Iowa State Lands Much-Needed Experienced Holy Cross Defender in Transfer Portal

The Iowa State Cyclones have added another recruit, this time from the Holy Cross Crusaders.

Jimmy Rogers speaks during his introductory press conference as Iowa State’s new head football coach on Dec. 8, 2025, at Iowa State University in Ames, IA. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa State Cyclones head coach Jimmy Rogers knew that he had his work cut out for him in his first offseason at the helm of the football program.

There is a lot of pressure to build upon the great work that Matt Campbell did over the last 10 years. Alas, he will be doing it, at least in Year 1, with virtually an entirely new roster because of the staggering number of departing players.

Over 50 Cyclones entered the transfer portal after Campbell accepted the head coaching position with the Penn State Nittany Lions. 16 of those players and counting have committed to follow him.

When you take into account the number of players who exhausted eligibility or have declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, the number of departures is closer to 60+. That is a lot of talent to replace in one offseason, but it isn’t something Rogers hasn’t done before.

Iowa State lands Brice Stevenson from Holy Cross in transfer portal

An Iowa State Cyclones football helmet is seen during a news conference for the Cheez-It Bowl, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

With the Washington State Cougars, he had 75 newcomers in 2025 and led the team to bowl eligibility. Iowa State fans are certainly hoping for such a turnaround, and it could come if he continues having success adding players from the transfer portal.

The latest addition comes on the defensive side of the ball in the trenches. Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports shared that Brice Stevenson, formerly of the Holy Cross Crusaders, has committed to the Cyclones.

His agency, The Business of Athletes, told Zenitz, Chris Hummer and Cody Nagel the news. Their client will have one year of eligibility remaining.

A three-year starter with Holy Cross, Stevenson will bring some much-needed experience to the defensive line. Vontroy Malone and Zaimir Hawk are the only upperclassmen returning along the defensive line.

Iowa has landed a commitment from Holy Cross defensive line transfer Brice Stevenson, his agency @thebizofathlete tells me, @chris_hummer and @CodyNagel247.

Was a three-year starter at Holy Cross and has 84 career tackles. pic.twitter.com/D8Ui3FzM7U

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 5, 2026

Jace J. Gilbert and Hawk are the only two players coming back who logged triple-digit snaps defensively in 2025. Stevenson has played 1,335 snaps in his career with the Crusaders and improved each year.

This past season, he recorded an overall PFF grade of 69.4. He excelled as a run defender, with a run defense grade of 75.8. Along with Hawk, he will be tasked with replacing Dominique Orange on the interior of the defensive line as a run stuffer and space eater.

With Rogers and defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit changing from a 3-3-5 formation to 4-2-5, there will be an emphasis on bolstering the defensive line depth. Stevenson will certainly help in that regard, coming off a 2025 season in which he had 41 total tackles, 16 stops and seven combined pressures.