Iowa State spring football preview: Breaking down the wide receiver position

While the quarterback and running back spots at Iowa State are solid, there is a skill position on offense that needs help. The Cyclones lost top wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, with both expected to go in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Over the years, Iowa State has done a solid job under head coach Matt Campbell of finding the right players to hold down those positions on the outside and inside at receiver. That falls to the likes of transfers Chase Sowell and Xavier Townsend.

Sowell comes to Ames from East Carolina while Townsend played for Big 12 foe UCF last season. Both are redshirt juniors with Sowell providing size at 6-foot-4 and Townsend speed to burn defenses.

Eli Green, Isaiah Alston and Daniel Jackson are all seniors, as juniors Carson Brown and Tyler Claiborne join them. Sophomores Brett Eskildsen, Kai Black, Michael Parkes, Wyatt Archer and Jonathan Vande Walle are joined by freshmen Dominic Overby, Carson Robbins, Sam Zelenovich and Dyllan Malone.

Both Zelenovich and Malone are true freshmen with good size as well.

Brown is the most experienced, as he caught 11 passes for 141 yards with a touchdown last year. Alston had two catches for 52 yards and Eskildsen caught two for 17.

Sowell was a key weapon for East Carolina, hauling in 34 passes last year and 47 the season before. He surpassed 600 yards both seasons with four total touchdowns. Townsend, meanwhile, had 33 receptions for 325 yards and three TDs in 2023 but caught just 10 for 69 last year with a score.

Jackson could be the wild card in all of this, as he returns following a serious injury. In 2023, he caught 16 passes for 260 yards and two scores, averaging over 16 per catch. He first was hurt in high school when he was involved in a major car accident, suffering a lower leg injury last year that kept him off the field.

With Sowell, Townsend and a healthy Jackson, Becht should have some experienced receivers to work with as the new guys come along.

More Iowa State football spring coverage

* Iowa State spring football preview: Breaking down the quarterback position

* Iowa State spring football preview: Breaking down the running back position