Iowa State Make Intriguing Addition to Jimmy Rogers' Staff at Quarterbacks Coach

The Iowa State Cyclones continue to fill out the coaching staff under Jimmy Rogers, landing a new quarterbacks coach.

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

Slowly but surely, the football staff under new head coach Jimmy Rogers is coming together for the Iowa State Cyclones.

It took some time for the program to get back on its feet following the announcement of Matt Campbell leaving for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Rogers was hired away from the Washington State Cougars hours later, but it took a little bit of time for the staff to start filling in under him.

It doesn’t look like many coaches will be retained from Campbell’s staff. A lot of them are heading to Penn State along with him, while others are in line for opportunities elsewhere, such as defensive backs coach Hank Poteat.

As a result, Rogers and the school have been working hard to fill in the staff under him. On the offensive side of the ball, some intriguing coaches are being brought aboard.

Iowa State hiring Keith Heckendorf as quarterbacks coach

Oct 7, 2021; Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas State Red Wolves Helmet at Centennial Bank Stadium. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The most recent hire for the program is Keith Heckendorf. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Arkansas State Red Wolves offensive coordinator is being hired by the Cyclones to become their new quarterbacks coach.

He has been the quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator for the Red Wolves since 2019. This will be his second chance at being on the staff at a Power Conference program, as he was the quarterbacks coach with the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2014-2018.

During that time with the Tar Heels, Heckendorf worked closely with Mitchell Trubisky. He helped his star pupil elevate his game to the point that he was selected No. 2 overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Heckendorf was viewed highly enough by Butch Jones, who has been the head coach at Arkansas State since the 2021 campaign, that he was held over from the previous staff of coach Blake Anderson.

Sources: Iowa State is expected to hire Arkansas State OC Keith Heckendorf as the school's new quarterbacks coach. He's been the OC/quarterbacks coach at Arkansas State since 2019. He was the UNC QB coach from 2014-18.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 26, 2025

He did excellent work with Layne Hatcher and Logan Bonner early in his Red Wolves tenure. The team wasn’t great with James Blackmon leading the offense, but Heckendorf got the most out of his signal caller in 2022.

Since that point, he has been working with Jaylen Raynor, a talented dual-threat quarterback who, coincidentally, has entered the transfer portal. 

A lot of people will start connecting the dots that Raynor should be in play for Iowa State, especially with their starting quarterback the last three seasons, Rocco Becht, entering the transfer portal himself.

Arkansas State consistently had one of the most prolific offenses in the nation under Heckendorf. That should excite Cyclones fans about what could come in the future, along with Tyler Roehl being named offensive coordinator.