Nov 19, 2016; Ames, IA, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Joel Lanning (7) reacts after scoring one of his five touchdowns against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jack Trice Stadium. The Cyclones beat the Red Raiders 66-10. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
Any questions surrounding Joel Lanning’s future at Iowa State can be focused on the football field. Two days after rushing for five touchdowns in a win over Texas Tech, the redshirt junior quarterback from Ankeny was asked about his future with the Cyclones.
Is there any chance he’d entertain leaving Iowa State as a graduate transfer?
“No,” Lanning said. “I like it here. I don’t graduate until the end of the spring, so it’s not like I would be a spring enrollee or I would get a head start in any other situation, so I’d just be better off staying here anyways, in my situation.”
Well, that slams the door on that thought rather swiftly. Some people had been starting to speculate Lanning could look for a situation elsewhere since his playing time started to diminish and Jacob Park’s role grew.
That speculation was something that seemed to catch Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell a little off guard.
“I guess we’ve never had that conversation,” Campbell said during his press conference on Monday. “Those are things you don’t know. All I know is I know he’s a guy that’s really talented. I think he’s got the ability to do a lot of things. He’s a guy that to me is just scratching the surface of what he can do, to be honest with you. I think that’s what’s really exciting not only from my end of it but our coaching staff’s end of it with Joel. You know, Joel’s got a unique talent and unique ability. I think the foundation of that strength is the ability to run the football. We’ll sit down when the time is right after the season’s over and talk about what’s next for Joel, but, boy, I’d have to imagine a guy that’s so respected by his teammates in this program and these coaches, I think there’s still great things left for Joel Lanning here to do and a lot of games for him to continue to lead this team to win down the road.”
It will be interesting to see how Lanning’s role for next season shakes out over the next couple months, but there’s no doubt he’ll have an opportunity to continue to make a major impact on next year’s Iowa State team.
