3 Iowa State Cyclones Players Earn Deserved Spots on All-Big 12 Third Team

The Iowa State Cyclones had multiple standout performers earn All-Big 12 Third Team honors this season.

Iowa State Cyclones' defensive back (31) runs with the ball after a interception against Kansas during the fourth quarter in the senior day on Nov. 22, 2025, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones had an up-and-down 2025 college football season. Things got started on a high note, winning their first five games of the season and being ranked in the AP Poll Top 25.

But they endured a brutal swoon in the middle of the campaign. A four-game losing streak occurred, ending any hope they had at competing for a Big 12 championship or spot in the College Football Playoff.

The Cyclones were able to regroup enough that they did finish the regular season on a high note. They won their last three games, finishing the year a very respectable 8-4 and earning a bid to a bowl game.

Which bowl and who their opponent will be is yet to be determined, but they know they will be participating in a postseason game for the eighth time under head coach Matt Campbell. Hopefully, he is still the team’s leader at that point, with rumors swirling that the Penn State Nittany Lions are turning their attention to him.

Losing Campbell would be a huge blow to a program that has seen incredible growth under him. He has done a wonderful job turning Iowa State into a perennial winner, accomplishing that by finding and developing some incredibly talented players.

Iowa State has three players named to All-Big 12 Third Team

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It is a testament to the job the coaching staff does and the players for buying in that the Cyclones have three players who were named to the All-Big 12 Third Team this year.

Right tackle Tyler Miller was named to the offensive line, while defensive tackle Domonique Orange was selected for the defensive line. Safety Marcus Neal Jr. was also selected after a huge season in the secondary.

All-Big 12 3rd Team @Big12Conference

⭐️@TylerJmiller23
⭐️@marcusneal0705
⭐️@OrangeDomonique pic.twitter.com/DAIWfLgXI8

— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) December 4, 2025

A redshirt senior, Miller has been a stalwart in the trenches for Iowa State. He has started 50 consecutive games and earned a spot on the Third Team.

Orange may not have eye-popping stats, but his presence is felt on the interior of the defensive line. A mountain of a human being at 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds, he is virtually impossible for opposing offensive linemen to move when he anchors down.

Regarded as the best nose tackle in the 2026 NFL Draft Class, he has a bright future ahead of him as a professional. Earning the All-Big 12 honor is just his latest feather in the cap.

Marcus Neal Jr. helped keep defense afloat battling injuries

INPHO via Imagn Images

A true sophomore, Neal has a breakout campaign at the backend of the Cyclones' defense. He tied for the team lead with 77 combined tackles, leading the squad with 11 tackles for loss. One sack, two interceptions, three passes defended, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble rounded out his stat line.

Given how many injuries the secondary endured in 2025, his production was much-needed to help keep the unit afloat.

This trio wasn’t the only players who were recognized for their performance in 2025. Iowa State had three more players, running back Carson Hansen, tight end Benjamin Brahmer and special teams ace Aiden Flora, named to the Second Team.

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