Iowa State Cyclones Should Be Set for Years at Key Position Offensively

The Iowa State Cyclones are in great shape at a key position offensively heading into the future.

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The 2025 college football regular season is in the books for the Iowa State Cyclones. They will finish the campaign 8-4, earning an invite to a yet-to-be-determined bowl game for the third consecutive season.

This year was a roller coaster ride for the Cyclones, featuring a lot of ups and downs. Things started off well, winning the first five games of the season before going on a brutal four-game losing streak.

That took them out of the running for the Big 12 championship or spot in the College Football Playoff. But, instead of throwing the towel in on the campaign, the team finished strongly, winning three in a row to close things out.

A major reason for the ebbs and flows was the performance of star quarterback Rocco Becht. He has battled an injury in recent weeks that head coach Matt Campbell admitted would keep him from being 100 percent healthy on the field.

Rocco Becht struggled in 2025 but should return in 2026

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It certainly impacted his performance with career lows in yardage (2,584) and touchdowns (16) while tying his career high with nine interceptions and a single-season worst 2.7% interception rate.

Motivation should be high for him in 2026, entering his final year with the program. It will be interesting to see if schools come calling this offseason with offers to him, but Becht seems committed to Iowa State.

As long as he is committed to the program, it will make their need to find a quarterback in the transfer portal non-existent this offseason. 

Another reason they don’t need to find an experienced option transferring is that there is a clear contingency plan in place once Becht exhausts his eligibility.

Cyclones have long-term quarterback depth behind Becht

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Alex Manske, the backup quarterback in 2025, should be in the same role in 2026. A member of the Class of 2025, he only appeared in three regular season games, meaning the Cyclones will have the ability to redshirt him.

If that is the route taken, he will enter 2027 with three years of eligibility remaining after sitting, learning and developing behind Becht for two seasons.

It is the same approach the team took with Connor Moberly, a member of the Class of 2024. He was redshirted after his first year in Ames and will enter 2026 as a redshirt sophomore.

Iowa State also has a quarterback coming in the Class of 2026. Kase Evans, who was originally committed to the Oklahoma State Cowboys before Mike Gundy was fired, chose Ames after reopening his recruitment.

The key to their activity on the transfer portal will be Becht. As long as nothing changes in his plans and he is with the Cyclones in 2026, Matt Campbell and his staff will not be active on the quarterback market this offseason.