Iowa State Cyclones Football Lose Key 2026 Quarterback Recruit

The Iowa State Cyclones continue to see their 2026 recruiting class get hit hard

Nov 9, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Iowa State Cyclones helmets on the bench during the first quarter against the Kansas Jayhawks at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

As the Jimmy Rogers era continues to start for the Iowa State Cyclones, another commit from the 2026 class will be leaving the program. 

It was just over a week ago that the Cyclones were able to have one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the program. Now, players are being released from their signing as expected, with Matt Campbell leaving for the Penn State Nittany Lions. 

The new head coach of the program is going to be trying to retain as many players as he can, but he is undoubtedly behind the eight-ball in attempting to do so. With a good amount of talent on the roster that was scheduled to return for their senior years, like Rocco Becht and Carson Hansen, those are likely top priorities for Rogers to try to bring back. 

However, he will also have to look toward the future, and the current recruiting class for Iowa State is taking a beating, and that is not good for the Cyclones long-term right now. Recently, another one of the top recruits for the program was released from his signing, with three-star quarterback Kase Evans leaving the program. 

Evans is a Significant Loss

🚨NEWS🚨 QB Kase Evans has been released from his signing with Iowa State.

Read: https://t.co/AoITp1gsCQ pic.twitter.com/ESIUgFAYs7

— Rivals (@Rivals) December 11, 2025

The talented quarterback was one of the best players at the position in Texas last year and was a solid get for the program. According to 247Sports, he was ranked as the 54th-best quarterback in the class and was a Top 200 recruit from Texas. 

Evans is the latest of the 2026 class to leave, and that will likely be a trend that continues in the coming days and weeks. While it is possible for the Cyclones and Rogers to try and win him back, that seems a bit unlikely unless there isn’t a strong interest from other programs. 

With the young quarterback leaving, Iowa State is going to have to take a serious look at the transfer portal to try to get some help. Rogers did a good job building the Washington State Cougars that way in 2025, and he might have to do it again this campaign. Fortunately, he has more resources than he did with the Cougars to be able to accomplish that. 

As the winter continues on, there will surely be more and more player movement for the Cyclones, and it’s a tough early test for Rogers to try to get the best roster put together for the start of next year.