Iowa State Cyclones Facing One Blatantly Obvious Problem for 2025

The Iowa State Cyclones are certainly on the come up in the college football landscape, especially after last season when they went 11-3 and defeated Cam Ward and the Miami Hurricanes in the Pop Tarts Bowl.

Iowa State has become so impressive as a program, as a matter of fact, that it is beginning to become a hotbed for NFL talent, especially at the skill positions on offense. But while the Cyclones are putting a heck of a lot of players into the pros recently, it has also created a problem.

More specifically, it has created a major issue for Iowa State heading into 2025: a complete lack of proven talent at wide receiver.

The Cyclones' top two receivers — Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel — both entered the NFL Draft this past season, and both playmakers were selected by the Houston Texans on Day 2.

While it's great that Iowa State was able to place two receivers in the early rounds of the draft, it has created quite the hole for the Cyclones going into next season, as Matt Campbell's squad genuinely has no clue who will step up at the position.

Actually, Iowa State may have a general idea of who may fill the shoes of Higgins and Noel. The Hawkeyes added both Chase Sowell and Xavier Townsend via the transfer portal, and they are returning players such as Eli Green, Carson Brown and Daniel Jackson, the latter of whom missed all of 2024 due to a leg injury, next fall.

Iowa State also has 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman Dominic Overby, who could ultimately represent an intriguing red zone target for quarterback Rocco Becht.

But here's the thing: behind Higgins and Noel last season, the Cyclones' third-leading wide receiver was Brown, who totaled 11 catches. That's a scary thought for Campbell given that he has no established options at one of the most important positions on the field.4

Now, based on Iowa State's recent history, it stands to reason that the Cyclones will find someone, but it should be noted that in the case of both Higgins and Noel, each had shown something before finally breaking out. Higgins did so at Eastern Kentucky, and Noel was a factor right off the bat upon arriving at Ames.

Perhaps Sowell, who stands 6-foot-4 and averaged 19.9 yards per catch at East Carolina last season, can play the role of Higgins. And maybe Brown can become the next Noel. It also helps to have a potential first-round draft pick in Becht under center.

But until Iowa State gets some sort of concrete production from its receiving corps, it's going to continue to be viewed as a prominent issue going into 2025, and it could ultimately sabotage the Cyclones' chances of putting together another impressive campaign in the Big 12.

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