Dec 28, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones running back Carson Hansen (26) scores a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the Pop Tarts bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
AMES — Consider Iowa State running back Carson Hansen to be a modern-day stoic.
The junior from Lakeville, Minn., eschews exuberance and irritation both — opting to adopt an even-keel approach to any situation.
Almost any situation, that is. Hansen’s numerous jaunts into the end zone serve as an exception to that emotion-suppressing rule.
“I don’t know,” said Hansen, who rushed for a team-best 13 touchdowns last season. “It’s kind of just one of those things where you’ve put in all this work. So you’ve kind of gotta show emotion because it’s like, ‘Man, this is a great reward.’”
Hansen battled persistent injuries last season but still scored multiple touchdowns in five games. The versatile 6-2, 220-pound tailback totaled three touchdowns — two rushing, one receiving — in the Cyclones’ 42-41 Pop-Tarts Bowl win over Miami to help his team cap an historic 11-win season. Now he’s fully healthy and aiming for more consistency in a well-stocked room that includes flashy and powerful fellow junior Abu Sama and upstart redshirt freshman Dylan Lee, among others.
“(It’s) a very competitive group,” said ISU’s first-year running backs coach Jake Landry, who served as North Dakota State’s offensive coordinator last season. “They’re fun to be around. They know when to enjoy being around one another in a meeting, but they also know when to lock in.”
Hansen and Sama proved to be a potent tandem for the Cyclones last season, as both produced big plays in both the running game and the passing game. Hansen led ISU with 752 yards on the ground on 151 carries. Sama rushed for 587 yards on 122 carries — and notched a 100-yard game in a 20-0 win over Houston.
“Carson and Abu have played a lot of football and I’m excited to continue to work with those guys,” said Landry, who will guide a unit that averaged 160.5 rushing yards per game last season — its best output since Breece Hall led the Cyclones’ backs in 2021. “Just to see their leadership within the room continue to grow and their overall knowledge, I think it’s something we’re harping on right now this spring.”
But back to the consistency piece. Hansen, when healthy, settled into a groove in that all-important area at times in 2024, but Sama’s still working on establishing a similar rhythm.
“I feel a lot better than I did last year,” said Sama, who burst onto the scene as a freshman with a 276-yard three-touchdown rushing performance in a snow-strewn win at Kansas State. “With my body and just getting deeper into football, and my IQ and stuff like that, so I can’t wait for the season.”
Neither can Hansen, who continues to perfect his craft in terms of following the best blocks and making the right reads at the line of scrimmage.
“Knowing where the free defender is al the time, the free hitter, is (important),” said Hansen, who caught a pair of touchdown passes last season, as well. “Understanding the game a little bit more, understanding what everyone else is doing, that’s kind of been the big process for me this offseason. Just getting to know the big picture and what everyone’s doing and how to set people up.”
Last season’s reps helped establish that knowledge base. Now Hansen’s building on it, processing those “big picture” elements rapidly and routinely.
“You’re gonna be put in a lot of situations, so you’ve gotta know a lot of different situations,” he said. “So if we prepare for that in the offseason we’ll be in a good spot.”
That’s exactly where the Cyclones’ running backs room seems to be as spring practice winds down and strength- and speed-building summer workouts beckon. ISU rushed for 27 touchdowns last season — the second-highest total in head coach Matt Campbell’s nine-plus season tenure. Hansen nearly achieved half that total by himself, and is eager to produce more celebration-worthy moments in 2025.
“It’s (nice) to be able to show what you’ve put in — put the work in — and you can see it come to fruition,” Hansen said.
