Iowa State Cyclones' Former Four-Star Offensive Lineman to Enter Transfer Portal

Which former four-star recruit for the Iowa State Cyclones will be heading into the transfer portal?

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

As the opening of the transfer portal gets closer, with just about a week to go, players from the Iowa State Cyclones are starting to let their intentions to leave be known. 

It has been a tough stretch for the Cyclones of late, with the transfer portal set to open up soon. Since the departure of head coach Matt Campbell, this is a program that has lost a ton of coaches, recruits, and now players. 

While this was always to be expected, some of the losses have been felt more than others. Recently, some of the top offensive players on the team elected to enter the portal, led by quarterback Rocco Becht and running back Carson Hansen. 

The loss of Becht was undoubtedly to be expected, but there was some hope that perhaps Hansen might stay following the hiring of Tyler Roehl, who was his positional coach in 2024. Now, head coach Jimmy Rogers is going to have his work cut out for him. With the Washington State Cougars just finishing up their bowl win, some of their coaches will be coming to Iowa State, and it’s time for them to try to build this roster. 

Unfortunately, another talented young player has elected to head into the portal, with former four-star lineman Will Tompkins making his decision known. 

Another Loss on the O-Line

Iowa State offensive lineman Will Tompkins is entering the transfer portal, he tells @PeteNakos.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound OL is a former four-star recruit in the 2025 cycle. Has four years of eligibility remaining.https://t.co/kSYG7dZ8sR pic.twitter.com/9ImHEtlr1A

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) December 24, 2025

As a true freshman with four years of eligibility remaining, Tompkins would have been a nice player for Rogers to have been able to retain. Coming out of high school, he was regarded as a four-star prospect and was ranked in the Top 50 among his position and second in the state of Iowa according to On3. 

At the time of his recruitment, he received some offers from some excellent schools, and the Penn State Nittany Lions were one of them. Now, with coach Campbell and the offensive staff going there, they will undoubtedly be a team to watch for the talented lineman. 

As an in-state player, this is a blow for Rogers and the coaching staff. Retaining players from Iowa and developing this pipeline is going to be vital for him going forward if he wants to be successful recruiting in the same areas that Campbell did. 

Tompkins now joins a growing list of players who have elected to go into the transfer portal, and that list will likely just keep getting bigger and bigger heading toward January 2nd.