 games across 17 seasons at Northwestern (2006-22).