Jontez Williams' Season-Ending Injury Could Have Been Avoided by Iowa State Cyclones

Hindsight is 20/20, but the injury to Iowa State Cyclones cornerback Jontez Williams could have been avoided.

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Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell has delivered some brutal injury updates in recent days involving star players on his defense.

Ahead of the team’s game against the Arizona Wildcats in Week 5, he shared that cornerback Jeremiah Cooper was not going to be returning to the field this season. It was a significant loss not having their No. 1 corner, but the rest of the defense stepped up.

The Cyclones suffocated Noah Fifita and the Arizona offense, holding them to only 14 points in the 25-point win. Unfortunately, the team was unable to get out of the game unscathed, with their secondary suffering even more losses.

Defensive backs went down like flies, exiting the game with injuries. The biggest blow came late in the fourth quarter of a game that was already decided. Ahead 36-14 with 3:00 remaining, Fifita targeted wide receiver Kris Hutson.

Iowa State loses Jontez Williams to brutal knee injury

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

He was double-covered, and the pass was broken up. But, linebacker Caleb Bacon rolled into the back of the legs of Jontez Williams, who went down in clear and obvious pain.

Here’s the play Jontez Williams was injured on during the Arizona game. Iowa State was leading 36-14 with 3:00 to play in the game. https://t.co/BbMERZh92i pic.twitter.com/Hn4FMkm8pY

— Matt Van Winkle (@mattvanwinkle) September 30, 2025

It turned out to be a worst-case scenario for the Cyclones. On Tuesday, Campbell announced that Williams will be joining Cooper on the sidelines for the remainder of the season. It is yet another killer blow to a defense that has been playing at such a high level.

Overcoming the loss of their top two cornerbacks will be easier said than done. There is a lot of depth in the secondary, with some safeties potentially in adjusted roles as defensive coordinator Jon Heacock figures things out. Quetin Taylor Jr. should see expanded opportunities as well.

Injuries are always unfortunate, but what makes Williams’s loss even more tough to stomach is when it occurred. But there wasn’t much of a reason for him to be on the field at that point, given the time and score.

Jontez Williams's injury was avoidable for Cyclones

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Up 22 points with only three minutes remaining, no one would have batted an eye had Campbell begun filtering some of his starters out of the game, especially with how many players went down with injuries throughout the night.

Hindsight is 20/20. It is easy to judge the decision now, knowing what the outcome was. Coaches and players are always going to play to the final whistle, regardless of what the score is. Injuries can sometimes occur in freak accidents, but there was a reason why Rocco Becht didn’t finish the game for Iowa State, with backup Connor Moberly handling the final drive.

Without Williams in the lineup, the rest of the players on the defense are going to have to step up and replace the elite level of production he had produced through five games.