Iowa State Cyclones College Football Preview 2026

A force at South Dakota State for two seasons - winning the FCS National Championship in 2023 - he had one year in a rough situation at Washington State, and now he’s in Ames trying to keep the winning going.

No pressure. All Campbell did was come up with five of the 12 best seasons in 128 years of Iowa State football, including the only double-digit win campaign, going 11-3 in 2024.

Iowa State Quick Hits

• Head Coach: Jimmy Rogers (1st year at Iowa State; 2nd year overall, 6-6)
• Best Case / Worst Case: A ninth winning season in ten years/The first losing season since 2022
• Key Player: Jaylen Raynor, QB Sr.
• 2025 Record: 8-4
• Biggest Question: How fast can all the new guys come together, especially on the lines?

- 2026 Iowa State Schedule Analysis

Iowa State Key 2025 Stats

• Penalties: Opponents 78 for 694 yards, Iowa State 55 for 480 yards
• First Quarter Scoring: Iowa State 80, Opponents 41
• Punt Return Average: Iowa State 17.27, Opponents 2.14

Offense

The Cyclones will do what they can with a lot less talent.

There’s no way to be nice about this. It’s Iowa State, and it’s going to have a hard time bringing in the same transfers as most of the top Big 12 teams - and Penn State.

And that’s the problem.

This would’ve been a loaded team if everyone stayed put, but Campbell took a tremendous group of skill players along for the ride.

But Iowa State did okay for itself. Under new offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl - a former Cyclone assistant who spent last year with the Detroit Lions - there’s enough in place to come up with a strong starting 11.

What’s Working

Jaylen Raynor was a sneaky-terrific quarterback signing. Oklahoma State’s Zane Flores wasn’t bad, either, but Raynor was the more interesting get.

The Arkansas State transfer threw for over 8,600 yards with 52 touchdowns and ran for close to 1,200 yards with 15 scores for Butch Jones’s team. He’s a veteran playmaker who’ll make everyone around him better.

In terms of talent evaluation, the receiving corps is shaping up to be solid. There weren’t any big names in the bunch, but this group should work in a Strength In Numbers way.

Cody Jackson out of Tarleton State is a fast veteran deep threat, and Omari Hayes (Tulane) and Evan Boyd (Michigan State) are plug-and-play targets.

Other than quarterback, the Cyclones did the best job through the portal on the O line. There’s no replacing Brendan Black (Nebraska) or Trevor Buhr (Penn State) at guard, but there are several nice ideas among the ten new linemen.

Likely starting tackle Jake Taylor (Oklahoma) and guard Caden Maas (Sioux Falls) form a good-looking left side.

What Needs Work

Rogers didn’t have to deal with so much turnover at Washington State last year, and his offense was just okay. It finished 107th in the nation after finishing 17th the year before. It was a grind - Iowa State might not be a quick fix, considering there’s a huge overall talent dropoff.

Raynor really is a nice quarterback to take over the reins, but he had an interception problem over the last few seasons. The big downfield plays weren’t there like they were in his breakout freshman campaign, and the 21 picks were a problem.

The ground attack wasn’t as good as it should’ve been with stars in Abu Sama (Wisconsin) and Carson Hansen (Penn State) running the ball. Cameron Pettaway (Bowling Green) and Salahadin Allah (Oregon State) should form an okay 1-2 punch, but it would be nice if Iowa State got more on the ground this year.

Player to Watch

Jaylen Raynor, QB Sr.
The consistency might be missing, but the capabilities are there to win a game or two on his own. He threw two or more touchdown passes seven times last year for Arkansas State, and the team won five of them.

- 26 Key Questions for the Big 12 Season

Defense

The Iowa State defense was okay last season, but it was hardly anything special.

That’s underplaying the strong moments, and it was among the top half of the best Big 12 defenses, but there wasn’t any pass rush, and there weren’t enough key third down stops.

The new coaching staff did a better job through the portal for the line than the secondary, and like the offense, there will be new guys everywhere.

What’s Working

Jesse Bobbit is a strong defensive coordinator. His Washington State defense finished 15th in the nation last season and was great against the run.

And considering the problems Iowa State had getting into the backfield, Bobbit’s ability to get his defenses to the quarterback is a major plus.

The line is loaded with new parts to work in a rotation. Isaac Terrell grew into a good edge rusher at Washington State, and he’s a star-in-waiting on one side.

There’s some good, feisty talent for the interior - tackle Max Baloun has been around for forever, and Washington State’s Bryson Lamb is a smallish interior factor who’s always working.

The linebackers are good enough. Like just about everywhere else, this is the chance for some Cyclones who were in the rotation to rise up and rock.

That starts with Carson Willich at one linebacker spot, and Austin Peay’s Montreze Smith and Washington State’s Sullivan Schlimgen will be stat-sheet fillers.

What Needs Work

Sorry to keep hammering this point across the board, but the talent dropoff is massive. The secondary has promise at all four or five spots, but, for example, Marcus Neal was an All-Big-12 star who led the team in tackles and tackles for loss.

He’s at Penn State, corner Jontez Williams - who missed a chunk of last season - will start at USC, and corner Tre Bell will start at Michigan State, and on and on and on.

The schedule. It’s going to take a little while to come together, and Iowa State’s defense gets a few big breaks early with no one to worry about - including Iowa - early on. But once Big 12 play starts … uh oh.

Utah, West Virginia and the Rich Rodriguez offense, BYU, Arizona, and the new high-powered Oklahoma State attack. The Cyclone D will be under attack into November.

Experience. There aren’t too many players among the projected starting 11 who have a ton of time logged in going against big-time teams. Effort will never be an issue - and that might be the saving grace - but it’ll be trial by fire.

Player to Watch

Isaac Terrell, EDGE Sr.
It’s not like he was Myles Garrett at Washington State, but the seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss last year were a big step up in production. Now he’s in his fourth year, he’ll be turned loose on one side, and it’s his job to hit quarterbacks.

Keys to the Season

Find one calling card thing that works on each side of the ball, and hammer it.

Will the Cyclones be the ball-control team that grinds games out? Nah, but will the quick-hitting passing style work?

Will the attacking defense give Big 12 quarterbacks something to worry about? There have to be a few things this new bunch can do really, really well.

Player Who Needs To Shine

Micah Harper, S Sr.
Harper has to step up and become an instant star with Braden Awls out. He was good early on at BYU, strong last year at Montana, and now it’s up to him to be the main man in the secondary.

Biggest Concern

The bulk on the lines.
At least among the likely starters, these aren’t huge lines. That’s not the end of the world - most Big 12 offenses aren’t about battering and bruising - but the Cyclones will be outsized from time to time.

Biggest Game

West Virginia, October 3
The second half of the schedule eases up a bit, and by then, the newness factor with this bunch will be gone.

The date against West Virginia is the last home game until Halloween - almost a full month. Lose, and the Cyclones will likely start the Big 12 season 0-4.

Transfer Portal

Yeah, this entire preview has already been transfer portal-heavy, but that’s the whole story for the 2026 Cyclones. And yes, a lot of this has been slightly negative - with close to 50 new players coming in, there’s plenty to work with.

Best Signing

Cody Jackson, WR (Tarleton State)
It’s such a bad break for the guy, but Awls was the best signing.

Jackson has the quickness and flash to grow into an all-around star for the receiving corps. The offense needs instant playmakers, and he should be one of them.

Biggest Loss

Rocco Becht, QB (Penn State)
You could name any one of about 15 Cyclones here for this, but Becht was the star of the show for the last three seasons. He’ll be fantastic for the Nittany Lions.

Other Names to Know

• Sullivan Schlimgen, LB (Washington State)
• Jaylen Raynor, QB (Arkansas State)
• Seth Johnson, CB (Montana State)

CFN Season Prediction

It’s not going to be smooth, and the rest of the world will probably predict doom-and-gloom.

Don’t be shocked, though, if this is one of those teams that gets destroyed here and there - like, big against a BYU or Utah - and then pulls off something impressive against a team that doesn’t take this Iowa State Week seriously.

Yeah, there’s an I on the helmet, but the Cyclones will be about the team.

(Dreadfully sorry for the nuclear-level horrific line that’s right out of some cornball 1990s Disney sports movie - but I’m keeping it.)

CFN Prediction: 5-7

SE Missouri State and Bowling Green. Those will be two wins, and the Cyclones will work their way through a few more. They’ll likely come late in the season, though.

Home games against Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, and even early on against West Virginia need to be victories.

There’s no Texas Tech or Houston to deal with, but on the downside, there’s no Colorado or Kansas to beat.

It’ll be too hard to get to a bowl game, but this will be a fun team to like.

By the way, Matt Campbell went 3-9 in his first year on the job.