The Washington Commanders announced today they have named Larry Izzo as the team's special teams coordinator.
Izzo joins the Commanders after recently serving as the special teams coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks (2021-23). Izzo is entering his 14th year of NFL coaching and fourth as a special teams coordinator. Before his six-year stint with Seattle, Izzo spent seven seasons coaching with the N.Y. Giants (2011-15) and Houston (2016-17) following a 14-year playing career.
The Seahawks proved to be one of the best special team units in the NFL since 2021 with Kicker Jason Meyers leading the NFL in scoring in the 2022 season awarding him a Pro Bowl appearance (143). Meyers performance in 2023 remained consistent scoring only five less points than the previous year with a career high in made field goals (35). Punter Michael Dickson finished second in the league in net average (44.4 yards per punt) in 2022 while having a career high average in punt yards with 50 this past season.
In 2020, Izzo's special teams unit continued to dominate with kicker Jason Myers connecting on all 24 field goals, finishing 2020 having made 35-consecutive field goals dating back to 2019, a franchise-record. Punter Michael Dickson ranked second in the NFL with a 49.6 punting average and ranked in the top-five in average, net average, and punts landing inside the 20. Long snapper Tyler Ott and special teamer Nick Bellore were voted to their first Pro Bowls.
In 2019, punter Michael Dickson tied the franchise-record for most punts landing inside the 20 in a single season (34). The Seahawks special teams units forced three takeaways and blocked three kicks.
Izzo's first year with Seattle in 2018, Dickson set the franchise single-season punt average (48.2) and net average (42.5) records while becoming the first rookie punter to be named first-team AP All-Pro since Oakland's Shane Lechler in 2000 and the first Seattle punter to make the Pro Bowl since Rick Tuten in 1994, and the first rookie punter since the Los Angeles Rams' Dale Hatcher in 1985 to be selected to a Pro Bowl.
Prior to joining the Seahawks staff as an assistant special teams coach under Brian Schneider, Izzo spent 2016-17 with the Houston Texans as the special teams coordinator. In 2016, kicker Nick Novak tied for second in the NFL with 35 field goals made, which marked his career high and the most in a single season in Texans history.
Izzo spent his first five seasons (2011-15) with the Giants as an assistant special teams coach highlighted with a victory in Super Bowl XLVI. In 2015, the special teams unit ranked fifth in opponent kickoff return average (20.3) and tied for first in field goal percentage (93.8). New York was also seventh in the NFL in punt return average (10.2) and 10th in kickoff returning average (24.9). The Giants' kickoff team allowed an average return of just 18.3 yards in 2014, which ranked second in the NFL.
In his 14-year NFL career, Izzo played for three teams, including the Miami Dolphins (1996-2000), New England Patriots (2001-08) and New York Jets (2009). He was a three-time Super Bowl champion with New England (2001, 2003 and 2004) and a three-time Pro Bowler (2000, 2002 and 2004). He is one of 22 people in NFL history to win a Super Bowl as both a player and coach. He recorded 275 special teams tackles in 200 regular season games and 23 more in 21 postseason games. Izzo never played on a team with a losing record and his teams participated in the playoffs nine times, reaching five AFC Championship Games and four Super Bowls. He was selected as a special teams captain nine times, including eight with the Patriots.
A native of Woodlands, TX., Izzo was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at Rice University, where he played linebacker and finished fourth in school history with 301 tackles, including a record 46 for losses. He was named a consensus first-team All-Southwest Conference selection his senior year. He graduated in 2002 with a degree in business.
