With the jump of two assistant coaches to the NFL leaving vacancies on his staff, ISU football coach Dan McCarney announced the hiring of two new coaches Thursday.

Former UCLA special teams coach Brian Schneider joins the ISU staff and will serve as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.

Last season, Schneider’s Bruins set an NCAA record, averaging 25 yards per punt return.

“This was a great opportunity for me professionally and personally,” Schneider said in a press release. “I already know several people on this coaching staff and how much they have accomplished here at Iowa State. This is also a great place to raise a family.”

Schneider replaces Jeff Horton, who left Iowa State for the St. Louis Rams.

Schneider is already familiar with several members of the ISU staff. As a linebacker at Colorado State, he was a teammate of running backs coach Terry Allen and was coached by quarterbacks coach Todd Fitch. He also played under and coached with defensive coordinator John Skladany at Colorado State.

McCarney also brought in Shawn Simms, who has spent the last three seasons at Colorado. Simms will replace DeMontie Cross as the Cyclones outside linebackers coach.

Cross left Iowa State to take a job as a defensive and special teams assistant with the Buffalo Bills.

“Having been in the Big 12 conference for the last three seasons, I know about the success of Iowa State’s football program,” Simms said. “From the outside looking in, Dan McCarney’s football program is a contender and I am happy to be joining the Cyclone team.”

Iowa State is coming off a season that saw it go 7-5, earning a bid to the Houston Bowl where it fell to TCU.

“Both coaches bring exceptional experience to our program,” McCarney said.

“The addition of coaches like Brian [Schneider] and Shawn [Simms] demonstrate the high regard people have for our program nationally.”

McCarney also announced that Fitch, the quarterbacks coach in his third season with the Cyclones, has been promoted to passing game coordinator.

“Todd Fitch’s work with quarterback Bret Meyer speaks for itself,” McCarney said. “Bret [Meyer] has become one of the best signal callers in our league and Todd [Fitch] has been a huge part of Bret [Meyer]’s exceptional progress.”

Last season Meyer threw for 239 yards per game, second in the Big 12. He also completed a school-record 155 pass attempts without an interception.