Iowa State Cyclones' Star Player Makes Sense for Penn State Nittany Lions

Which star player from the Iowa State Cyclones makes sense for the Penn State Nittany Lions?

Sep 7, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; An Iowa State Cyclones helmet sits on the sidelines before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones are just days away from the transfer portal opening, and that will mark the official point at which their roster gets hit hard with departures. For one player, a new team will make a lot of sense. 

To no surprise, the Cyclones have seen the start of a lot of roster turnover since Matt Campbell took the job with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Even though Jimmy Rogers is regarded as a good replacement and could be very successful with Iowa State, he is an unknown to a lot of the established talent on the team. 

With what was a talented team in 2025, with players having eligibility left, it came as little surprise to see them announce their intent to enter the portal. There are going to be a number of outstanding players who are set to leave, and there should be plenty of programs interested. 

However, with Campbell and a good chunk of his offensive coaching staff heading to Penn State, he will undoubtedly bring over some talent. One of the players who is going to make a ton of sense for him is star running back Carson Hansen. 

Hansen Makes Sense for Nittany Lions

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Due to some of the struggles for Rocco Becht in 2025, it was arguably Hansen who was the best offensive player on the team last year. The junior running back was able to total 952 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns overall. What was really impressive was how he finished off the campaign with five straight 100-yard games on the ground. 

Even when the Cyclones’ offense might not have been firing on all cylinders, Hansen performed well down the stretch. As one of the best running backs in the Big 12, he will undoubtedly have a number of options, but Penn State might make the most sense. 

The Nittany Lions have seen running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen announce their intent to leave the program, and that really clears the way for Hansen to come in. With Penn State being seen as the favorite to land Rocco Becht as well, these two could run it back for one more year with Campbell in the backfield. 

While anything could happen once the portal opens, Hansen makes a lot of sense for the Nittany Lions, and Iowa State is undoubtedly going to be missing his production after a great couple of years.