Iowa State Football Coach Comments on Depth, Opportunity for Players This Season

Every single player on the Iowa State Cyclones football team has a chance to play next season.

Over the last few days, all 16 members of the Big 12 conference have gathered to meet for media day. Throughout the event, the media gets the opportunity to speak to players, coaches, and even the commissioner regarding anything related to their program, or the conference as a whole.

Of course, Iowa State brought first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers to speak, as every school does. In addition, he brought five players: quarterback Jaylen Raynor, defensive end Issac Terrell, kicker Kyle Konrardy, running back Aiden Flora, and cornerback David Coffey.

Rogers made tons of intriguing statements throughout his time speaking with the media, but one specific quote showcases everything you need to know about Cyclone football this fall. He stated in an interview that “Right now there is no scout team. Everyone is fighting to earn a position.”

Iowa State shockingly doesn't currently have a scout team

Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers talks to media during Cyclone Tailgate Tour. — Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers talks to media during Cyclone Tailgate Tour at Curate on may 18, 2026, in Des Moines, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In football, a scout team is a group of players, typically walk-ons, who are essentially practice players and work to make the starters better. They will scout defensive schemes to help the star players become more comfortable with what they may face that weekend. But at Iowa State, that won’t be the case, at least for the time being.

This is crucial to the future of the program. There is no doubt that over the offseason, the Cyclones have done a poor job retaining talent, as they lost every single offensive and defensive starter. And while it’s obviously a negative, it could create hungry players knowing that every position is still open and provides them with the opportunity to work hard to get on the field.

The offseason is now less than two more months, meaning there isn’t too much time to make many changes, but there is still opportunity for every single player to get on the field come Sept. 5th and every week past that.

It’s going to be a different feeling from typical Iowa State football next season compared to the last few. They probably won’t get the same amount of wins, be as dominant in every game, or have the star players to carry them.

Instead, it’s going to be hard work, a blue-collar mentality, and embracing being the underdog that will help the Cyclones not only compete in games next season but come away with some iconic wins fueled by players we may have never expected.

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