Iowa’s next LB coach, the discussion

IOWA CITY - LeVar Woods will begin his fifth season as an Iowa assistant football coach next fall. He's coached linebackers, outside linebackers and, last season, tight ends.

Woods, who played linebacker for the Hawkeyes from 1997-2000 and then had a seven-year run as an NFL linebacker, might have to remember the way to the linebackers room once again.

In the wake of linebacker coach Jim Reid's departure to become defensive coordinator at Boston College - according to HawkeyeReport.com - the Iowa staff suddenly has an opening. Reid, 65, served as Iowa's linebackers coach for three seasons, splitting the duties with Woods in 2013-14. The two seemed to work well together.

'Coaching with LeVar Woods could be really one of the great times of my life,” Reid said in spring 2014. 'He is not just an outstanding linebacker coach. I just want you to know he's really an outstanding coach with great concepts for the entire game. For me to say that I came in here and could have gotten through last spring and fall without leaning on him because he's been in the system really since 1996, I think, I wouldn't be telling you the truth. He's just an outstanding coach, and it's really great to be around him every single day.

'We work well together, and I know that somebody mentioned this before. It's like, unfortunately for me, it's like father‑son, because I'm that old.”

Iowa will lose a wealth of football coaching and teaching in Reid, who began his coaching career at UMass in 1973. Reid, who came to Iowa after three seasons as defensive coordinator at Virginia, sat in the press box during his three years at Iowa, likely allowing defensive coordinator Phil Parker a valuable set of eyes from above.

Woods has been on the sidelines and might have to remain there. He also carries a few special teams duties (kick coverage and return). So, who's seeing what on game day will need an adjustment.

If head coach Kirk Ferentz decides to reach outside the staff, it could go a bunch of different ways, including a name none of us have heard.

Here are some you have heard. (This is speculative, by the way. None of this is in the works. Take it for what it's worth.)

- Bruce Kittle

: The former Iowa offensive tackle, and father of senior tight end George Kittle, has ties to Ferentz. Kittle was on Ferentz's first O-line at Iowa in 1981, a team that punched through to the Rose Bowl. Bruce Kittle hasn't coached since 2012, when he was fired by Bob Stoops as tight ends and tackles coach at Oklahoma, but he is a practicing attorney in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area.

He could coach tight ends, allowing Woods to move back to linebacker.

- William Inge

: You knew him during his playing days at Iowa (1993-96) as Billy Ennis-Inge. Inge was a terrific player for the Hawkeyes, racking up 24 sacks and playing on Sun and Alamo Bowl winners. He started his coaching career at Northern Iowa in 2001. Inge will begin his fourth season as Indiana's co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. He was named one of the Big Ten's top 10 recruiters by Rivals.com on Feb. 11, 2014.

If he's calling defenses at Indiana, the likelihood of Inge making this move is zero. Parker calls Iowa's defenses and it likely won't become a collective effort.

- Marv Cook

: Cook, 49, might be crazy to consider a jump like this. He's won six state titles in nine seasons as head coach at Iowa City Regina. The Regina program is as elite as it gets in Iowa prep football. Back in 2000, Reese Morgan turned around a lifeless Iowa City West program, winning three state titles in a span of five seasons. He made the jump to Iowa's staff, taking the recruiting coordinator position before advancing to offensive line in 2002 and then defensive line in 2012.

Good coaches and teachers can do their thing on any level.

- David Raih

: The only way, perhaps, that this would work is if Woods does move back to linebackers, but the former Iowa QB has developed quite a resume in his three years away from Iowa City, where he served as a grad assistant and tight ends coach for a season under Ferentz.

Hired by Texas Tech as director of high-school relations in 2013, Raih was promoted to outside receivers coach. In Aug. 2014, he was hired as a coaching administrator by the Green Bay Packers. Among Raih's assortment of duties in Green Bay is on-field assistance with the organization of special teams.

'He kind of oversees a lot of scout team stuff,” kicker Mason Crosby told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2014. 'He's in our meetings and watching whenever he can. We've got a lot of coaches and a lot of guys getting people in place. I think it's helping.

'(Raih) is a competitor. He's detailed. He should have a bright future.”

Again, these are just names that might make sense, nothing more. Ferentz has a news conference scheduled for Thursday and he'll probably say he's not in a rush to replace Reid and that'll be that until something trickles out around national signing day (Feb. 3 this year, by the way).

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com