Edited release
03/31/26
University of Iowa Moon Family Head Football Coach Kirk Ferentz announced updates to his coaching staff on Monday.
Jay Norvell transitions to running backs coach after Omar Young departed for a similar position with the Las Vegas Raiders last month. Mike Grant has been hired as the team’s senior analyst on offense, while Brian Smith rejoins the program as a defensive analyst.
Norvell is a former Hawkeye, winning 35 games and advancing to four bowl games during his four-year career (1982-85). He was a first-team All-Big Ten honoree and an Iowa MVP his senior season in 1985. The native of Madison, Wisconsin, recorded a conference-high seven interceptions and ranked fourth on the team with 76 tackles in 1985, helping the Hawkeyes win 10 games, a Big Ten championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl. Following graduation, he began a career in coaching as a graduate assistant under Hayden Fry (1986-87).
Norvell previously served as the head football coach for Colorado State and Nevada, assistant coach with Arizona State, Texas, Oklahoma, UCLA, Iowa State, UNI, Nebraska, as well as the Oakland Raiders and Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League.
Grant has coached at the collegiate level for more than 30 years, most recently as running backs coach for FCS national runners-up Illinois State last season. Prior to that, he spent nine seasons on Wyoming’s coaching staff, including serving as associate head coach from 2022-24.
Grant has been part of 23 total bowl appearances as a player and coach, including five as a player at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, where he was the Huskers’ quarterback.
Grant earned his first full-time coaching position in 1997, coaching wide receivers and tight ends at James Madison. He also coached nine seasons at Iowa State (1998-06), one year at Southern Miss (2007), three at Western Michigan (2008-10), five seasons at North Texas (2011-15) and nine seasons at Wyoming (2016-24).
In his four seasons (1993-96) as a recruiting assistant and graduate assistant at his alma mater, Nebraska, he was part of Husker teams that won national championships in 1994 and 1995. Grant helped coach tight ends and offensive tackles at Nebraska.
Smith will work with assistant head coach and assistant defensive coordinator Seth Wallace. Smith was a defensive graduate assistant with the Hawkeyes in 2024 and served as an analyst in 2025. Previously, Smith served in defensive player personnel roles with Central Missouri, Wayne State College and the Kansas City Chiefs.