Iowa State Cyclones Lose Three-Star Tight End From 2026 Recruiting Class

The Iowa State Cyclones have seen another recruit released from his signing.

Dec 11, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones new football coach Jimmy Rogers speaks during the Cyclones game with the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

As the Iowa State Cyclones continue to go into the Jimmy Rogers era, another promising recruit from the 2026 class has been released from his signing. 

The aftershock of Matt Campbell leaving for the Penn State Nittany Lions has continued for the Cyclones, who are continuing to lose recruits from the 2026 class. This was shaping up to be one of the best classes in program history, but it has now just been losing talent day after day. 

While this was to be expected, it is still tough to see for the program, and there is a lot of work to do for Rogers and his staff coming up. Due to the team losing so many recruits, it could end up being the transfer portal where they try to make some noise and replenish talent. 

Recently, another one of their talented three-star recruits has been released from his signing, with tight end Arley Morrell now being available. 

Another Blow for the Program

Recruitment 100% back open. Thank you Iowa State.@adamgorney @GregSmithRivals @SWiltfong_ @AllenTrieu @Rivals @BrandonHuffman pic.twitter.com/hiprLBQPQ2

— Arley Morrell (@ArleyMorrell) December 12, 2025

Morell was a nice recruit for the Cyclones and was part of a deep class at the time. The program has done a nice job in recent years of growing and developing tight end prospects, and that is likely what brought Morell to the program. 

According to 247Sports, Morrell was rated as the 10th-best prospect in the state of Kansas and was the 61st overall recruit at the tight end position. Prior to his commitment to Iowa State, he was drawing a ton of interest from other schools, and they will all likely welcome the chance of bringing him back in. 

Interestingly enough, the Washington State Cougars were one of the teams that offered him as well, where Rogers came from. However, with getting his release from signing, it doesn’t bode well for their chances of bringing him back. 

The program now has the worst-ranked recruiting class in the Big 12, according to 247Sports, with just 13 commits left overall. That number will undoubtedly change, and Rogers and company need to start trying to bring in some talent as well. 

So far, the program at least hasn’t lost any of their major contributors from the 2025 team, but those decisions could take some more time once the transfer portal opens. Overall, the loss of Morell is a tough blow for the tight end room of the Cyclones, and the team will still be seeking some answers on how to retain players.