Rutgers has begun filling the vacant roles on its defensive coaching staff, with former Drake Head Coach Joe Woodley joining as a defensive assistant, per Pete Thamel. It is currently unclear what role he will fill on the defensive staff.
Woodley is the first addition made by new Rutgers defensive coordinator Travis Johansen, who worked with Woodley in the NAIA.
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Woodley served in different coordinator roles at Grand View University in the NAIA. He spent 2008 to 2017 as the team’s defensive coordinator before becoming the team’s offensive coordinator for one season in 2018. It was during this time that he worked alongside Johansen, as they split the defensive coordinator roles for the school in the mid 2010’s. Woodley would become the head coach at Grand Valley in 2019, before leaving to be the head coach of FCS Drake in 2025. Over his six seasons as the Vikings head coach, he would post a record of 72-5, never losing a regular-season game.
In his one season as the head coach of the Bulldogs, Woodley led them to the playoffs before they were coincidentally sent packing by Johansen’s South Dakota team. Drake allowed the third-fewest points and yards per game in the Pioneer Football League last season.
This will be Woodley’s first time coaching at the Power Four level. However, he does have an incredible track record when it comes to maximizing the talent he has to work with. According to 247sports, Woodley has coached 60 All-Conference players, seven All-Americans, and six conference Players of the Year throughout his coaching tenure.
Woodley was also named to the 2024 ESPN list of 30 coaches who will define the next decade in college football.
Woodley’s collegiate playing career lasted from 1999 to 2003, when he was a linebacker for Iowa State. He was named the team’s co-captain in his senior year.
