Iowa State Secure Commitment From Auburn Product To Bolster Offensive Line

The Iowa State Cyclones have landed another player in the transfer portal, this one from the Auburn Tigers.

Jan 1, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Auburn Tigers helmet during the second half in the 2015 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Auburn Tigers 34-31 in overtime. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Iowa State Cyclones new head football coach Jimmy Rogers knows that if his team is going to find success right away, they need to be secure in the trenches.

An emphasis was placed on retaining as much defensive line talent as possible when he took over the program. It was a win when Jace Gilbert, Jack Limbaugh, Trey Verdon and Vontroy Malone all remained committed to Iowa State even with Matt Campbell heading to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

On the other side of the ball, however, nowhere near as many building blocks were in place. Austin Barrett is the only upperclassman who is coming back to a group that will not return a single player in the top six of snaps played in 2025.

That is what has made it imperative that Rogers and his staff get to work on the transfer portal, bringing in some players with experience to help immediately and upside to help long-term. They have certainly accomplished that goal, adding players in the transfer portal and to their Class of 2026.

Iowa State secures commitment from Auburn's DeAndre Carter

Sep 23, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; A detailed view of an Auburn Tigers helmet on the sideline of the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The most recent addition to the Cyclones' depth chart is DeAndre Carter. The former Auburn Tigers interior offensive lineman has committed to Iowa State after making a visit during the first weekend the transfer portal was open.

Iowa State had the inside track to securing a commitment from Carter because of the presence of Jake Thornton. He was Carter’s positional coach with Auburn, and Thornton was hired as part of Rogers’s first staff in Ames as the offensive line coach.

The opportunity is certainly there for Carter to receive more playing time right out of the gate with the Cyclones than he did previously with the Tigers. He was on the field for only 65 snaps in his first two years in college.

Most of his work came on special teams, but there was promise shown as a pass protector. The sample size is very small, but Carter did receive an impressive 79.3 grade on pass blocking plays.

***FOOTBALL RECRUITING*** #IowaState landed a commitment from former Auburn offensive lineman DeAndre Carter out of the transfer portal on Monday morning, as big man is following position coach Jake Thornton in Ames.

➡️https://t.co/7Ru8B0FfR0#Cyclones #CyclONEnation pic.twitter.com/REVG8QzFK2

— Bill Seals (@williamseals) January 5, 2026

Carter is the third player that Rogers has secured a commitment from along the offensive line in the transfer portal, and the first from a Power Conference school. He is also the first interior offensive lineman to commit to Iowa State.

Maasai King, formerly of the Akron Zips, is a tackle with two years of eligibility remaining. He appeared in 11 games for the Zips this past fall and had a visit scheduled with the Oklahoma Sooners before committing to the Cyclones.

Gavin Proudfoot is the other offensive lineman coming aboard. The former Northern Iowa Panthers standout is also a tackle and has one year of eligibility left. He comes to Ames with one year of starting experience under his belt.