Coach Speak: Introducing LeVar Woods

July 20, 2012

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz used the retirement of long-time defensive coordinator Norm Parker and veteran offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe’s move to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins this spring as the impetus for the most significant shuffling of faces and responsibilities on his staff since he returned to the UI campus 13 college football seasons and 10 bowl games ago.

Among the new faces is a not-at-all-new face for fans of the Hawkeyes: Former UI linebacker and seven-year NFL veteran LeVar Woods. Woods, a native of Cleveland who graduated from West Lyon High School in Inwood, Iowa, enters the 2012 season as the Hawkeyes’ new linebackers coach after serving for four years as an administrative assistant.

Woods is the focus of the first in a series of videos produced by the UI Athletics Department called “Coach Speak.” A new member of the coaching staff will be featured every Friday.

“At the linebacker position, we’re looking for smart, tough guys who love football, guys who are physical, guys who play with great effort, guys who are passionate about what they do,” Woods says between shots of him during a practice inside historic Kinnick Stadium.

“Guys that are serious about academics and earning their degree, and are serious about maximizing their potential as athletes and becoming the best player they can be are very successful at the University of Iowa,” he adds.

To watch the full video and learn more about Woods and the Hawkeyes, visit gohawks.com. The video is also available at GoHawksTV, the Iowa football program’s official YouTube channel.