The group made the announcement on Tuesday night that it had finished a virtual interview with
In the process of finding a new special teams coordinator, the Bucs have added another name to the mix. After conducting a virtual interview with Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, the team made an announcement on Tuesday night.
During his NFL playing career, Woods, a former linebacker at the University of Iowa, played for the Cardinals (2001–2004), Bears (2005), Lions (2005–2006), and Titans (2006–2007). After that, he became a member of the Hawkeyes coaching staff and has remained associated with his former school in one way or another.
Woods coached tight ends from 2015–2017 and linebackers from 2012–2014 after working as an assistant from 2008–2011. However, he has only served as Iowa’s special teams coordinator since 2018. In that capacity, he has produced his best work to date.
Despite their notoriously terrible offensive performance in recent years, Iowa has managed to win games because to their special teams and defense. That was very evident in the 2023 season.
This past season, Woods oversaw one of the best special teams in the nation. Given how poor the offense was, punter Tory Taylor saw a lot of action, and he made the most of his chances. In the end, he was selected as the Ray Guy Award winner, a unanimous consensus All-America, and the Big Ten Punter of the Year, which he had already won in 2020.
In terms of net punting (44.17), kickoff return defense (15.6), and blocked kicks (3), Iowa was first in the nation. Drew Stevens, a Marshall kickerand Meeder both made game-winning kicks throughout the season, and Cooper DeJean, a return specialist, won the Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year award.
Could The Bucs Select A Different Coordinator From College?
Liam Coen, who served as the offensive coordinator for the University of Kentucky the previous season, was discovered by the Bucs in the collegiate ranks. Is it possible that they will also locate a college-level coordinator for special teams soon? Though Woods hasn’t coached at the NFL level as Coen has, it’s still important to note that he has produced some excellent work in the Big Ten.
Given that he played college ball for the Hawkeyes and has been a coach there for 16 seasons, it is obvious that Woods has strong ties to Iowa. The soon-to-be 46-year-old may feel compelled to stay in Iowa City for sentimental reasons, but he could want to try his hand at bringing the magic he’s done with the special teams at his alma college to the big stage.
With a dependable kicker in Chase McLaughlin and a promising young punter in Jake Camarda (if he re-signs), the Bucs’ special teams coordinator position would seem to be an appealing vacancy. The pieces are there when you include quick options like Trey Palmer and Deven Thompkins to return kicks and an astute bunch of players to cover punts and kickoffs.
Whether it’s Woods or another candidate, the second factor in the prospective Bucs special teams coordinator’s favor is that the bar would appear to be low to pass. Keith Armstrong’s special teams units weren’t all that good when he was at Tampa Bay, so whoever takes over as head coach might immediately help Todd Bowles’ club in that department.
Along with in-house option Keith Tandy, former Titans coordinator Craig Ackerman, former Giants coordinator Thomas McGaughey, Saints assistant special teams coordinator Phil Galiano, and former Seahawks coordinator Larry Izzo, Woods is the sixth special teams coordinator to be interviewed by the Bucs.