Iowa State's Depth Being Decimated With More Players Entering Transfer Portal

The hits keep coming for the Iowa State Cyclones, who have lost multiple more players to the transfer portal.

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

The Iowa State Cyclones knew that there would be some major fallout with Matt Campbell heading to the Penn State Nittany Lions and being replaced by Jimmy Rogers, formerly of the Washington State Cougars.

They were prepared for members in the Class of 2026 to decommit from the program and reopen their recruitment. The same goes for players who were on the roster in 2025, evaluating their futures.

Iowa State knew players would follow Campbell to Penn State. Recruits have already done that, and when the transfer portal opens officially on Jan. 2, expect players who have played under him to do the same.

However, even the most pessimistic of people could not have predicted what would be coming on the horizon. The Cyclones have now lost 32 players to the transfer portal.

Iowa State loses three more player to transfer portal

Iowa State linebacker John Klosterman (22) brings down an Iowa ball-carrier during the Cy-Hawk game at Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 7, 2024, in Iowa City. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Triobune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That is a staggering number of players. Rogers and his staff have experience working with virtually entirely new rosters, making things work with 75 new players on the Washington State roster this past season.

Stars, key contributors and depth pieces alike have opted to explore other options. Most recently, some members of the Class of 2025 who didn’t contribute a ton to Iowa State this past fall announced they would be departing.

Defensive end Charlie Woleben, a three-star recruit from De Soto School in De Soto, Kansas, shared that he would be leaving the program. He didn’t play a single snap in 2025 as a freshman and will have four years of eligibility remaining after a redshirt campaign.

I intend to enter the transfer portal with 4 years of eligibility remaining.

I am disappointed a chapter has closed, but I am motivated to write the next one. Thanks to everyone with Cyclone Football for a great year. #TransferPortal

— Charlie Woleben (@CharlieWoleben) December 26, 2025

Linebacker John Klosterman is doing the same. A walk-on who earned a role on special teams, he has appeared in 24 games across three seasons with the Cyclones.

Injuries have hampered him over the last two campaigns, leading to only seven appearances in 2025. He did record five tackles during his time on the field. An Iowa City, Iowa native, it will be interesting to see if he returns to the team after seeing how things shake out on the transfer portal.

Last but not least is former three-star offensive lineman Vaea Ikakoula. A top 1000 recruit in the Class of 2025, he appeared in the maximum allowed four games without burning a redshirt this past fall.

Thank Cyclone Nation 💛❤️ @coachsolovi pic.twitter.com/bxy64m3Ulr

— Vaea Ikakoula (@VIkakoula) December 24, 2025

Recruited as an interior offensive lineman, he was on the field for 45 snaps, showcasing some versatility as a tackle-eligible lineman and fullback.

Rogers is coming to a program where the cupboard is going to essentially be bare. But he has started rebuilding things already, with some Cougars commits flipping to Iowa State recently.

That is a big help in building up the foundation, while more additions are expected once the transfer portal opens next week.