New Iowa State running backs coach Jake Landry works with his group during practice this spring. Photo courtesy Iowa State Athletics Communications.
AMES — One of first-year Iowa State running back coach Jake Landry’s first connections to the Cyclones’ third-year wide receivers coach, Noah Pauley, hinged on a faulty one.
An overcrowded electrical outlet stood in the way of the then-first time graduate assistants at Division II Minnesota Duluth — and they were in charge of plugging in the headsets for their Bulldogs’ top assistants in a game at Bemidji State.
“Funny story,” said Landry, who takes over a talented and crowded running backs room at ISU this season. “I won’t say if it was me or coach Pauley, but we unplugged the radio guy live on the air. We quickly plugged it back in and I think to this day the guy there doesn’t realize we were the ones that cut him off the air for about 10 seconds.”
Oops? Consider it a rare misstep for the reconnected rising stars in the coaching profession, who will have a major say in what the Cyclones’ Taylor Mouser led-offense will look like this season.
“Jake Landry is my best friend,” said Pauley, who will watch two of his recent ISU receivers, Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, get picked in the NFL Draft late this week. “The guys will love playing for him. He’s obviously had a ton of success at his last stops, and obviously been a (FCS) national championship offense coordinator (at North Dakota State last season), so we’re all excited to have him here. Especially, myself.”
Landry will guide a Cyclone running backs unit that returns its top two backs and most of its production from last season’s program-record 11-win team. Carson Hansen (752 rushing yards, 15 total touchdowns) and Abu Sama (587 rushing yards, two touchdowns) headline the room, and their blend of power and speed makes them potent playmakers still seeking to strike a chord with consistency.
“Whether that’s fundamentals and technique, whether that’s mentally being aware of the situations that we’re working on in practice or in the games, I think it’s just constant communication,” said Landry, who recently became a father of twin boys. “(We’re) always evaluating what we need to be better at and being at the forefront of that; being authentic with those guys and very transparent. We’re gonna hold everybody in that room to the same standard.”
The one-two punch of Hansen and Sama helped ISU average 160 yards rushing for just the third time in head coach Matt Campbell’s nine-plus season tenure in Ames. But redshirt freshmen Dylan Lee and Aiden Flora will make a strong push for playing time, as could true freshman Ryver Peppers.
“It’s been great to see those younger guys grow throughout spring ball and the offseason,” Hansen said. “Everyone’s different so everyone doesn’t communicate the same, so you have to kind go adjust toward people, but it’s been great to have different relationships. We kind of all build off of each other.”
Landry — a Grand Forks, N.D, native — has built a strong coaching resume from those humble beginnings in Duluth. He reconnected with Pauley at North Dakota State, then rejoined him with the Cyclones this season after former running backs coach Tyler Roehl — a fellow former Bison assistant — left the program to become the tight ends coach for the Detroit Lions.
Both of Landry’s parents were educators, and his dad coached high school football. He credits legendary former Grand Forks Central High School football coach Mike Berg for mentoring him and helping him form the foundation of his own coaching philosophy.
“We still text and email to this day,” said Landry, a former quarterback and captain at North Dakota. “He’s had a huge influence on me and not only as a coach, but as a person as a whole.”
So did that experience at Minnesota Duluth, where strong connections — and one accidental disconnect — has helped Landry rise through the ranks to the Power 4 level.
“I wouldn’t trade any of those opportunities that I’ve had,” Landry said. “It keeps you hungry. Keeps you with a chip on your shoulder. You want to go out and prove that you know what you’re doing, and you don’t forget those humble beginnings.”
