Joe Houston - Football Coach - Iowa State University Athletics

Joe Houston

Title:
Associate for Quality Control
Email:
houstonj@iastate.edu
Phone:
4-6721

Joe Houston is in his fourth season on the Iowa State football staff. He returns to his role as a quality control coach after spending the 2018 season as the special teams coordinator.

Iowa State recorded one of its best seasons in school history in 2018, as the Cyclones went 8-5, broke the school record for conference wins in a season (six), posted their best conference finish in 40 years (T3rd) and made the Valero Alamo Bowl.

Iowa State had a number of players excel on special teams in 2018, including kickoff returner Kene Nwangwu. Nwangwu was a Second-Team All-Big 12 kickoff returner after leading the Big 12 and ranking 12^th nationally in kickoff return average (26.8), the second-best clip in school history.

Freshman Tarique Milton was also one of the best punt returners in the Big 12 in 2018, ranking third in the Big 12 averaging 12.67 yards per return.

Walk-on kicker Connor Assalley took over placekicking duties and excelled under Houston’s coaching. Assalley hit 16 field goals, tying for sixth on ISU’s season list, and began his career making his first eight field goal attempts, the fifth-best string in school history.

Houston was an associate for quality control for special teams from 2016-17, mentoring a pair of All-Big 12 kickers in Cole Netten (2016) and Garrett Owens (2017).

Houston's work with Netten, a First Team All-Big 12 kicker, was evident. Netten broke the school record for field goal percentage (94.1 pct.) in a season, connecting on 16 of his 17 attempts.

Owens was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 kicker in 2017, connecting on 77.3 percent (17-of-22) of his field goals for the fifth-best single-season percentage in school history. Owens’ 17 field goals made ranked 37^th nationally and tied for third on ISU’s season record book.

Iowa State kickers are 49-of-62 on field goal attempts (79.0 pct.) under Houston’s tutelage.

ISU’s special teams were phenomenal in Houston’s first two seasons. In 2016, true freshman Nwangwu averaged 26.35 yards per kickoff return, which ranked 15th nationally and was the fourth-best average in school history. In the season finale vs. West Virginia, Nwangwu ran back a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the third-longest return in school history. Nwangwu was named to a number of freshman All-America teams as a kick returner.

Trever Ryen was one of the best punt returners in the nation in 2016 and 2017, averaging 16.50 per return in 2016, the third-best average in school history. Ryen ranked 20^th nationally in punt return average (10.1) in 2017, ending his career with the fourth-best punt return average (13.4) in school history.

ISU’s 2016 special teams units appeared in the top-35 of the national rankings in the following categories: punt return defense (No. 21, 4.40), kickoff returns (No. 27, 23.11) and net punting (No. 35, 38.88).

ISU’s 2017 season was one of the best in the history of the program. The Cyclones compiled an 8-5 record, the second-most wins in school history, and scored a victory in the 2017 Liberty Bowl over Memphis, only the fourth bowl win in the history of the program.

Houston arrived in Ames after spending the 2015 season as a quality control assistant for special teams at Toledo. In his only season with the Rockets, Houston helped mentor Freshman All-America kicker Jameson Vest.

Prior to his stint at Toledo, the Redondo Beach, Calif., native was an assistant coach at El Camino College (Torrance, Calif.) for three seasons (2012-14), directing the special teams and specialists. He also was a defensive secondary assistant for the school in 2014.

A 2010 graduate of USC, Houston was a placekicker for the Trojans from 2007-10 after an All-American season at El Camino College in 2006. Houston played for Pete Carroll and Lane Kiffin at USC, earning the starting kicking duties in 2010. He led the team in scoring (73 points) and made 10-of-16 field goals and 43-of-43 PATs as a senior.

After graduation, Houston was a kicker in the Arena Football League for the Chicago Rush and Nebraska Danger. He tied an AFL record with 11 PATs in a game for the Rush in 2012.

Coaching Experience
2019 Iowa State – Associate For Quality Control
2018 Iowa State – Special Teams Coordinator
2016-17 Iowa State – Associate For Quality Control
2015 Toledo – Quality Control Assistant
2012-14 – El Camino College – Special Teams, Secondary