A few weeks before No. 23 Iowa battles No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl on NYE, the program got some disappointing news.
Kirk Ferentz announced that long-time coach and special teams coordinator LeVar Woods is headed to Michigan State to join new head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Woods' decision to leave Iowa City in favor of East Lansing comes on the heels of return specialist Kaden Wetjen earning consensus All-American status, and his departure is a massive loss for the program.
While it seems like a lateral move to most casual observers, it allows Woods to rebuild the Spartans' special teams unit from the ground up and gives him a chance to prove himself as an assistant head coach.