An 'Opportunity to grow' drew LeVar Woods to Michigan State
After spending his entire coaching career at Iowa, and playing college football for the Hawkeyes, Woods has a fresh start at MSU.
Special teams has been a staple of the Michigan State football program when it comes to producing great kicking and punting talent, but with the hiring of head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the loss of punter Ryan Eckley to the NFL Draft, the Spartans enter a new era.
Enter new assistant head coach and special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, who is widely regarded as one of the top special teams coaches in the country. Woods had previously spent his entire coaching career at Iowa, and he also played college football for the Hawkeyes.
Woods' hiring by Michigan State was announced in December by Woods himself and Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, but he didn't officially arrive in East Lansing until January. The first thing on his mind was recruiting as he arrived to MSU amidst the opening of the 2026 transfer portal window.
Fast forward a couple of months, and now that the Spartans have transitioned into spring practices ahead of the "Spring Showcase" event on April 18. The Spartans have had now completed multiple practice sessions since opening spring ball on March 17. For Woods, the focus has shifted to shaping the special teams phase of the game into what he knows it can be.
“Special teams-wise, we’re building,” Woods said on Tuesday. “We’re trying to figure out exactly who we are, what we want to do schematically, the personnel — trying to push that forward. Everything's brand new for everybody, but guys are working, pushing forward and doing a really good job.”
Woods' philosophy on choosing who becomes part of the special teams groups is simple; try to play the best players.
“I’ve been very pleasantly surprised with the buy-in from players,” Woods said. “I think we're just trying to see who can help, where they can help, how much, how many phases, how many plays, all those kinds of things.”
There were multiple moments during the 2025 season when Michigan State's special teams units struggled under then-head coach Jonathan Smith and his staff. For example, the Spartans had multiple gaffes against Nebraska, including allowing a blocked punt return for a touchdown. Later in the campaign against Iowa — while the Hawkeyes' special teams units were being coached by Woods — MSU gave up a 62-yard punt return touchdown to Kaden Wetjen and other long returns during critical moments. The Spartans finished the Iowa game with a Pro Football Focus special teams grade of 38.9, which was the lowest of the 2025 season.
Woods has already began to make big moves to help remedy some of the struggles and losses the special teams has faced last season. One of them is bringing in punter Rhys Dakin, whom he coached at Iowa. Dakin is expected to start right away for the Spartans, following the departure of Eckley.
