Iowa State Football’s Brutal Offseason Ranking Not Surprising

Iowa State Cyclones fans, look away from these Big 12 offseason rankings.

Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; The Iowa State Cyclones mascot poses for a photo during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

This past offseason was a roller coaster ride for the Iowa State Cyclones football program.

The epitome of stability for the last 10 years under head coach Matt Campbell, things were turned upside down on Dec. 5. That was when it was announced he was officially leaving for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

A few hours after that, the new head coach was announced: Jimmy Rogers, formerly of the Washington State Cougars. A program that had been steadily built up over the last decade was now undergoing a massive overhaul with a new leader.

It should come as no surprise that in the offseason rankings shared by Eli Lederman, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, including every power conference school in the country, Iowa State came in dead last in the Big 12.

Iowa State had tough football offseason

Apr 25, 2026; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell answers questions from the media following the Penn State Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

If they had ranked each program’s offseason, not just by conference, the Cyclones would be a virtual lock for the bottom 10. There isn’t a team in the power conferences that lost as many coaches and as much talent as Iowa State did.

When Campbell departed, a large portion of the coaching staff went along with him to Happy Valley. 

Defensive coordinator Jon Heacock, who retired, and wide receivers coach Noah Pauley are the most prominent who didn’t follow. Pauley did accept a job with the Nittany Lions, but was then hired by the Green Bay Packers.

More than 50 players entered the transfer portal, including 16 starters, which was the most in the country. 24 players ended up following Campbell to Penn State, which speaks volumes about how special things were that he built in Ames with so many people wanting to keep it going.

Jimmy Rogers has massive rebuild on his hands

Iowa State football head coach Jimmy Rogers talks to media during NFL football pro-day at Bergstrom Football Complex on March 24, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That left Rogers with a massive rebuilding project. He brought several coaches over with him from Washington State, including Jesse Bobbit, who was the interim head coach for their bowl game win and will be continuing as defensive coordinator under Rogers.

Several players from the Cougars made the move from Pullman to Ames, along with multiple players in the Class of 2026.

An undertaking of this size isn’t something Rogers is unfamiliar with doing. Washington State’s roster featured 75 newcomers last year, and he had them playing at a high level throughout the campaign, considering the circumstances.

The Cougars earned a bowl bid, defeated the Utah State Aggies in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and finished 7-6. That should give Cyclones fans some hope that Rogers can continue building upon the foundation that has been put in place by Campbell over the last 10 years.