Former Wake Forest offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero has been named as a senior offensive analyst for the Iowa football team, per a report from 247Sports on Monday afternoon.
Iowa is hiring Warren Ruggiero as a senior analyst, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports.
Was the offensive coordinator at Wake Forest the last 11 seasons and led the way as Wake ranked fourth nationally in scoring offense in 2021.https://t.co/qOetA1jj8s pic.twitter.com/jEeVeb4UND
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) March 4, 2025
Ruggiero’s career with the Demon Deacons saw new highs in points scored and total yards during the 2017 season. From 2014-2024, Ruggiero’s offense broke over 100 individual and team records. The 2021 squad ranked fourth in the nation in total offense, winning 11 games in the process.
Ruggiero’s start with the Hawkeyes comes after a rather disheartening 2024 season that saw Iowa grab an 8-5 overall record, including 6-3 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes also dropped the TransPerfect Music City Bowl to No. 19 Missouri, 27-24.
A Delaware alum, Ruggiero coached multiple professional players, among them NFL quarterbacks John Wolford and Sam Hartman. His time at Hofstra saw him recruit and coach future Saints’ quarterback Marques Colston, while his lone season at Kansas State saw him coach Josh Freeman, a future first-round pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 2021, Ruggiero was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to the top assistant coach in college football, and was previously won by Iowa’s Phil Parker in 2023.
Wake Forest was the latest credential in a long line of schools that also included Bowling Green and Elon, the latter of which Ruggiero broke many school records for.
“His Wake Forest offenses often thrived, as the Demon Deacons were the only ACC offense to average 30-plus points per game each year from 2017-22,” John Steppe wrote for The Gazette. “That included Wake Forest’s 41 points per game in 2021, which ranked fourth in the country.”