Pat Fitzgerald Adds LeVar Woods as Assistant Head Coach / Special Teams Coordinator

Day after day, night after night, Pat Fitzgerald just keeps adding—like Marlin and Dory trying to find Nemo. Just instead of swimming, he’s adding.

And once again, Michigan State finds itself welcoming another key piece to an ever-growing coaching puzzle.

On the same day that Michigan State finalized deals with some of the biggest pieces of that puzzle—defensive coordinators Joe Rossi and Max Bullough, safeties coach James Adams, and new strength and conditioning coach Joel Welsh Jr.—the Spartans added yet another major hire. This time, it comes in the form of LeVar Woods, who joins the program as Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator.

It’s another move signaling just how aggressive and intentional this rebuild is becoming.

Woods leaves behind his alma mater, Iowa, where he has been a staff member since 2008. His journey through the program was long, steady, and earned.

He began as an administrative assistant from 2008–2011, before moving into a role coaching outside linebackers and special teams until 2014. From there, Woods transitioned to tight ends and special teams until 2017, eventually taking over as the Hawkeyes’ full-time Special Teams Coordinator.

From 2018–2025, Woods led Iowa’s special teams units—and led them extremely well.

But in life, there comes a time to do something drastic, for whatever the reason. For Woods, that time is now.

“But there comes a time when I feel called to stretch and grow and try to pursue a different opportunity, expand professionally, take on a new challenge, and I feel like that time is now,” Woods said. “To Hawkeye Nation, to the players I’ve coached, to the people I’ve been fortunate to work alongside, I want to thank everybody.”

Iowa’s special teams have long been a pillar of the program’s success, and Woods was at the center of it.

During his tenure, Woods helped develop All-Americans Tory Taylor and Kaden Wetjen, along with Drew Stevens, Iowa’s all-time leader in field goals made. That success didn’t go unnoticed, as Woods was named FootballScoop’s Special Teams Coordinator of the Year in 2023.

Simply put, Iowa consistently won the hidden yardage battle—and Woods was a major reason why.

Before becoming one of the most respected special teams minds in college football, Woods made his name on the field.

Woods played at Iowa from 1998–2000, starting two seasons at outside linebacker. He finished his college career with 165 tackles and four sacks, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention honors as a senior, along with the Hayden Fry Extra Heartbeat Award.

He also played under current Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and helped secure Ferentz’s first-ever win with a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown.

Woods went on to play in the NFL from 2001–2007. After going undrafted, he signed with the Arizona Cardinals, where he spent four seasons, before later playing for the Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans.

Mostly a reserve linebacker at the professional level, Woods excelled on special teams. In 88 career games, he totaled 168 tackles, 2.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.

During his NFL career, Woods was also named a finalist for both the Byron “Whizzer” White Award and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, recognizing his charitable work off the field.

Kirk Ferentz made it clear just how significant Woods’ departure is.

“He’s done a great job, coached a lot of great players in his role at all positions but particularly the special teams,” Ferentz said. “You guys know better than I how well we’ve done statistically on special teams.”

Ferentz added that he will take his time finding “the next LeVar Woods,” while Woods finishes out his final weeks with the Iowa program, including the bowl game.

Now, Woods moves on to East Lansing, where Michigan State hopes this becomes the start of a long, impactful tenure.

Pat Fitzgerald continues to stack his staff with former linebackers—and it’s clearly by design.

Fitzgerald himself was a linebacker at Northwestern. Max Bullough was an All-Big Ten linebacker at Michigan State. The staff also includes Trey Reader (Notre Dame), James Adams (Wake Forest), and now LeVar Woods—an All-Big Ten honorable mention linebacker from Iowa.

Defense and special teams will be essential pieces for a quick rebuild, and the addition of Woods accelerates that process immediately.

With Ryan Eckley, widely considered one of Big Ten’s best punters, already on the roster, it’s hard not to get excited about what Woods and Eckley could do together next season when it comes to flipping the field.

It’s going to be magic.

Pure cinema.