Matt Campbell Has Difficult Decision With Iowa State Freshmen Against Oklahoma State

What will Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell do with one of his key freshmen against the Oklahoma State Cowboys?

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The Iowa State Cyclones are preparing for their final regular season game of the 2025 college football campaign, traveling to Stillwater to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Expectations for the team are high entering the finale. The Cowboys have lost 18 consecutive games in the Big 12, a brutal streak that started during the conference championship game in 2023.

Iowa State isn’t going to underestimate its opponent, especially because this isn’t a team that has thrown in the towel. Oklahoma State is riding a lengthy losing streak, but the last two weeks have been hotly contested games.

Head coach Matt Campbell is going to do everything in his power to put his team in a position to win. However, there are going to be some difficult decisions for him to make, especially with his lineup decisions.

Iowa State has three freshmen in danger of exhausting redshirt eligibility

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Will the Cyclones play any of their freshmen who have reached the maximum of four games played without burning their redshirts?

Defensive linemen Trey Verdon and Jack Limbaugh have both played in four games thus far this season. Ditto for safety Joshua Patterson.

Verdon hasn’t played in a game since Oct. 25 against the BYU Cougars. It would be hard to envision the team burning his opportunity to redshirt after not being activated in three straight games.

Limbaugh has appeared in four consecutive games, similar to Verdon earlier in the campaign. If possible, Campbell and defensive coordinator Jon Heacock should hold him out as well.

They would assuredly love to do the same with Patterson, but his situation is different. Iowa State’s secondary has been ravaged by injuries this season, putting the defense in a perilous spot.

Cyclones need to find safety depth that isn't Joshua Patterson

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If Patterson helps put the team in the best position to win, he will be on the field. But Campbell and his staff also have to strongly consider the future. Having the ability to redshirt him, giving him another year of eligibility, is incredibly appealing.

Fellow freshman LaMarcus Hicks could get into the lineup; he has played in only three games and cannot exhaust his redshirt eligibility.

However, even if none of the aforementioned freshmen get into the game, their seasons aren’t over. Conference championships and bowl games do not count toward the games played for redshirt eligibility.

Expect all three freshmen who have appeared in four games to be involved in the game plan for whichever bowl the Cyclones participate in to get them a little more experience heading into their second year as student athletes.