Iowa State HC Matt Campbell Reveals Key to Winning Big 12 Conference

After a successful 2024 campaign in the Big 12 Conference, the Iowa State Cyclones and head coach Matt Campbell will look to continue their dominant run heading into the 2025 college football season.

When asked about the challenges in the Big 12 Conference, Campbell offer a blueprint for success ahead of this season.

“I think from top to bottom the consistency of this conference, you’ve got great quarterbacks, you’ve got great coaches, right now and you’ve got a lot of great programs,” Campbell said. “I think you got to try to stay healthy. You got to get on a great run, and you got to be able to, you know, you got to be able to what I would deem if we’re going to get back there this year, you got to be pretty tough.”

Luckily for the Cyclones, this year's squad features multiple veterans returning on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Rocco Becht is back for another season with Iowa State, while the program also retained last year's leading rusher Carson Hanson. More importantly, the defense also includes Domonique Orange, Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams, who all received Preseason All-Conference Honors in 2025.

The biggest question that will not be answered until the season is whether or not the Cyclones can remain healthy throughout their tough schedule. The injury bug was something that Iowa State was able to avoid for a majority of the 2024 season, but time will tell how much firepower is left in the tank towards the end of the upcoming season.

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