Oct 11, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) prepares to pass in the second quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)
Well, it happened. Everyone expected to take a massive hit in the transfer portal upon the departure of Head Coach Matt Campbell, and that hit came to life, especially over the weekend.
Not to diminish any other transfers, but given there have already been plenty of them, four of the biggest names to test the waters were Rocco Becht, Jontez Williams, Jeremiah Cooper and Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman. Jimmy Rogers was never going to have the ability to come to Ames, retain every contributor and run it back in 2026. That’s simply now how modern college football works for better or for worse. What he will have to do, though, is answer some important roster questions.
In the wise words of Lewis Robsinson from hit movie “Meet the Robinsons,” Iowa State and its fans just have to keep moving forward. Players are going to continue to trickle out this offseason. Some players I mention in the following section will not be on the team a week from today. Campbell’s recruits did not care about the school’s history prior, and Rogers’ recruits are not going to care about the Campbell-era history. So, what else is there to do but keep moving forward.
Who is the quarterback?
The loss of Becht is obviously a gaping hole to fill, but there’s no sense of looking back on his accolades. Rogers and co. need to find the next great to run the offense.
There truly are a variety of options for where the Cyclones can go to run the offense next year. If Alex Manske and/or Connor Moberly return, both could be viable choices. They could, and probably will, look elsewhere to at the very least bring some competition into the room. With a new coaching staff, it would be difficult to bring in an experienced power five quarterback. The choice would likely come down to a power five career backup or a smaller conference standout.
I would not be surprised to see names like Old Dominion’s Colton Joseph or East Carolina’s Katin Houser linked to the Cyclones (I have zero sources for this information). Houser does have just one final year of eligibility remaining, so Rogers may look for someone that can bring multiple years of stability.
A player that has not transferred yet that would be an amazing player to help establish the culture in Rogers’ first year would be Caleb Bacon. Prior to leaving the Cyclones in the dust, Matt Campbell said Bacon planned to play one final year of college ball. As that dust settles, there is definitely a significant chance Bacon joins Campbell in Pennsylvania; however, having Bacon lead the defense out of the tunnel for one final season at Jack Trice Stadium would put a lot of people at ease. Bacon is a player that could see a huge individual benefit through a switch to the 4-3 defense from the 3-3-5. That change could even be enough to skyrocket his value in the eyes of NFL general managers. The NFL is looking for players that fit their system, and the 3-3-5 just is not a defense run in many places anymore, let alone the NFL, as successful as it was for the Cyclones over the years.
There is no telling what this roster is going to look like when the portal is all said and done. The holes are going to be seemingly impossible to fill, but they have to do it somehow. Some fans will give no time to Rogers and some fans will give too long of a leash. All that can be done now is wait and watch.
What a moment
There were no Sunday scaries for the Cyclone women. After the Kansas Jayhawks mounted a comeback to tie the game at 76 with five seconds to play, the Cyclones came out of a timeout, finding an open Kenzie Hare in the corner for a three at the buzzer.
It was just Hare’s second shot attempt of the game. That is what coaches talk about when they say stay ready because your number may be called in the big moment.
The shot will forever go down as one of Hilton’s most memorable, moving No. 10 Iowa State to 13-0 with a win in the Big 12 opener. Audi Crooks put on a show again. I know, what a shocker, but Crooks posted 41 points on 19-of-28 shooting.
Jada Williams had 11 points and 10 assists, Addy Brown had 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Arianna Jackson had a great day defensively to aid the efforts.
Iowa State shot an uncharacteristic 2-for-8 from deep, with one coming on the buzzer-beater. That is part of why getting the win can be mentally freeing in a way. The season is a long grind. Seeing that the team is capable of winning even on an off shooting day builds confidence.
The men also won, albeit in a much less entertaining fashion, delivering a 91-60 bludgeoning against Long Beach State to improve to 12-0.
Upon losing many great football players to the portal, the Hilton doubleheader was a great way to close the weekend. There is currently so much going right for Iowa State Athletics that when things do go awry it becomes easy to forget.
