Noah Pauley -- 2024 FootballScoop Wide Receivers Coach of the Year
FootballScoop is proud to announce that Noah Pauley (Iowa State) is the 2024 FootballScoop Wide Receivers Coach of the Year, presented by AstroTurf as selected by prior winners.
As of press time, 14 players have caught 1,100 or more yards worth of passes in 2024. Only Iowa State produced two of them.
The Cyclones boasted two of the top eight wideouts in the country in terms of yardage, a two-headed monster that left defenses is knots throughout the season.
Senior Jayden Higgins was Iowa State's leading receiver in terms of catches, hauling in 87 grabs for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Jaylin Noel led the Cyclones in yards, slightly: his 80 catches went for 1,194 yards and eight touchdowns.
Unsurprisingly, Higgins and Noel posted the best season by a wide receiver tandem in Iowa State history.
Higgins's 87 catches were the second-most in Iowa State history, while Noel's 80 ranks fifth. Noel's 1,194 yards rank second for a single season in ISU history, while Higgins's placed third. Higgins's nine touchdowns was one of the single-season school record, while Noel's eight tied for seventh. Noel set the school record for games with a touchdown catch (7), a record that was broken by Higgins's nine. Both players crossed the 100-yard mark five times, which tied for fourth in school history.
Elsewhere, sophomore Carson Brown snared 11 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown; junior Eli Green posted 10 grabs for 115 yards; junior Isaiah Alston logged two grabs for 52 yards; freshman Ben Ngoyi registered two grabs for 27 yards; freshman Brett Eskidsen caught two passes for 17 yards; and two more Cyclones wideouts caught passes over the course of the season.
Exploits by Pauley's group helped Iowa State post the best season in school history. The Cyclones reached the defeated rivals Iowa and Kansas State, reached the Big 12 championship, and won a school-record 11 games.
Despite playing for the conference championship, Iowa State was overlooked for all-conference consideration. Noel was the only Cyclone to make the All-Big 12 First Team, as a punt and kick returner. Higgins was a Second Team All-Big 12 honoree, while Noel earned Honorable Mention as a wide receiver.
A two-time Minnesota-Duluth graduate, Pauley started coaching as an undergraduate in 2011. He remained with his alma mater through 2018, eventually becoming offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Pauley spent 2019-22 as the wide receivers coach at North Dakota State before joining Matt Campbell's staff in 2023.
Pauley is also Iowa State's pass game coordinator.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Ross Douglas [Syracuse], George McDonald [Ole Miss], Kevin McGiven [San Jose State], Jason Phillips [Colorado] and Pauley) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the Wide Receivers Coach of the Year award are Bobby Kennedy (Texas, 2008), Zach Azzanni (Central Michigan, 2009), Brent Pease (Boise State, 2010), Ted Gilmore (USC, 2011), Matt Lubick (Duke, 2012), Lawrence Dawsey (Florida State, 2013), Rusty Burns/Doug Meacham (TCU, 2014), Tate Wallis (Baylor, 2015), Todd Fitch/Joe Sloan (Louisiana Tech, 2016), Kasey Dunn (Oklahoma State, 2017), Tyron Carrier (West Virginia, 2018), Jeff Scott (Clemson, 2019), Holmon Wiggins (Alabama, 2020), Brian Hartline (Ohio State, 2021), JaMarcus Shephard (Washington, 2022), and Cortez Hankton (LSU, 2023).
Two top 10 WRs (yards) | Best season by a WR tandem in school history |
Two top 10 WRs (catches) | School-record 11 wins |
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