Iowa State Cyclones Wide Receiver Entering Transfer Portal, Further Diminishing Depth

The Iowa State Cyclones have lost yet another wide receiver from their roster to the transfer portal.

Daniel Jackson stands for a photo during Iowa State Football media day at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. | Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Iowa State Cyclones have suffered a considerable amount of loss from their roster and Class of 2026 since Matt Campbell announced he was accepting the head coaching job with the Penn State Nittany Lions, and has been replaced by Jimmy Rogers.

The new staff has its work cut out to fill several holes on the roster. There are players who are going onto the next phase of their football careers, embarking on the NFL draft process. Others have entered the transfer portal, seeking new opportunities after the coaching change.

Finding a replacement for quarterback Rocco Becht is certainly the No. 1 priority for Rogers. Convincing backup Alex Manske to remain with the program would be a great place to start. If not, the team will have to find an answer on the transfer portal.

A lot of depth has been lost in the defensive secondary, where Quentin Taylor Jr., Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman, Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper have all announced their intention to enter the transfer portal.

Daniel Jackson announces he is entering transfer portal

Daniel Jackson stands for a photo during Iowa State Football media day at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. | Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

The only position that might be in dire need of depth is wide receiver. Another player from the positional group, Daniel Jackson, took to social media to announce that he is entering the portal as well.

He shared his decision on X, formerly Twitter, thanking his coaches, teammates and the fans for everything they have provided him during his tenure with the program. Despite being a member of the Class of 2020, he still has one year of eligibility remaining and will be using it at another school.

Thank you🌪️ pic.twitter.com/qBLaJIXHKT

— DJack (@xdanieljackson) December 21, 2025

A three-star recruit coming out of high school, his collegiate career has been derailed by COVID-19 and injuries. During his six years in Ames, Jackson appeared in only 32 games.

He played in only four games as a true freshman in 2020, remaining redshirt eligible. Now a redshirt senior, he missed the entire 2024 campaign. The extra year COVID-19 collegiate athletes were given, along with the extra year because of injury, is why Jackson is eligible for a seventh season.

The most productive year in his career to this point was 2023. He caught 16 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns, finally starting to realize some of the potential he had coming out of high school.

That season, he tied for the fourth most receptions on the team and had the fourth most yards.

Jackson is already the third wide receiver from the roster to enter the transfer portal, joining freshmen Karon Brookins and Zay Robinson. Two pass catchers in the Class of 2026, Kash Brock and Amarion Jackson, decommitted after the coaching change, too.

The Cyclones did start the process of refilling that depth. The first commit in the Rogers era was ATH Malcolm Watkins, who is expected to play wide receiver.