It's official: Iowa football hires Tim Lester as new offensive coordinator
The University of Iowa made it official on Wednesday afternoon: Tim Lester is the Hawkeyes new offensive coordinator.
“I am excited to welcome Tim to our coaching staff as our offensive coordinator,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said in a news release. “His experience as both a head coach and a coordinator at several different levels of football gives him an excellent perspective. I believe his expertise and personality make him a perfect fit for this position.”
Lester served as a senior analyst for the Green Packers in 2023 after being the head coach at Western Michigan from 2017-2022.
Lester has more than two decades of coaching experience, most recently as a senior analyst for the Green Packers in 2023. Before that, he was head coach at Western Michigan from 2017-2022.
“When you have coached at every level of football like I have, you have a true appreciation for an opportunity like this at the University of Iowa,” Lester said. “I know the tradition and history of the Hawkeye program and I am excited to get to work with the outstanding players and coaches.”
The top position among Iowa's offensive staff opened up after then-interim Athletic Director Beth Goetz announced they would not renew the expiring contract of Brian Ferentz, the team's offensive coordinator since 2017 and son of the head coach.
Brian Ferentz's offenses routinely came under scrutiny as Iowa often ranked near the bottom of Division I FBS football in most offensive categories while the defense ranked near the top. The Hawkeyes failed to score a single point in either of their final two games of the 2023 season, which ultimately ended in a 10-4 record despite having the No. 4 scoring defense in the country (14.8 points per game allowed).
Lester's coaching resume also includes stops at Purdue, where he was quarterbacks coach in 2016; Syracuse, where he served a number of roles from 2013-2015, including offensive coordinator in 2014-2015; among several other stops at multiple levels of college football.
According to the news release: Lester and his wife Dawn have three sons, ages 14, 12, and 10. He is also the father of Quinn Isaacson, a 2022 NVCA/AVCA All-American volleyball setter at Ball State University, who has represented Team USA in the Volleyball Nation’s League and currently plays professionally in France.
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