Pat Fitzgerald made some pretty good hires this offseason, but there may not have been a better one than LeVar Woods. The Iowa special teams coordinator comes over to Michigan State with a wealth of experience and a track record to back up his elite reputation.
Woods was widely considered one of the best special teams coordinators in the country and when you think about it, he’s absolutely deserving of the respect. When was the last time Iowa had bad special teams? It’s been probably decades, to be honest.
The hiring of Woods will go down as one of Fitzgerald’s best moves as Michigan State’s head coach, and I believe that’s going to pay dividends right away.
There should be a ton of excitement surrounding Woods and what he might be able to do with Michigan State’s special teams which have left a lot to be desired outside of Bryce Baringer, Ryan Eckley and Jonathan Kim over the past few years.
Michigan State has lost several games because of special teams this season, and one of those losses was to Iowa this past season. The Hawkeyes’ special teams killed the Spartans.
Fortunately, Michigan State has a coordinator who former Iowa players are still raving about.
Iowa’s star kicker: “Wherever he goes, you’ll have good special teams”
Woods still has the respect of some of his former players despite leaving the Iowa football program, including star kicker Drew Stevens who spoke highly of his former coach at the NFL Combine.
The interview is courtesy of Emmett Matasovsky of OnSI.
Drew Stevens (kicker, Iowa) discusses Rhys Dakin and Levar Woods at the NFL Combine. pic.twitter.com/vCrPEhHVHi
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) February 25, 2026
Hearing former players gush over new Michigan State coaches has been my favorite part of the Combine so far because Woods isn’t the only one receiving praise. Pat Fitzgerald and Winston DeLattiboudere II also received some high praise from their former players at the Combine.
Stevens definitely benefitted from having one of the nation’s top special teams coordinators in his corner as he became one of college football’s most reliable kickers. He finished his Iowa career 76-of-95 (80%) on field goal attempts and 124-of-126 on extra points. Stevens is second all-time in points scored at Iowa.
It’ll be nice to have a coordinator who focuses on the entirety of special teams and not just certain facets. Like Stevens said, Michigan State is going to have good special teams under Woods.