AP FILE PHOTO - Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell walks on the sideline during a college football game against Washington on Aug. 30, 2025, in Seattle.

IOWA CITY — University of Iowa graduate Jay Norvell, who spent the last eight years as a head coach, has joined the Hawkeye football team as an offensive analyst.

The news was first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Norvell spent 2017-21 with Nevada before joining Colorado State from 2022-25. With a career 51-52 record (2-2 in bowl games), Norvell will now take a step back as he becomes Iowa’s offensive assistant.

The last time Norvell did something other than being a head coach was the 2016 season with Arizona State, where he was the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. Throughout his career, he’s coached wide receivers, offensive lineman, tight ends and quarterbacks.

Norvell also spent six years in the NFL before returning to the collegiate level. He has worked with 12 different teams throughout his illustrious career, but it all began at Iowa.

Norvell was a linebacker at Iowa from 1982-85 and was named first-team all-Big Ten during his final season, but he found his calling card as an offensive coach after joining the Hawkeyes’ staff as a graduate assistant in 1986-87.

He played for the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears as a practice squad member and replacement player before getting into coaching.

After serving as a graduate assistant at Iowa, Norvell had numerous gigs over the next couple of decades at Northern Iowa, Wisconsin, Iowa State, the Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders, Nebraska, UCLA, Oklahoma, Texas and Arizona State.

He finished 18-26 in three and a half seasons at Colorado State following a successful tenure at Nevada from 2017-21. With the Wolf Pack, Norvell went 33-26 and was 2-1 in bowl games while not coaching in a fourth after he took the job with the Rams.

The 2024 season was the highlight for Norvell at Colorado State, considering the career-high eight wins.

Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski are expected to battle for quarterback at Iowa with Tradon Bessinger waiting in the wings.