Iowa State Cyclones Should Try to Retain Promising Quarterback

The Iowa State Cyclones should prioritize trying to keep a young quarterback with the program

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

With bowl season underway and the College Football Playoff starting up, the Iowa State Cyclones are extremely busy trying to figure out what the program is going to look like in 2026. 

It has certainly been a hectic couple of weeks for the Iowa State Cyclones, but the program is focused on trying to weather the storm of Matt Campbell departing for the Penn State Nittany Lions and having a strong team for 2026. 

After having one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the program a few weeks ago, that class has been hit hard with players being granted their release from signing. Furthermore, with the transfer portal set to open up in just over two weeks, some players will also be leaving. 

New head coach Jimmy Rogers has been working hard to meet with players and retain them, and he certainly has his work cut out for him. While there are some key players that he would like to keep, there are some young players as well who could be key to success long-term. 

Recently, Alec Busse of 247Sports spoke about a few young players that Rogers should be trying to retain. One of them was quarterback Alex Manske. 

Retaining Manske Could Be Important

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Arguably, the top player that Rogers and the coaching staff are going to be trying to keep is Rocco Becht. There has been a slew of very talented quarterbacks who will be heading into the transfer portal, but so far, Becht isn’t one of them. The talented junior is coming off a tough year in which he struggled down the stretch, playing through injury. 

While Becht will be a priority to retain, the program also has to look toward the future. At the quarterback position, that very well could be Manske for the Cyclones. The talented signal caller moved his way up the depth chart to the backup quarterback role and, at just 19 years old, has a bright future ahead of him. 

Regardless of whether or not the team keeps or loses Becht, Manske is a four-star caliber talent who they should be trying to keep. If Becht left, it very well could be the young quarterback stepping in as the starter. 

Overall, with Manske growing up a Cyclones fan, that certainly helps the chances of keeping him, especially if there is going to be the opportunity to start in 2026 or 2027.