Kirk Ferentz speaks highly of Jay Norvell's role Iowa football staff

The Iowa Hawkeyes have been a dominant rushing team the last few years. Kaleb Johnson took over the Big Ten during his All-American campaign, and last season saw Iowa bludgeon teams with an elite offensive line and a stable of talented running backs.

Entering 2026, the stable of running backs will once again be incredibly talented, with an experienced coach leading the way. Jay Norvell, an Iowa alum, recently moved from an offenisve analyst role to the running backs coach, and head coach Kirk Ferentz has high praise for Norvell.

“Jay Norvell was back here for a home game in November, Michigan State, and served as our honorary captain. Little did I know at that point, he was out just kind of going watching practices and what have you. After the bowl game, he reached out and said if anything would open up here, he’d have an interest.

“We had an empty chair, if you will, due to some transitions. So he decided to join us in January as an analyst. He was going to be one of the guys helping us out with the game plan, that type of thing. Then with Omar leaving, it made it a natural transition.

“Back in November, I never would have guessed this was going to happen. But it’s great to have Jay join our staff. When he spoke to our team back in November, it was really impressive. And it was fun for me to tell his story a little bit being a guy that really didn’t have a home for quite a while during his time in the program, and then finally got some traction at the strong safety position his senior year. Ends up being an All-Big Ten player, leads the league in interceptions and captain of a Rose Bowl team.

“So his career as a football player really illustrates what the game’s all about. And obviously he’s done a great job in his coaching career, too. He’s been a great addition to our program. Really happy with that,” Kirk Ferentz said about Jay Norvell moving to running backs coach.

Jay Norvell gets to work with a talented group of returning running backs featuring Kamari Moulton, Nathan McNeil, and Xavier Williams, plus top-end transfer portal talent joining the room in FCS All-American L.J. Phillips.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7

This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : Kirk Ferentz speaks highly of Jay Norvell’s role Iowa football staff