Iowa State Cyclones' Former Three-Star Wide Receiver Intends to Enter Transfer Portal

Another player for the Iowa State Cyclones is intending on entering the transfer portal.

Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; The Iowa State Cyclones mascot poses for a photo during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

With the holiday season here for the Iowa State Cyclones, there has been a plethora of announcements from players regarding their status with the team. Unfortunately, with a new regime coming in, a lot of players will be heading to the transfer portal. 

Due to the loss of Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions, it has been a wild couple of weeks for the Cyclones. Despite it being the holidays, the transfer portal will be opening up soon, and players are having to make their decisions about their futures quickly. 

As expected, Iowa State is getting hit hard with players intending to leave the program and seek new opportunities. Undoubtedly, some of the star players will likely be recruited heavily by Campbell to join him with the Nittany Lions. 

With the new head coach of Penn State seeking to hit the ground running with his new program, bringing over some of his established talent makes sense to help accomplish that. Campbell is going to have some great options once the portal opens, and he will likely be very successful bringing over some talent. As players continue to announce their intent to stay or go, wide receiver Michael Parkes recently announced that he will be heading into the portal. 

Parkes Heads to the Portal

After much thought and prayer, I’ve entered the NCAA Transfer Portal with 4 years of eligibility remaining.
Thank you Cyclone Nation for everything. Ready for the next chapter. 🤞🏾🏈

— Michael Parkes (@MichaelParkes_1) December 26, 2025

The offensive side of the ball has seen a lot of players enter the portal, and Parkes is one of the latest. The former three-star wide receiver from the state of Florida will be seeking some new opportunities with a few years of eligibility left. 

Parkes didn’t get a chance yet to make an impact on the receiving corps for the Cyclones prior to leaving, but he was rated well as a prospect. According to On3, he was ranked as the 101st receiver in his class. However, ESPN had him ranked as a four-star prospect in their ranking system. 

Even though Parkes might not have been an impact player for Iowa State, losing depth is never a good thing, and the young receiver could have been a solid player in the years to come. Now, head coach Jimmy Rogers is going to have to try to replace a lot of players. 

Rogers was prepared for this type of movement, and the young head coach will have his work cut out for him. With a lot of key players leaving the program, it’s going to be a challenge for the Cyclones to rebuild their program.