Jimmy Rogers Reveals Future Roster Building Plans for Iowa State Cyclones

How does Jimmy Rogers want to build up the Iowa State Cyclones roster in the future?

Nov 1, 2025; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach Jimmy Rogers during a time out in the 4th quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for new Iowa State Cyclones head football coach Jimmy Rogers.

He has worked tirelessly to restock a roster that saw more attrition than any in the country this offseason outside of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. More than 50 players entered the transfer portal after Matt Campbell left for the Penn State Nittany Lions, 16 of whom were starters from the team in 2025.

That left a massive void on the roster in terms of not only impactful talent but overall depth. Competition is going to be fierce this offseason because virtually every role is up for grabs with so many new faces on the roster.

Rebuilding a roster on the fly in this fashion isn’t new for Rogers. Last year with the Washington State Cougars, he had 75 newcomers and still helped lead the team to a bowl game, where his defensive coordinator, Jesse Bobbit, led the team to victory over the Utah State Aggies as interim head coach.

Jimmy Rogers rebuilt Iowa State roster on the fly

Aug 30, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach Jimmy Rogers watches a replay on the video board during a game against the Idaho Vandals in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Washington State Cougars won 13-10. | James Snook-Imagn Images

47 players have been added to the roster via the transfer portal this season, but expect that to change in the future. In an ideal world, Rogers will be focusing more on high school recruiting than the transfer portal.

"We'll be in the portal," Rogers said, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required). "How long? It just depends. I want to focus on high school recruiting."

One thing that the new staff did well was maintaining roster balance. There are going to be players who come and go via the transfer portal every year, but Iowa State is in good shape when it comes to class balance.

The Cyclones have a good mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen. That will not only help the team compete in 2026 but also sustain success in the future. It is something Campbell did well, retaining talent year over year with multi-year starters littering the roster.

Jimmy Rogers wants to build foundation through high school recruiting

Dec 11, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones new football coach Jimmy Rogers speaks during the Cyclones game with the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Rogers is hoping to do the same, and in an ideal world, the core of this roster will be built through high school recruiting.

"There will be portal kids, probably, every single year," Rogers said. "The way it's happening, it has to. But I believe in high school recruiting and taking larger groups of high school players that we can see, that are coming into our program for the first time. And us having the opportunity for them to develop and grow."

Iowa State isn’t likely to ever be in the mix for the top targets on the transfer portal because of how expensive it is to shop in the upper echelon. They don’t have the NIL backing of some of their peers, which puts an emphasis on recruiting high schoolers and developing them to their maximum potential.

To ensure those players don’t look for greener pastures elsewhere, winning has to occur. It is what Rogers is planning to do right away, which is what he sold quarterback Jaylen Raynor on in the transfer portal.