Iowa State Cyclones' 2026 Recruiting Class Takes Another Major Hit

The 2026 recruiting class for the Iowa State Cyclones has lost another player.

Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers speaks during a timeout in the first half in the Iowa State and Iowa men’s basketball Cy-Hawk series at Hilton coliseum on Dec. 11, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones continue to see recruits leave the program following the loss of Matt Campbell, and recently, another three-star player was released from his signing. 

It has been a tough week for the Cyclones following the loss of Campbell as their head coach. What was once one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the program for 2026 continues to see players leave. Furthermore, the 2027 class has already taken some hits, as expected. 

Iowa State is coming off a strong campaign in which they went 8-4 and were heading toward likely a decent bowl game before they opted out. Now, the team is in a bit of trouble with their recruiting class falling apart. 

New head coach Jimmy Rogers is focused on keeping the talent from 2025 here, but he also has to find a way to think about what the future of the program is going to look like. Recently, another offensive lineman elected to leave the Cyclones, with three-star prospect Ethan Beckman opening his recruiting back up. 

Another Talent Leaves

Thank you. @PrepRedzoneMN @247recruiting pic.twitter.com/AJkLOkdqrx

— Ethan Beckman (@EthanBeckman15) December 12, 2025

With the decommitment from Beckman, Iowa State is down to just 12 signees for the 2026 class. That is a number that has nearly been cut in half since Campbell left and should be considered a significant concern. While players were undoubtedly going to leave, it is happening quite quickly. Furthermore, the number of recruits leaving is far from ideal.

Beckman is a talented interior lineman from Minnesota, and according to 247Sports, was ranked as the 12th-best prospect in his state. Overall, he was also considered to be a Top 200 interior lineman. 

For Rogers, the most logical way that he is going to have to reshape this roster is through the transfer portal. While there will be some hope that players he recruited to the Washington State Cougars will come to Iowa State, that is a significant geographical difference and could be a bit of a challenge. 

Rogers does have a good amount of experience using the portal to his advantage, and he will have more resources with the Cyclones than he had with the Cougars. It will be key for him to be able to bring in some talent, or Iowa State could be in some serious trouble in 2026. Retaining some of the stars on the team will be essential, and it seems like he will be trying to accomplish that first.