Iowa State Cyclones Have No Competition for Key Position at Spring Practice

The Iowa State Cyclones football program underwent some massive changes during the offseason.

After 10 years as head coach, Matt Campbell has moved on, accepting the job with the Penn State Nittany Lions. He is being replaced by Jimmy Rogers, formerly of the Washington State Cougars, who has a ton of work to do with the roster.

More than 50 players entered the transfer portal, leaving very few holdovers from the 2025 roster. There wasn’t a team in the country that lost as many starters from last season to the portal as the Cyclones.

Amongst the starters who departed was quarterback Rocco Becht. He followed Campbell to Happy Valley and will spend his final year in college with the Nittany Lions. Replacing him will be Jaylen Raynor, who looks like the clear-cut starter heading into spring practice in Ames.

Iowa State set at quarterback entering spring practice

Arkansas State Red Wolves quarterback Jaylen Raynor running with ball — Sep 6, 2025; Little Rock, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas State Red Wolves quarterback Jaylen Raynor (1) rushes during the first quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Over at On3, Andy Staples examined all the quarterback situations for Power Four programs in the country. Raynor landed under the “Grabbed a QB1 in the portal” titled tier, and with good reason.

NIL funds aren’t plentiful for Iowa State. It is one obstacle they have to overcome compared to some of their Big 12 peers, so the fact that they dipped into the portal to find a replacement for Becht and came away with Raynor almost certainly means he will be the starter.

His competition on the depth chart currently is holdover Connor Moberly, Oklahoma State Cowboys transfer Zane Flores and Wyatt Bohm.

Heading into spring practice, there may not be many other quarterbacks in the country who are as secure as a team’s starter as Raynor. He is on the same page with Rogers when it comes to goals in 2026, with both intending to compete and win games.

Jaylen Raynor has tools to succeed right away with Cyclones

Arkansas State Red Wolves quarterback Jaylen Raynor warming up. — Arkansas State Red Wolves quarterback Jaylen Raynor (1) warms up before Arkansas State Red Wolves take on the Northern Illinois Huskies during the Camellia Bowl at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

His transition to the Cyclones from the Arkansas State Red Wolves will also be made easier by the presence of quarterbacks coach Keith Heckendorf. He was the offensive coordinator for Raynor at Arkansas State, where he has 36 games of starting experience.

A true dual-threat, the talented senior has thrown for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns thus far in his career. He is incredibly accurate, completing 62.9% of his passes while leading the Sun Belt in passing attempts the last two years (420 in 2024 and 501 in 2025) and completions in 2025 with 333.

On the ground, he has added 1,183 yards and 15 more scores.

A dynamic playmaker, Raynor will be working with an entirely new supporting cast that will be acclimating themselves to Ames as well. Wide receiver Dominic Overby, who caught seven passes for 87 yards, is the leading returning pass catcher after finishing in a tie for eighth on the team in receptions and ninth in yards.