Rutgers Set to Add Drake Head Coach Joe Woodley as Defensive Assistant

Joe Woodley, fresh off a one-season run at Drake that produced a Pioneer Football League title and an FCS playoff berth, is expected to join Rutgers as a defensive assistant, ESPN reporter Pete Thamel posted on X. The hire reunites Woodley with Travis Johansen, Rutgers’ new defensive coordinator, and represents Woodley’s first move to the Power Four level.

Drake announced Woodley’s resignation in a news release Monday, Feb. 9, and Drake athletics director Brian Hardin praised Woodley’s work. “Our football program, and Drake Athletics as a whole, is thankful to Coach Woodley for his contributions as a Bulldog. Joe used his natural leadership and excellent skills as a football coach to put together another sensational season in Drake Stadium. We wish him continued success on his coaching journey,” Hardin said.

Woodley’s single season at Drake pushed the Bulldogs to a Pioneer League crown and a first-round FCS playoff appearance that ended with a 38-17 loss at No. 11 South Dakota. Local reporting lists Drake at 8-4 overall and 7-1 in league play; other outlets reported a 7-2 figure, a discrepancy that remains to be clarified. Defensively, Drake allowed the third-fewest points and yards per game in the Pioneer Football League, a statistical foundation that helps explain Rutgers’ interest.

The move is rooted in a long pedigree at Grand View University. Woodley amassed a reported 72-5 record as Grand View’s head coach, including a 29-0 conference ledger and an undefeated 14-0 run capped by the 2024 NAIA national championship on Dec. 21, 2024. He earned NAIA North Division Conference Coach of the Year honors multiple times and was named to ESPN’s 2024 list of 30 coaches expected to define the next decade. College-teaching metrics credited to Woodley include coaching 60 All-Conference players, seven All-Americans, and six conference Players of the Year during his tenure.

Woodley’s background is deeply connected to the Midwest coaching pipeline. The son of longtime Grand View head coach Mike Woodley, Joe spent years on that staff in coordinator and assistant roles before taking the helm. He played linebacker at Iowa State and was a team captain in 2003. The Rutgers link is personal as well as professional: Johansen and Woodley worked together at Grand View, splitting defensive coordinator duties in the mid-2010s, and Johansen later coached at South Dakota, the same program that eliminated Drake in the playoffs.

Rutgers’ exact title and responsibilities for Woodley are not finalized and will depend on how the program fills three remaining assistant slots, but the hire signals Schiano’s staff is willing to mine the NAIA and FCS levels for proven schemers and developers. For Rutgers fans, Woodley brings a track record of defensive performance and player development. For Drake, the Bulldogs will immediately launch a national search for their next head coach and attempt to sustain the momentum Woodley built. The next steps will be formal announcements from Rutgers and clarification on Woodley’s role and start date.