The Iowa Barnstormers announced Wednesday morning that former Cedar Rapids offensive coordinator, Dixie Wooten would be taking over the head coaching reigns.

Barnstormers’ New Coach will focus on Bubble players, D-Line

Wooten will be replacing Joe Brannen who finished the 2016 season with a 4-12 record (10-20 in two seasons with Iowa).

“I found out [Tuesday] that I was going to be the head coach,” Wooten said. “I’m excited, a city like Des Moines and for a team like the Barnstormers. You’ve got a team with a lot of tradition, and its a dream job for a coach.”

Wooten will be conducting assistant coaching interviews over the next two weeks as he tries to put together his staff.

Although, the first thing Wooten wants to do when he arrives in Des Moines, has to do with the community.

“I want to do is come to a community like Des Moines and let everybody know that I’m a coach that loves to be there,” Wooten said. “I’m a community guy, I love being around the youngsters and I love hearing what the fans have to say.”

How to right the ship

Wooten is faced with the tough task of turning around a last-place team, and he will start off by searching for experience.

“I want to look at the rosters around the NFL, CFL, and AFL,” Wooten said. “And get some of those guys and try to build up the roster – some of the guys that just got cut, and that need that second chance.”

Wooten also discussed how important the defensive line would be for the Barnstormers in 2017.

“[I want to] look at the defensive line and then bring in a few more things. You want to come in and bring in some guys that can rush the pass. [You want] a big Nose Guard that can put pressure on the center. I’ll make sure I bring in the right D-Line. If you have a great D-Line like we did in Cedar Rapids, you can make a lot of plays on defense.”

That showed as Cedar Rapids players Xzavie Jackson and Jeremiah Price were 1st and 2nd in the IFL with 14.5 and 14 sacks respectively.

Fans can look for the 2017 Barnstormers schedule to be released at some point in October, as it has been in years past.

One important thing to take away from the interview is Wooten’s motto.

“If you have a strong roster, you have a strong team.”