***2026 Iowa State Football Season Thread***
- Thread starter BigJCy
- Start date
I decided to buy tickets once I did some analysis of the team. I like Raynor for our QB, I think he can do well here. Like that his coach came with him. Flora we know has speed and Pettaway looks pretty powerful at RB. We brought in a lot of potential at OL.
What really sold me was looking at who stayed. Zaimir Hawke, Konrardy, Carson Willich, Drew Surges, Rylan Barnes, Austin Barrett. We know those guys all have good potential. Then I look at the High School ratings of some of the other guys who stayed. We have 4 guys rated at 89 (Stecker, Overby, Coffey and Gilbert). 4 guys rated at 88 (Limbaugh, Moore, Holt, Ngoyi) Peppers was an 87. Goodwin, Moberly and Verdon were all rated at 86.
So yeah, all of our older stars left, but I think some pretty talented younger guys stayed here. And our portal transfers coming in, many had a lot of prior playing experience. I really like our coaching staff and think they can help these guys improve. I guess I'm wearing the Cardinal and Gold glasses, and really we just don't know what will happen. But I feel certainly more hopeful after looking more closely at what we've got.
What really sold me was looking at who stayed. Zaimir Hawke, Konrardy, Carson Willich, Drew Surges, Rylan Barnes, Austin Barrett. We know those guys all have good potential. Then I look at the High School ratings of some of the other guys who stayed. We have 4 guys rated at 89 (Stecker, Overby, Coffey and Gilbert). 4 guys rated at 88 (Limbaugh, Moore, Holt, Ngoyi) Peppers was an 87. Goodwin, Moberly and Verdon were all rated at 86.
So yeah, all of our older stars left, but I think some pretty talented younger guys stayed here. And our portal transfers coming in, many had a lot of prior playing experience. I really like our coaching staff and think they can help these guys improve. I guess I'm wearing the Cardinal and Gold glasses, and really we just don't know what will happen. But I feel certainly more hopeful after looking more closely at what we've got.
I love ISU when we have a stout defense and looking at what JFR did at Wazzu with similar talent, I think we will have that. I would be just fine with a bunch of 21-17 games this year that we have a chance to win in the last 6 minutes. Now if we can just get to 17 pts - gotta think between Konrardy and Flora on special teams we have 6-10 pts right there per game.
I am still working on it but I am getting there.
Perhaps, it is unbridled optimism. I sense that Coach Jimmy Rogers had an opportunity, unknowingly or not, to test run a rapid turnover and portal heavy team last year in Wazzou, with some decent success. It would be hard to believe he didn't learn a few lessons and won't improve on that model this season with greater resources and what seems to be a very solid, hard-nosed staff. There should be no surprise if we win 7 games this fall, with an unexpected upset or two.
This is not the same ISU that CMC took over after CPR.
Love him or hate him, MC built this program to where it is, and it is extremely healthy. Not necessarily from an NIL and financial standpoint, but this isnt your parents ISU football team.
JFR has already proved he can recruit well, and he built a 6-6 roster with 2 mil, in freaking Pullman, Washington.
Ames, IA seems like a dream destination compared to that, and he had an extra $12 mil to build a roster.
I have a tendency to be over-optimistic here, so take that with a grain of salt, but if we beat TOE this year(spoiler alert, i think we will) 8-4 would not surprise me
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Listen, I admire your optimism. Really. But, Rogers is started at almost ZERO. Even if he did unbelievably well in the portal, there is no gel in the team; and can't be, yet. The wheels will have to fall off on many of our opponents if we get to 7 wins. 5, maybe 6, wins is a hard ceiling as I see it. And really, I wouldn't hold it against Rogers if we only get 3 or 4 wins.
I do think the defense should be pretty solid, but my word are our LBs tiny. I know that’s how they are in Rogers’ defense, but wow. Is everyone feeling okay about the LB position? They better be REALLY fast if they are this small. Help me off the ledge!
I think that's exactly the strategy. They're hunting coverage LBs with enough speed to pass rush if called on to do so, it kind of looked like in the spring game that they liked running some LB blitzes. I wouldn't expect them to be the best tacklers on the field nor run stuffers (but that's mitigated by going to 4-man DL also).
As for the talent level at the LB spot, no idea. Ask again in October or so.
We're playing 2 LB and 4 DL instead of 3 LB and 3 DL. Starters are likely Willich (who I think was our best LB when healthy) and Schlimgen. Both are over 220lbs.
We've got some guys listed as LB, but they're basically the 5th defensive back like we had under Campbell.
Sup y'all.
My godfather is coming down to the Arizona game, I was wondering, do you know if ISU has access to handicap parking/ accessible seating? or would it be easier if we went through the U of A ticketing office?
My godfather is coming down to the Arizona game, I was wondering, do you know if ISU has access to handicap parking/ accessible seating? or would it be easier if we went through the U of A ticketing office?
If I'm reading the new eligibility rule right Awls' career is done.
Edit* read the year wrong. Awls will get another year
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/73...1.sVA.knZs.-mUbJo4yHLfs&smid=ta-android-share
Edit* read the year wrong. Awls will get another year
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/73...1.sVA.knZs.-mUbJo4yHLfs&smid=ta-android-share
ISU has handicapped parking on a first come first serve status, close to the stadium. If you have a valid handicap sticker you can park in those and either pay in cash or prepurchase one of the GA parking passes and then have them scan that to park in the handicap lot. They start in S-1, and when that is full they start sliding you over to S-2, and then general over to S-5 and S-6. Other than S-1, the lots are all pre sold so they only have a number of spots to park handicap parking after S-1 is full.
For seating you will be at the top of the lower bowl and are allowed one person sitting next to them in a folding chair if necessary. You will want to enter the stadium on the South side and then use the ramp to get up to the top of the first level.
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Awww...come on man! Where's your optimism? Actually, my head is with you, even though my heart is with the others on this thread.
Rogers had to bring in 81 new players this season. Seriously, 81. That is nuts. I'm thinking anything beyond 3 wins is gravy. I'm hoping we can somehow get to 6 and be bowl eligible, but I'm certainly not expecting it. To expect it would be incredibly unfair.
I'm excited for the season. Some of that is that we don't have the expectations that we've had recently. The past few years, it seemed like every game had so much riding on it and if we lost, my whole week was ruined.
I think that the defense will keep us in a lot of games. It will be nice to see we don't need a first round draft pick at DE to get any kind of pass rush. I also think that the 3-3-5 had kind of run its course. That ASU game where they just ran QB power over and over was it for me. As much as I loved Heacock, it was time to try something different. DL should be solid. LBs are decent IF Willich can stay healthy. It sucks losing Awls at S. I did think that Surges was playing well at the end of last year. Coffee definitely was at CB.
Offense is a question mark for me. I do think that they have decent bodies on the OL. QB is fine. I don't quite trust the WRs yet unless Overby makes a huge step. I like Flora and Pettaway at RB, but both are small. Peppers getting healthy would make me feel a lot better. TE I expect to be blockers more than we had, but that's pretty much a complete unknown.
I think that we're in for a lot of low scoring games. Lots of running the ball and then QB scrambles to pick up first downs. Once we get past the 50, it's more than likely Konrardy time. Good defense, elite special teams, opportunistic offense. That can get us to 6-6.
I sat thru Walden’s and Criner’s teams, I’m a man and I can take it!
