Head Coach: Matt Campbell is entering his 10th season as the head coach of the Cyclones with a 64-51 record. This is a program that’s been traditionally difficult to win consistently at but that’s what Campbell has done. He’s taken the Cyclones to 2 Big 12 championship appearances, a Fiesta Bowl victory and 2 Top 15 finishes. It’s remarkable Iowa State has kept him this long and it’s taken a little luck for the Cyclones but he’s continuing to bring this program to new heights.
Program Outlook: Iowa State, as mentioned above is a program that’s struggled to win a lot. It’s not in the best recruiting territory and just lacks a history of winning overall but Matt Campbell has changed that. 2024 was a whole new level, it was the best season in program history featuring records such as their best start since 1938, first ever 4-0 start to Big 12 play and their first time ever hitting 10 or 11 wins. It was a new height for the Cyclones which has their fans excited for what Campbell can bring next.
How does the 2025 Roster look?: Iowa State ranks 48th in the country returning 58.5% of their production per Punt and Rally’s returning production rankings. Key players starts with QB Rocco Becht, he’s become a star for the Cyclones and really everything you’d want. He’s got a knack for the big moments leading the Clones on 4 come from behind wins last year, took care of the ball really well especially late and he’s a willing runner. The Cyclones have a great 1-2 punch at RB with Abu Sama and Carson Hansen. They had to hit the portal for receiver help, grabbing Chase Sowell (ECU) and the dynamic Xavier Townsend (UCF) make an explosive combo. TEs Gabe Berkle and Benjamin Brahmer provide great safety blankets on the inside, Brahmer in particular could be really good if he stays healthy this season. The offensive line lost 3 starters but it’s expected to be next man up there. On the defensive side safety Jeremiah Cooper is the leader of this defense and corner Jontez Williams gives the Cyclones a 2nd all-star on the backend. Tre Bell (Lindenwood) is a tall lanky corner who could fill the corner spot next to Williams. The Cyclones LB corps is a hodgepodge of a situation. They get back top playmakers from 2023 in Caleb Bacon and Carson Willich who both missed all of last year and Will McLaughlin missed half of last year. Kooper Ebel filled in last year and is back too. The defensive line will be led by a massive man in the 325lb Domonique Orange, this is also where the biggest question mark of the defense lies because the Cyclones need to figure out where their pass rush will come from, they’re hoping some of the portal pickups will help here.
Screenshot from FBSchedules.com
2025 Schedule Thoughts: Iowa State has some challenges but this schedule isn’t too bad. The non-conference will provide some challenges too, they have South Dakota as their FCS foe the Coyotes are on of the best teams in FCS this year so Iowa State must be ready. Then comes the Cy-Hawk trophy game against Iowa, it’s at home but Iowa State hasn’t beaten the Hawkeyes in Ames since 2011. Finally, they wrap up the non-conference with a road game at Arkansas State which is really cool but also provides a test. The conference slate starts week 0 with Farmaggedon in Ireland, it will be very funny when this name is used because Farmaggedon is also the name of a big haunted house in the UK so there may be some confusion! This game provides Iowa State with 3 bye weeks but also an earlier start to the year. In Big 12 play they avoid some contenders like Baylor and Texas Tech but must play a lot of the others. The nicest advantage they have is they get both BYU and Arizona State at home, the BYU game is one of the largest rest advantages you’ll see, Iowa State will be coming off a bye while BYU will be coming off an emotional physical Holy War game. If Iowa State is ready to make a run at the College Football Playoff, this schedule does not get in the way of that.
Final Thoughts: There’s a lot to like about Iowa State once again. There’s great staff continuity and they have some key stars back in the fold. The Cyclones have some questions to sort out but with the right answers they can make a run at the playoff because every game is winnable. The flip side is there are a lot of challenging competitive games so I can also see 7-8 wins as their floor because every game on the slate is also losable.
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