Former Colorado State coach Jay Norvell to join Iowa staff, report says
A few months after being fired at Colorado State, Jay Norvell has found his landing spot. It is a familiar one.
The former Rams head coach is joining his alma mater, Iowa, as an offensive analyst, according to an ESPN report. Norvell will work for Kirk Ferentz, the longest-tenured head coach in college football.
Norvell played four seasons for the Hawkeyes as a defensive back from 1982-85, winning a total of 35 games and making four bowl appearances as a player.
The Madison, Wis., native was a longtime assistant coach before spending the past nine years as a head coach, first at Nevada and then at CSU, where he went 18-26 over the course of three-plus seasons.
The Rams made one bowl game during Norvell’s tenure, going 8-5 and losing to Miami (Ohio) in the Arizona Bowl in 2024 before they got out to a 2-5 start in 2025 and Norvell was dismissed.
Norvell has a career record of 51-52 as a head coach and led Nevada to four bowl games in his five seasons in charge.
CSU replaced Norvell with another veteran college coach in Jim Mora, who left UConn after back-to-back nine-win seasons and who will guide the Rams into the new-look Pac-12 this season.




