Bill Bleil
Assistant Head Coach

Remsen native Bill Bleil, who coached with Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads at Pacific and Pittsburgh, began coaching at Iowa State in 2009. In a short time, Bleil has revamped the Cyclone offensive line. After just two seasons at Iowa State, one his protégés, center Reggie Stephens, plays in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals. His 2010 replacement, Ben Lamaak earned second-team All-Big 12 honors last season and offensive tackle Kelechi Osemele honorable mention recognition.

ISU’s ability to rush the football and protect the quarterback affirm Bleil’s efforts as assistant head coach and offensive line coach. Alexander Robinson finished his career ranking fourth in rushing on the all-time Iowa State list. Quarterback Austen Arnaud finished his Cyclone tenure last season as the No. 2 passer in school history.

With Bleil coaching the offensive line, Iowa State improved its rushing yards per game total by more than 40 yards per contest in 2009, ranking third in the Big 12 and 35th nationally. The Cyclones cut their sacks allowed total from 40 in 2008 (3.3 per game) to 16 (1.23 per game) in 2009. Stephens earned first-team All-Big 12 honors before departing for the NFL. Osemele earned second-team all-conference honors. The Cyclones improved their scoring offense total for the second straight season in 2010.
Bleil, who has coached all-star performers in several conferences, including the Big Ten and Big East, was the head coach at Western Carolina for five seasons.

Bleil coached four seasons at Akron, where he was the assistant head coach the last three campaigns. After overseeing the running backs in his first two seasons with the Zips, Bleil coached the tackles and tight ends in 2007 and 2008.

Bleil’s success in producing standout players continued at Akron in 2008 as offensive tackle Chris Kemme became the first Zip to be a three-time All-Mid-American Conference selection. He was the eighth Akron player to be named first-team All-MAC. Kemme anchored an offensive line that allowed just 1.5 sacks per game in 2008 as the Zip offense averaged nearly 400 yards per contest.

In his inaugural season at Akron, Bleil helped tutor second-team All-Mid-American Conference running back Brett Biggs, the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since the 2002 season. Biggs finished the year with 1,230 rushing yards, the fifth-highest single-season total in school history, and most since the Zips moved to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1987. Biggs was also among the top receiving backs in the nation in 2005. His five catches per game ranked third nationally among backs. Biggs’ efforts enabled the Zips to become the 31st team in NCAA history with a 1,000-yard rusher, 1,000-yard receiver and 3,000-yard passer.

In 2006, Dennis Kennedy was tabbed second-team All-MAC, rushing for 914 yards despite missing a game-and-a-half due to an injury. Bleil’s running backs also took care of the football. They lost just one fumble in 2005. Biggs fumbled only once in 284 carries. In 2008, Kennedy only coughed the ball up just twice in 226 carries, while Andre Walker did not fumble in 65 carries.

The 52-year-old Bleil spent the 2004 season as the offensive tackles/tight ends coach under Walt Harris at Pittsburgh as the Panthers went to their first-ever BCS bowl game when they took part in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl versus Utah. Rhoads was the Pitt defensive coordinator that season.
He served the 2003 season under Joe Novak at Northern Illinois, knocking off traditional powers Alabama and Maryland en route to posting a school-record 10-2 mark, and one year (2002) at South Dakota.

Bleil also has head-coaching experience, having led the Western Carolina program for five years (1997-01). During that span, he was named 2001 Southern Conference Coach of the Year and led the Catamounts to their first winning season since 1994 with a 6-5 mark in 1998.
Prior to his stint in Cullowhee, N.C., Bleil served four seasons at Pacific (1992-95) and two years at Northwestern (1990-91), his alma mater. He was the offensive line coach at both stops before being elevated to offensive coordinator for the final three years with Pacific. Rhoads was also an assistant coach on that staff.

He and his wife Laurel have two sons, Kevin and Tim.

Courtney Messingham
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks

 Kenith Pope
Running Backs

Kenith Pope, who has coached in 15 bowl games in more than three decades of collegiate coaching and was formerly the assistant head coach at Alabama and Texas A&M, is the running backs coach at Iowa State. Pope coached the same position at UNLV last season.

Pope’s experience includes two Cotton Bowls, two Holiday Bowls and three Sun Bowls. He has also mentored 17 players who have gone on to the NFL, including Jason Carter (Carolina Panthers), Terrence Murphy (Green Bay Packers), Jason McAddley (Washington Redskins) and Jamaar Taylor (New York Giants); he formerly tutored two 2009 NFL draft picks: Mike Goodson (4th round - Carolina Panthers) and Frank Summers (5th round - Pittsburgh Steelers). Pope has played and coached for some of the biggest names in college football history, including Barry Switzer at Oklahoma, Jackie Sherrill at Mississippi State, Howard Schnellenberger at OU and Dennis Franchione at TCU, Alabama and Texas A&M.

Pope joined the Rebels last season after five years as the assistant head coach at Texas A&M. He previously oversaw the Aggie running backs his last two seasons in College Station, Texas and tutored the Aggies’ wide receivers in the 2003, 2004 and 2005 campaigns. During Pope’s time at Texas A&M, he was a part of a staff that recruited five classes ranked in the top 20 nationally, including three among the top 10. Texas A&M played in the 2005 Cotton Bowl, the 2006 Holiday Bowl and the 2007 Alamo Bowl during Pope’s tenure in College Station, Texas.

Pope served as assistant head coach/receivers coach at Alabama in 2001-02, where at one point, the Crimson Tide won 14 of 17 games. In 2002, Alabama posted a 10-3 record, the best mark in the SEC West. The Tide was second in the conference in total offense that season with Pope serving as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach. At TCU (from 1998-2000), Pope was on the coaching staff that produced a 25-11 record after being 1-10 in 1997. Pope coached at Oklahoma (1995-97), Mississippi State (1991-94), Oklahoma State (1987-90), SMU (1981-86) and Lamar (1979-80). He started his coaching career in 1977 at Hebert High School in Beaumont, Texas.  

A defensive back at Oklahoma, Pope earned his bachelor’s degree from the school in 1976. During his Sooner playing career, OU went 29-5-1 and won two straight Sugar Bowls. His senior season, Oklahoma went 10-0-1, won the Big Eight championship and Pope played in the Blue-Gray Classic and the American Bowl. He was a ninth-round choice by the Oakland Raiders in the 1974 NFL draft and played that season with the New England Patrioits.

Pope, a native of Galveston, Texas, is married to the former Pam Armstrong of Beaumont, Texas. They have three godchildren, Jordan Awadalla, Geneva Lathan and Shaina Hall.

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Luke Wells 
Tight End Coach 

Luke Wells’ takes over as Iowa State’s tight ends coach after two successful seasons as wide receivers coach.  The numbers speak for themselves. Wide receivers Darius Darks, Darius Reynolds and Josh Lenz return with a combined total of 178 receptions for 1,846 yards and eight touchdowns. Darks is set to enter the Iowa State career top ten this season in both receptions and receiving yards.

The Cyclones installed a spread offense in 2009, their first under head coach Paul Rhoads, and Wells’ pass catchers profited from the change. Seven different wide receivers caught a pass in 2009, with four of that group making at least 20 catches.

Senior Marquis Hamilton closed out his career with a flourish, making 50 catches for 606 yards and four touchdowns in 2009. Jake Williams stepped up his play and ended his career in 2010 with 71 receptions for 807 yards and nine touchdowns over the past two seasons.
 
Wells is a former Oklahoma quarterback, who previous to his tenure at Iowa State, coached wide receivers at Louisiana-Monroe. Wells was ULM’s recruiting coordinator for the 2007 and 2008 seasons and helped bring to Monroe the Warhawks’ highest-rated recruiting classes in school history.

The Louisiana-Monroe offense posted the highest scoring average in the school’s NCAA FBS history in 2008. Warhawk wide receiver Anthony McCall set a school record for freshman TD receptions that season.

In 2007, Wells led a group of receivers that caught 16 touchdown passes. Junior wide out Darrell McNeal received Sun Belt Player-of-the-Week honors after catching two touchdown passes and rushing for another against Florida International.

Wells took over the wide receivers in 2007 and mentored All-Sun Belt second-team selection LaGregory Sapp. Sapp led the league in yards per reception with 19.6 on 40 catches for 784 yards.

In 2004 and 2005, Wells worked with the tight ends and All-Sun Belt first-teamer Joey Trappey. Trappey was the top receiving tight end in the league in 2005 with 42 receptions for 425 yards.

Wells spent the 2003 season as a ULM graduate assistant before being promoted to assistant coach. Prior to ULM, Wells coached wide receivers at Denton High School in Texas, helping his team win the 2002 bi-district championship.

Before that, Wells was a student assistant coach at Oklahoma from 1999-2001. His responsibilities included assisting with quarterbacks and wide receivers, coaching and coordinating scout team defense and special teams, and assisting with recruiting. His work helped the Sooners win the 2000 Big 12 Conference crown and national title. The Sooners also won the 2001 Cotton Bowl and participated in the 1999 Independence Bowl. Wells worked under several outstanding coaches during his time at OU – Bob Stoops, Mike Leach and Mark Mangino.

Wells earned his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma in secondary education and did graduate work at ULM. Wells is married to the former Coby Groves. They have a son, Walker (4), who was born in February 2007 and a daughter Kinsley (2), who was born in Ames.