Iowa State Football's Breakout Player Wasn't Who People Expected

The Iowa State Cyclones were able to handle business in Week 1 against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks despite some inclement weather that led to kickoff being delayed by half an hour.

Despite that, the Cyclones gave head coach Jimmy Rogers a victory in his debut, 38-10. While it wasn’t a perfect performance, as the team has plenty of things to clean up during practice this week, there were a lot of positives to take away.

Isaac Terrell, regarded by many as the best player on the team, recorded three sacks to announce his presence in the Big 12. Jaylen Raynor wasn’t overly efficient throwing the ball, but did record four touchdowns in his debut.

Alas, those are two players that fans were expecting to show up as experienced leaders on the team. A player who people likely weren’t expecting to be a breakout performer was wide receiver Dominic Overby.

Dominic Overby had big game against Southeast Missouri State

Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Dominic Overby (11) celebrates after catching a pass. — Sep 5, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Dominic Overby (11) celebrates after catching a pass while defended by Southeast Missouri State Redhawks safety Jayden Smitherman (26) at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the few holdovers from the 2025 roster under former head coach Matt Campbell, Overby wasn’t listed as a starter on the first official depth chart the team released despite there being three wide receiver positions.

Evan Boyd was the WRX starter with Carter Pabst behind him. The No. 1 WRF was Omari Hayes, with Ty Claiborne as the No. 2. At the WRZ position, it was Cody Jackson with the top billing, and Overby was behind him on the depth chart.

Yet, it was the redshirt sophomore holdover who was making the biggest impact in the passing game. He tied for the team lead with two receptions, as Iowa State quarterbacks completed only nine passes all afternoon against Southeast Missouri State, and had a game-high 85 receiving yards.

Both of his receptions went for 40+ yards, providing a big-play element to an offense that is looking to be physical and grind things out behind the run game in a pro-style system.

📺 Game One Highlights pic.twitter.com/ZFMBYBLmUv
— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) September 6, 2026

His second reception was originally ruled a 73-yard touchdown, but he stepped out of bounds at the Redhawks’ 33-yard line to bring the offense back out on the field. The Cyclones would eventually get into the end zone when Raynor ran in for a seven-yard score to go up 38-10.

Overby’s emergence is one to certainly keep an eye on. He has had a knack for creating big plays, and at 6-foot-5, he is the team’s best vertical threat to win jump balls or contested targets downfield.

It was only one game, but catching multiple passes while the player ahead of him on the depth chart didn’t have one is something that will raise some eyebrows. Jackson was certainly brought in to play a significant role in the offense, but Overby looks like he is going to be involved as well.

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