Former Iowa State Cyclones' Recruit Commits to Penn State Nittany Lions

The Iowa State Cyclones have seen a recent signee commit to the Penn State Nittany Lions

Dec 8, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Matt Campbell poses for a photo after being announced as the Penn State Nittany Lions new head coach during a press conference at the Beaver Stadium Press Room. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

With the holidays quickly approaching for the Iowa State Cyclones, there has been no shortage of news regarding players leaving or intending to leave the program. 

As expected, the loss of head coach Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions is having a significant effect on the program for the Cyclones. The head coach was with Iowa State for 10 years and was remarkably successful. Now, he will be trying to build something special with his new team, and he is bringing a lot of help with him. 

To no surprise, Campbell was able to get a majority of his assistants to head to Penn State with him. Furthermore, recruits who had just signed with the Cyclones have mostly been released from their intent to be with the program. Now, some who have opened up their recruiting are starting to work their way to Campbell and Penn State. 

New head coach Jimmy Rogers was hopeful that the program would be able to retain some talent, but he was well-prepared to use the portal to build this program for 2026 if needed. Recently, with a barrage of players intending to head to the transfer portal, a former signee will be following Campbell to his new team. 

Keian Kaiser Heads to Penn State

Blessed to announce that after a great conversation with @CoachMC_PSU and @DerekHoodjer, I have received an offer and have officially committed to Penn State!
🔵⚪️ #WeAre #PennState pic.twitter.com/Vu9Qklb3BX

— keian kaiser (@keiank09) December 24, 2025

As a signee of the Cyclones and a player who was recently released from his letter of intent, it should come as no surprise to see him heading to Penn State. This is likely going to be a trend that continues in the coming days and weeks following the departure of Campbell. 

Furthermore, with the former Iowa State coach bringing over most of his staff, existing relationships with them and the recruits are also going to be beneficial for the program. In terms of a prospect, Kaiser is a very talented three-star linebacker from Nebraska. 

As part of what coach Campbell was able to do with his recruiting pipeline, players within a six-hour radius of campus were part of his success. According to On3, Kaiser was ranked as the 105th linebacker in the country and the 12th best player in his state. 

Even though he might not make an impact for the Nittany Lions right away, he will help improve their recruiting class right off the bat. For the Cyclones, it is never great to see a player leave the program after committing, but this is the nature of the beast in college football now.