Nov 9, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Iowa State Cyclones helmets on the bench during the first quarter against the Kansas Jayhawks at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. William Purnell-Imagn Images

Ranking Top Three Quarterbacks of All-Time for Iowa State Cyclones

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Iowa State Cyclones have been working hard over the past few years to create a strong football program led by their talented coach, Matt Campbell. Since taking over, the head coach has been able to begin to create something special for the football program, and the hope is that they will be able to sustain success in the newly revamped Big 12.

While the Cyclones might not be known as a football school with a losing record overall as a program, they are clearly heading in the right direction and that is an exciting thing. Despite not being the best football program over the course of their long history, they have had some great players come through the program.

As some of the more recent players start to make an impact in the NFL, they got their starts with Iowa State on Saturdays. With the quarterback position being so important in the game, the Cyclones have started to see some good players producing from the position. Here are the top three quarterbacks in the history of the program.

Bret Meyer

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From 2004-2007 it was Bret Meyer as the quarterback for the Cyclones and he at the time of leaving the program was arguably the best player at the position. When he finished playing with Iowa State, Meyer was the top passer in the history of the program.

Overall, he played 48 games, totaling 9,499 passing yards and 50 passing touchdowns. With the game changing quite a bit since then, those passing marks will likely continue to get passed, but there’s no denying that Meyer was a great player for the program.

Rocco Becht

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The talented quarterback of the Cyclones has been able to make a name for himself quickly as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the program. With his father being a former NFL player with the New York Jets, Becht will be trying to follow in his footsteps.

In 2025, Becht was able to move up to third on the all-time passing list for the program and is already second in passing touchdowns. As a talented dual-threat quarterback with a strong arm, he has a great chance to play on Sundays one day and following in his father’s footsteps.

Brock Purdy

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The top choice is an easy one with Brock Purdy being the leading passer in the program’s history in both passing yards, passing touchdowns, and passing yards per game. In 48 games, Purdy was able to total 12,170 passing yards, 81 passing touchdowns, and averaged 253.5 passing yards per game.

Purdy has since gone on to have a very successful career with the San Francisco 49ers and has been one of the best late-round draft picks of all-time. While Becht could chase down some of his records at Iowa State, he is still the best quarterback in the history of the program as of now.

This article first appeared on Iowa State Cyclones on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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