Jul 9, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Iowa State football finished 6-3 in Big 12 play a season ago. That ranks as a moderately successful season for Iowa State in the Matt Campbell era – but they believe they have the potential to take it to new heights this year.
With 20 of 22 starters returning to the field, an expanded 12-team playoff, and an offensive coordinator that the players seem to love, the goals are only growing.
“The expectation is to win the Big 12 championship,” wide receiver Jayden Higgins said during Iowa State’s annual Media Day.
Higgins burst onto the scene for Iowa State at the midway mark last season, with a breakout game against Cincinnati that saw him rack up 172 receiving yards.
He finished his first season in Ames with a team-high, 983 yards – that’s over 200 more than his total of 757 yards in his final season at Eastern Kentucky.
There’s optimism that Higgins could take another step forward this season
“I feel like I’ve changed drastically – both mentally and physically – but especially physically,” Higgins said. “The strength staff is great here. They do a great job preparing us and getting us ready for the season.”
That step will be aided by Jaylin Noel, the fellow standout receiver that is entering his final season in Ames and forces teams to take attention off of just Higgins, as Higgins does him.
Noel made an even bigger jump in receiving yards in 2023, collecting 820 yards along with seven touchdowns.
“By doing it myself,” Noel said when asked how he motivates his teammates to work harder. “I have to be a leader by action, as well – not only words. So (there’s a lot of) pushing myself, and guys like Beau (Freyler), Rocco (Becht), and Jayden (Higgins) – all of us have to work to show the young guys that it’s not just them that we want to push, but ourselves as well.”
The passing attack is anchored by breakout tight end Ben Brahmer, who’s entering his second season in Ames after hauling in 352 yards as a freshman.
“I feel like we can do everything we want to do, really,” Higgins said. “We can be explosive. We have a bunch of playmakers that can make plays at any given time – so, really it just depends. Whenever we want to make a play, we can make a play.”
That will be a goal for new offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, who comes into the role after serving as Iowa State’s tight ends coach in recent seasons.
“It’s great,” Noel said. “He brings energy every day and an attitude that’s contagious – a good attitude. He’s just a fun person to be around. There’s never a dull moment with him. He’s always pushing us. I feel like (the transition) has been smooth… Mouser has not only picked up where coach (Nate) Scheelhaase left off, but has pushed guys even more. And the guys know we can trust him.”
The player-coach relationship is his signature.
Mouser believes that chemistry in relationships between himself and the players he’s coaching is a foundational piece to running the offense – or just coaching tight ends, like he will continue to do.
“I played defensive football, so being on offense, you know you have to go above and beyond to learn certain things,” Mouser said. “You study and you watch so much film – for me, it started really as a development piece, just to try and get the players to trust me. Once you’re able to get them to trust you and they see that they can grow, and they buy into you – then the scheme comes second.
“They like to see the growth and the development,” Mouser added. “I think when you have that mindset, and really start from the ground up … it doesn’t really matter what the scheme of it is. It’s still about putting the players in the best formations to go make plays. Our offense is going to change year-in and year-out depending on what our personnel is, but I think for me it always started with a developmental piece.”
The uptick in expectation can come across as natural, but it’s evident the focus Iowa state had over recent off-seasons in bringing in strength coach Reid Kagy, who’s entering his second year on the staff.
Head coach Matt Campbell brought up the work that his pass catchers had put in over the year.
“The reality is, those guys are addicted to being great,” Campbell said. “They have an unbelievable passion to become their best. I don’t think any one of them are satisfied with what they’ve accomplished. I think they all have great dreams and aspirations, and I think those guys, man, they’re relentless workers, so it’s been fun to watch those guys really get better throughout the summer and throughout the spring, and it’ll be fun to see what these guys have the ability to do this fall camp in terms of real confidence going into the season.”
Iowa State opens the season with North Dakota on Saturday, August 31, but with the way this group talks, they might be ready tomorrow.
