Texas adds Jay Norvell to the staff

Jay Norvell. (courtesy of OU)

AUSTIN — A former offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, UCLA and Nebraska, who also brings NFL experience, Jay Norvell has been named wide receivers coach at The University of Texas, head coach Charlie Strong announced Friday.

“The first thing that really drew me to this opportunity was the chance to work with Charlie Strong,” Norvell said. “I’ve followed his career for a long time, and after sitting down and talking to him, seeing his vision for the program, the recruiting philosophy, his values, every area of the team, I was totally impressed. Our visit convinced me I wanted to be a part of that championship vision at Texas.

“Charlie and I have a lot in common. I believe in developing young people on and off the field. I’m a very disciplined person, love my players, and I pour myself into them every day. I could really feel and see that in Charlie when he talked about the team and the players.”

A coach with 27 years of experience that includes coaching in both the BCS National Championship Game and the Super Bowl, Norvell spent the last seven of those at Oklahoma, first as assistant offensive coordinator and receivers coach from 2008-10, then as co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach from 2011-14.

“Jay is a guy that has always had an outstanding reputation, and when I had a chance to talk to him, what impressed me the most was his energy, passion and drive to be successful,” Strong said. “The thing you see and everyone talks about with him is that he’s a great teacher, very detailed and organized, and he really develops his players. He’s coached so many great players, gets the most out of his guys, and they really like playing for him. He brings a lot to our staff, is very familiar with the Big 12 and has experience recruiting in Texas. We’re really excited he’s joining us.”

Three of the top four players on Oklahoma’s all-time receptions chart have played under Norvell’s direction – Ryan Broyles (349), Kenny Stills (204) and Juaquin Iglesias (202) – while five of the top six single-season reception marks have come under Norvell.

In 2014, Norvell helped WR Sterling Shepard earn first-team All-Big 12 honors and be named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award. Despite being limited in several games and missing one full game due to injury, Shepard caught 51 passes for 970 yards (No. 9 on the OU single-season list) and also tied the Oklahoma single-game receptions record with 15 against Kansas State. He tied the mark of Justin Brown, Broyles and Jalen Saunders, who all played under Norvell. In fact, the top 12 single-game marks in Sooners history came under Norvell with two others tied for 13th. Shepard also produced two of the top five single-game receiving yards performances with 215 against TCU and 197 versus Kansas State.

This past season, Oklahoma ranked 20th in the nation in scoring offense (36.4 ppg) and 23rd in total offense (464.7 ypg). It also ranked 10th in rushing offense with 261.2 ypg, which was its highest average since 1990. In 2013, Norvell helped it register its best rushing average since 1991 with 223.9 ypg, which ranked 18th in the country.

Oklahoma finished the 2012 regular season fifth in the nation in passing offense (336.5 ypg) as five different receivers produced a total of 11 100-yard receiving games. The Sooners produced a trio of WRs with three 100-yard performances in a single game versus Oklahoma State, which was a first in school history. That group included Brown, Saunders and Stills.

Stills accumulated 204 catches for 2,594 yards (12.2 avg.) with 24 TDs during three years under Norvell, the third-highest reception total in Sooners’ history. He then led all NFL pass catchers with a 20.0 yards-per-catch average as a rookie with the New Orleans Saints in 2013 after shattering OU’s freshman receiving records in 2010.

In 2011, Broyles became the all-time NCAA career receptions leader with 349 despite only playing in nine games that year, while also moving into second on the career receiving yardage list (4,586) and fourth on the receiving TDs list (45). The Biletnikoff finalist and All-American still had the third-best season in Oklahoma history with his 83 receptions for 1,157 yards and 10 TDs. Broyles set eight major Oklahoma receiving records en route to All-America status and becoming a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award in 2010, including smashing his own single-season receptions record with 131 (ninth-most in NCAA history) in 2010.

Broyles had previously set the Sooners receiving record with 89 in 2009, along with the receiving TDs record of 15. In 2008, Oklahoma was led by Iglesias, who tallied 74 receptions for 1,150 yards, which at the time were both second-best in OU history and currently stand sixth and fifth, respectively. He also caught 10 TD receptions, which was fifth and is now tied for eighth.

Prior to Oklahoma, Norvell served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UCLA in 2007 and in the same role at Nebraska from 2004-06. With the Cornhuskers, he served on the same staff as current Texas assistant head coach for offense and quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson during the 2006 season when Watson was tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator there.

During that ’06 season, Nebraska ranked 14th in the nation in total offense (414.57 ypg) and 17th in scoring offense (30.6 ppg), while ranking 23rd in both rushing (170.5 ypg) and passing (244.1 ypg), making the Huskers one of two teams to rank in the top 25 of all four categories. QB Zac Taylor was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, setting school records with 3,197 passing yards, 26 TDs and 3,165 total yards. The team finished 9-5, winning the Big 12 North Division.

Norvell went to Nebraska after spending six seasons as an assistant coach in the NFL, first with the Indianapolis Colts as wide receivers coach from 1998-2001, then with the Oakland Raiders as tight ends coach from 2002-03.

He helped the Raiders earn a spot in Super Bowl XXXVII. That season, the Raiders’ passing attack led the NFL by averaging 279.7 ypg. With the Colts, Norvell tutored All-Pro Marvin Harrison, who hauled in 109 catches for 1,524 yards and 15 TDs in 2001. In 2002, Harrison became the only player in NFL history with four consecutive 100-catch seasons. While with Norvell, Harrison had 385 receptions for 5,376 yards and 48 TDs.

From 1995-97, Norvell was assistant head coach at Iowa State, working with quarterbacks and receivers, including Sage Rosenfels, who went on to play with the Minnesota Vikings.

For the six previous seasons, the native of Madison, Wisconsin, coached offensive line, receivers and special teams at Wisconsin, which followed his first full-time position, coaching receivers at Northern Iowa in 1988.

As a player, Norvell was an All-Big Ten defensive back with Iowa in 1985, when he recorded a league-high seven interceptions. That season, the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten championship and advanced to the Rose Bowl, finishing with a 10-2 record. He graduated from Iowa in 1986 and went on to play one season with the Chicago Bears in 1987. He has a wife, Kim, and son, Jaden.