One Stat Hints That Iowa State Cyclones Defense Can Be Strength Next Season

There is one statistic that hints toward the Iowa State Cyclones have an excellent defense next season.

Jimmy Rogers speaks during his introductory press conference as Iowa State’s new head football coach on Dec. 8, 2025, at Iowa State University in Ames, IA. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones closed the book on their 2025 campaign over a month ago when head coach Matt Campbell accepted the same position with the Penn State Nittany Lions, leading to a mass exodus of players and those remaining on the roster voting against participating in a bowl game.

But the campaign as a whole came to a close this week with the Indiana Hoosiers defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the national championship game. Now, every program is officially turning its attention to the 2026 season and looking to dethrone the Hoosiers.

It also means the final rankings in the polls and statistics have been revealed. For the most part, these are a bit irrelevant to a team like the Cyclones because of how much turnover there has been this offseason.

More than 50 players entered the transfer portal, leading to new head coach Jimmy Rogers having to reshape not only the coaching staff but the roster as well. He has done exactly that, bringing in players from his previous job with the Washington State Cougars and from every level of college football.

Where did Iowa State finish in Defensive Stop Rate?

Iowa State Cyclones' defensive back David Coffey (18), defensive line Ikenna Ezeogu (88) and defensive line Domonique Orange (95) takes down Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Isaiah Marshall (8) during the first quarter in the senior day on Nov. 22, 2025, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With 16 of those 50+ departures in the transfer portal being starters, there will be a lot of talent having to be replaced. As shared by Max Olson of ESPN, Iowa State’s defense was very solid last year.

They were ranked No. 35 in defensive stop rate, which is boiled down to how often a defense can force a punt, turnover or turnover on downs on a possession. That feat was accomplished on 66.1% of the time, while allowing 1.93 points per possession.

Given how much talent has left the program, it isn’t worth putting too much stock into what the team accomplished in 2025. Along with the transfer portal departures, there were several players who exhausted eligibility who won’t be returning to the team either.

However, there is one reason to get excited about the defensive stop rate: what Washington State was able to accomplish.

Washington State was even better than Iowa State at Defensive Stop Rate

Sep 20, 2024; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars helmet sits during a game against the San Jose State Spartans in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | James Snook-Imagn Images

The Cougars were even better than the Cyclones were in this metric. They finished at No. 20 with 70.2% and only 1.81 points allowed per possession, and that's with one extra game. Only contests against FBS opponents are tracked; Washington State played 12 of them, and Iowa State had 11.

The brains behind that defense, Rogers and Jesse Bobbit, both reside in Ames now. That has to excite the Cyclone fan base, especially because some of the Cougars’ key contributors in 2025 followed them in the transfer portal.

Five of the top 18 players in defensive snaps who transferred from Washington State to Iowa State. Even more depth pieces flipped, giving Rogers and Bobbit a nice base to build upon for their defensive scheme.