Iowa State Football Defense Preview 2025: Can the Cyclones Find a Pass Rush?

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2025 Iowa State Preview
Iowa State Offense Breakdown
Iowa State Defense Breakdown
Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season  

- The Iowa State pass defense was No. 1 in the nation, allowing just 165.6 yards per game. That was partly because the run defense wasn’t great, there was no pass rush, and the tackles for loss were lacking at times.

Now there’s a bit of an overhaul up front to get more plays behind the line. Ikenna Ezeogu saw a little bit of time in the rotation last year, but he was a bit part player.

Vontroy Malone (Tulsa) has decent quickness and a little bit of time logged in before coming to Ames, and Tamatoa McDonough (Yale) made 6.5 sacks last season in the Ivy League.

The tackle situation is better than it is on the ends. Domonique Orange is a 6-4, 325-pound mountain of an All-Big 12 tackle. He’s a true anchor, and the combination of Markell Chapman and Zaimir Hawk will get thrown into the other tackle spot.

- The secondary has stars, but it has to fill in a few parts with the team’s two top tacklers - safeties Beau Freyler and Malik Verdon - gone. Jeremiah Cooper is a special safety to quarterback the defensive backfield, making 125 tackles over the last three seasons with seven picks and 18 broken up passes in the last two.

6-3, 191-pound Tre Bell (Lindenwood) is a big, ball-hawking corner on the other side of all-star Jontez Williams, who’s coming off a 46-tackle season with four picks and five broken up passes.

- How healthy is the linebacking corps? Caleb Bacon was second on the team in 2023 with 60 tackles, and Will McLaughlin was a rising playmaker with 46 stops. Bacon missed all of last year, and McLaughlin missed more than half the season.

The middle needs Cael Brezina to step up and rock with Jack Sadowsky leaving for Northwestern. Kooper Ebel is back on the outside after making 69 tackles as a key fill-in, and a spot is needed for Carson Willich, a great-looking freshman two years ago who missed all of last year hurt.

Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season
2025 Iowa State Preview 
Iowa State Offense Breakdown