Iowa football is hiring Chris Polizzi as its new special teams coordinator, a source with direct knowledge of the hiring confirmed to the Register.
Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports first reported the news.
He takes over for LeVar Woods, who left the Hawkeyes to join the staff at Michigan State.
Polizzi, who has made coaching stops at Tulsa, UT Martin, UCLA, Utah and others, served as a defensive football analyst for Iowa football last season. It marked a return to Iowa City after he previously served as a graduate assistant with the Hawkeyes from 2012-14.
A native of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Polizzi served as Tulsa’s defensive coordinator and safeties coach for two seasons (2023-24). Before Tulsa, he coached for five seasons at UT Martin, including his final three years as defensive coordinator. Polizzi’s responsibilities at UT Martin included serving as linebackers coach, recruiting coordinator, co-special teams coordinator for kickoff and kickoff return, assistant head coach, secondary coach and defensive coordinator.
As a player, Polizzi was a four-year letterwinner as a cornerback at Lake Forest College (Ill.) from 2001-04. Current Iowa football assistant head coach Seth Wallace coached Polizzi at Lake Forest in 2003.
Iowa’s special team unit is being overhauled ahead of the 2026 season.
Woods left the Hawkeyes to become the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator with the Spartans. Rhys Dakin, who spent the last two seasons as Iowa’s punter, followed Woods to Michigan State.
On top of that, returner Kaden Wetjen and kicker Drew Stevens have exhausted their college eligibility. Stevens is the program’s all-time leader in field goals made. Wetjen has the most combined return touchdowns (punt and kickoff) in program history with six, passing Tim Dwight in November.
The Hawkeyes are tasked with replacing their special teams coordinator (perhaps one of the best in college football), one of the program’s all-time great kickers, one of the program’s all-time great returners and their punter.
The Hawkeyes have made progress in filling those voids.
Iowa landed a commitment from North Dakota State transfer Eli Ozick to replace Stevens.
Ozick had a standout redshirt sophomore season, converting on 16-of-18 field goal attempts and 62-of-63 extra points. He made the final 10 field goals on the season, including a 54-yarder and was named second team Associated Press FCS All-American.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa football hires Chris Polizzi as special teams coordinator
Reporting by Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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