Iowa State Cyclones Land Another Washington State Defender in Transfer Portal

Another former Washington State Cougars defender has followed Jimmy Rogers and Jesse Bobbit to the Iowa State Cyclones.

Sep 20, 2024; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars helmet sits during a game against the San Jose State Spartans in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | James Snook-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones and their fan base were going through it when Matt Campbell left for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was replaced by Jimmy Rogers.

Not only did they lose the winningest coach in program history, but players were entering the transfer portal at an alarming rate. More than 50 Cyclones entered their name and the number of players not returning is more than 60 when taking into account eligibility being exhausted.

To rub salt in the wound, a lot of the players who departed followed Campbell to Penn State. It certainly caused a lot of pain for the fan base, but now they are on the other side of the coin with Iowa State poaching players from Rogers’s former team.

Washington State Cougars players are now departing from Pullman and heading to Ames at a similar rate. A wave followed Rogers and defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit, who was the interim head coach during their bowl preparations, and the number of transfers keeps climbing.

Iowa State secures commitment from Bryson Lamb

Nov 9, 2024; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars defensive tackle Bryson Lamb (99) prays before a game against the Utah State Aggies at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | James Snook-Imagn Images

The most recent addition to the Cyclones is defensive lineman Bryson Lamb. He has one year of eligibility remaining and will be spending it playing for Rogers and Bobbit again at Iowa State.

This is a huge addition to the team’s defensive front, with Lamb becoming the highest-ranked former Washington State player to commit to the program so far. Over at Rivals, he was the No. 59-ranked defensive lineman and No. 644-ranked nationally.

Only defensive lineman Caden Crawford from the South Dakota Coyotes, offensive lineman Braden Smith of the Tarleton State Texans and wide receiver Omari Hayes of the Tulane Green Wave were ranked higher.

***FOOTBALL RECRUITING*** BREAKING: #IowaState lands veteran Washington State defensive lineman Bryson Lamb, who will head to Ames for his final season of college eligibility in 2026. #Cyclones have hit the trenches hard in the portal.https://t.co/sE9pCsrPUu pic.twitter.com/fA4t742GYx

— Bill Seals (@williamseals) January 8, 2026

Lamb played in 12 games this past season, recording 25 total tackles, 3.5 of which went for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. He added two passes defended and one fumble recovery. Over at PFF, he earned an overall defensive grade of 68.7, playing well as a run stopper, with a run defense grade of 68.8.

With Iowa State set to change from a 3-3-5 defensive alignment to a 4-2-5, an emphasis was put this cycle on the trenches. Rogers did a great job of retaining young talent from last year’s Cyclones roster and bringing in guys who know the system to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Lamb is the 11th former Cougar to commit to Iowa State. He is the third defensive lineman to go from Pullman to Ames, following Donovan Fitzmaurice and Max Baloun.