Sam LaPorta Forced To Wear Iowa State Cyclones Shirt After Cy-Hawk Game

Who made Sam LaPorta have to wear an Iowa State Cyclones shirt?

Nov 9, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Iowa State Cyclones helmets on the bench during the first quarter against the Kansas Jayhawks at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

With the Cy-Hawk rivalry being one of the best in college football, there is certainly a lot of buzz surrounding the matchup. In Week 2 of this year, the Iowa State Cyclones were able to defeat their rival by a score of 16-13. 

As expected, it was a tough defensive matchup that came down to the wire. Fortunately, the Cyclones were able to come out with the victory against the Iowa Hawkeyes. This was an early signature win for the program, and they were able to survive a little bit of a scare the following week against the Arkansas State Red Wolves. 

With this being such a fun rivalry, there was a friendly wager among some members of the Detroit Lions. The Lions hired Cyclones' coach Tyler Roehl to be their tight end coach, and one of the top players at the position in the NFL was a graduate of the Hawkeyes. 

Sam LaPorta Loses a Bet

Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Before a big Week 2 matchup in the NFL between the Lions and the Chicago Bears, the star tight end of the Lions can be seen rocking an Iowa State long-sleeve coming into the stadium. LaPorta and Roehl had a friendly wager on the game between the two schools, and the Cyclones’ win resulted in the talented tight end having to wear his college rival’s colors. 

LaPorta was a fantastic tight end for the Hawkeyes in his four seasons with the program. Overall, he totaled 153 receptions, 1,786 receiving yards, but shockingly, only five receiving touchdowns. The talented tight end has become one of the best in the NFL at his position, and the Cyclones are certainly happy that he is playing on Sundays instead of Saturdays these days. However, in a potential alternative universe, LaPorta would have looked good in the Iowa State colors. 

While the Cyclones are on a two-game winning streak now against Iowa, it has been the Hawkeyes who have dominated the rivalry with a 47-25 record. However, head coach Matt Campbell is starting to turn this program around, and there is reason to believe that they could be a Big 12 and CFP contender for years to come on the path that they are on. 

Building a program into a yearly contender doesn’t happen overnight, but having a coach in Campbell could help result in the Cyclones helping former alums and coaches have some bragging rights against former Hawkeyes like LaPorta for years to come.