Jay Norvell
American football player and coach (born 1963)
Why this is trending
Interest in “Jay Norvell” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-25.
Categorised under Entertainment, this article fits a familiar pattern. Articles in the entertainment category often trend when tied to award ceremonies, film releases, celebrity news, or viral social media moments.
GlyphSignal tracks these patterns daily, turning raw Wikipedia traffic data into a curated feed of what the world is curious about. Every spike tells a story.
Key Takeaways
- Merritt James Norvell III (born March 28, 1963) is an American college football coach and former player.
- Norvell served as the head football coach at the University of Nevada, Reno from 2017 to 2021.
- Playing career Norvell played college football at the University of Iowa from 1982 to 1985 and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) as a linebacker with the Chicago Bears for one season, in 1987 as practice and replacement player.
- From 1988 to 2001, Norvell served as an assistant coach for multiple positions at Northern Iowa, Wisconsin, and Iowa State.
- At Nebraska, he helped guide quarterback Zac Taylor to win Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors and break several school passing records.
Merritt James Norvell III (born March 28, 1963) is an American college football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Colorado State University from 2022 to 2025. Norvell served as the head football coach at the University of Nevada, Reno from 2017 to 2021. His father, Merritt Norvell, was the athletic director at Michigan State University from 1995 to 1998.
Playing career
Norvell played college football at the University of Iowa from 1982 to 1985 and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) as a linebacker with the Chicago Bears for one season, in 1987 as practice and replacement player.
Coaching career
Early coaching career
His coaching career began at his alma mater Iowa in 1986 when Norvell took a job as a graduate assistant. From 1988 to 2001, Norvell served as an assistant coach for multiple positions at Northern Iowa, Wisconsin, and Iowa State. Norvell briefly spent time in the NFL as an assistant coach from 2002 to 2003 with the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders before returning to college football at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln to take his first ever offensive coordinator job in 2004. At Nebraska, he helped guide quarterback Zac Taylor to win Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors and break several school passing records.
Content sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0
