Iowa State Cyclones Hope to Follow in Footsteps of Indiana Hoosiers

In what way can the Iowa State Cyclones follow in the footsteps of the Indiana Hoosiers?

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti stands with his hands on his hips during the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have been extremely busy since the departure of their head coach, Matt Campbell, and they will be hoping that their new era under Jimmy Rogers will be even better. 

For the last 10 years, Campbell was able to build something very special with the Cyclones. This was a program that was not known for their football, but that changed under their former coach. His success with Iowa State was why the Penn State Nittany Lions came calling, and he will undoubtedly do well there with more resources. 

For the Cyclones, they were able to pivot quickly and bring in Rogers, who is a young and hungry coach. Like Campbell, he likely won’t be landing too many five-star commits for the program. However, a program doesn’t need a roster loaded with stars to win in college football anymore, and there is a recent champion that has proven that. Now, Iowa State will be trying to follow that formula. 

Rogers recently spoke with William Seals of On3 about how the formula that the Indiana Hoosiers recently used to win a National Championship was very similar to his. 

Can Cyclones Build What Indiana Has?

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Hoosiers winning the National Championship was undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments in college football history. This is a program that has been historically one of the worst at football in the entire country, but head coach Curt Cignetti was able to turn things around quickly. 

While many programs are built on having stars, Cignetti and the Hoosiers were able to win a title with mostly three-star players. The development of quarterback Fernando Mendoza into the likely first overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft certainly helps, but this was a program that took a chance on him. 

Iowa State doesn’t have the financial ability to go out and grab some of the top talent like other schools, but Cignetti and Indiana recently showed that a team can have success without that. 

Rogers has done a very strong job of working the portal and rebuilding this program as quickly as possible. While success might not happen right away, the new head coach will be seeking to lay the groundwork for what he wants the team to be. 

Over the course of his young coaching career, Rogers has proven to be a winner, just like Cignetti, and the Cyclones would love to see the program be able to follow in their footsteps.