Jay Norvell emerges as Colorado State's top target

DENVER — Colorado State football may have found the man to replace Steve Addazio. 

According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, CSU is targeting Jay Norvell (Nevada) as the leading candidate to be the next head coach of the Rams. At this point it’s uncertain how far along in the negotiations are but sources have told DNVR that Norvell is the frontrunner for the job as well. 

Coming into the coaching search many speculated that Tony Alford (Ohio State) should be tasked with coming in to save his alma mater. A highly respected recruiter and an experienced running backs coach with close to a quarter of a century’s worth of time in the business, Alford is beloved by Ram Nation and has been clamored for constantly over the years by the fans. Kevin Lytle of the Coloradoan reported that the school informed Alford they would be moving in a different direction over the weekend though. So it seems that his lack of experience as anything higher than a position coach prevented him from being seriously considered once again. 

Other names that have been floated include Graham Harrell (USC) and Jim McElwain (Central Michigan). Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson is said to have been contacted as well. But based on the way things are moving, it appears to be Norvell that CSU desires in the end. So with that being said, let’s dive into his background a little bit. 

Norvell has been the head man at Nevada since 2016 and over that time the Wolf Pack have been one of the most electric teams in the Mountain West. His air raid system and aggressive play calling, combined with the talent that Norvell has brought into the program, has made Nevada an extremely difficult team to defend. CSU fans got a taste of it firsthand in the 2021 season finale when UNR came into Canvas Stadium and dropped 52 in an absolute beatdown of the Rams. 

Nevada didn’t quite live up to the lofty expectations placed on them after being tabbed preseason favorites in 2021. They were certainly in the mix though. UNR’s three league losses to Air Force, Fresno State and San Diego State were by a combined 6 points. Oddly enough they lost each game by exactly 2 points. Clearly, though, they were a couple of plays away from having a completely different season. 

Even if the team success wasn’t quite what the Wolf Pack faithful were hoping for this fall, there’s no doubt that the Carson Strong-led offense was one of the most dynamic groups in the FBS. UNR scored 36.7 points and averaged 440 yards of total offense per game this season. After catching the world by storm in 2020, in a larger sample size Nevada actually managed to match the production while scoring about a touchdown more per game in 2021. 

Looking at Norvell specifically, along with his flashy offensive acumen and a winning track record that now includes four consecutive seasons of 7 or more victories, his resume includes stops at Arizona State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and UCLA since 2003. He coached in the NFL for six years. And prior to that he worked for Iowa and Wisconsin among others. 

​​Coaching Experience

• 2017-present: Head Coach, Nevada
• 2016: Wide Receivers/Offensive Passing Game Coordinator, Arizona State
• 2015: Wide Receivers, Texas
• 2011-14: Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers, Oklahoma
• 2008-10: Asst. Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers, Oklahoma
• 2007: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, UCLA
• 2004-06: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Nebraska
• 2002-03: Tight Ends, Oakland Raiders
• 1998-2001: Wide Receivers, Indianapolis Colts
• 1995-97: Asst. Head Coach/Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers, Iowa State
• 1989-94: Offensive Line/Wide Receivers/Special Teams, Wisconsin
• 1988: Wide Receivers, Northern Iowa
• 1986-87: Graduate Assistant (Offense), Iowa

Despite all of his success at Nevada, Norvell is currently one of the lowest paid coaches in the Mountain West at about $600,000 per year, which means CSU could double his current salary and still be spending less than what they paid Addazio ($1.5 million per year). 

Ultimately the deal is never done until both parties have signed on the dotted line. If the Rams do in fact poach Norvell and get the deal done, though, on paper it would be a home run of a hire. Norvell is a proven winner, an experienced recruiter, and he could bring some excitement back into the CSU football program. Not to mention that it’s a power move to steal a successful coach from another team in your own conference. 

We’ll see how it all shakes out in the end but I’m encouraged about the direction CSU seems to be heading in.