Bill Bleil, from Remsen, has been hired as an assistant coach, and will oversee an offensive position to be determined.

Bleil coached with Rhoads at Pacific and Pittsburgh, and has spent the last four seasons at Akron. His first two seasons there he was a running backs coach, and he coached tight ends and tackles the last two years.

“I have coached with Bill at two schools and I know that he is an excellent coach,” Rhoads said in a news release by the ISU athletics department. “Bill is a great recruiter and I know that because I have recruited with and against him. His Midwest background will make him an ideal fit for our staff.”

In addition to his assistant coaching positions, Bleil was head coach for Western Carolina from 1997-2001. He was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2001.

Now, he returns home.

“Iowa is home to my family,” he said in the news release. “The family part of this is important.”

-Kyle Oppenhuizen