Iowa State Football's Cody Jackson Has Breakout Performance

On Saturday afternoon, the Iowa State Cyclones were seeking to get their third win of the season. In what ended up being a really entertaining game, they were able to accomplish that.

Coming into their matchup against the West Virginia Mountaineers, it felt like a game that Iowa State had to win. A loss would have moved them to 2-3 on the season and also would have been their second loss in the Big 12 in as many games.

With a tough game looming on the road against BYU next Friday night, winning this one was important. Fortunately, even though they allowed 42 points, the offense carried them to a victory with 45 points of their own.

The Cyclones weren’t expected to be a dynamic unit on that side of the ball, but on Saturday they looked great. Both on the ground and through the air, Iowa State was able to move the ball extremely well, and that is a very encouraging thing for the future.

While all eyes were rightfully on running back Aiden Flora in this one, he wasn’t the only player who performed well in the offensive outburst for the Cyclones. Another player who had a great game was wide receiver Cody Jackson.

Jackson Breaks Out

Oct 3, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Cody Jackson (2) celebrates the first down against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The senior wide receiver was one of the transfer additions for Iowa State this offseason, and he was an interesting addition. After starting his career and not having a big role with the Oklahoma Sooners, he spent the last two seasons with Tarleton State.

With Tarleton State, he really came into his own and had a couple of good years in both 2024 and 2025. In 2024, he totaled 29 receptions, 490 receiving yards, and eight receiving touchdowns.

He followed that up with another strong campaign in 2025, totaling 53 receptions, 799 receiving yards, and six receiving touchdowns. After getting involved in the passing offense against the Utes, it was a breakout performance on Saturday.

In the win, Jackson totaled six receptions for 160 receiving yards and one score. For a passing attack that needed to have a good game, Jackson was able to deliver.

This was easily the best that the Cyclones’ passing attack looked, and Jackson was a key contributor. He led the team in both receptions and receiving yards, and he was seemingly a featured player. As a former recruit of the Sooners, there is clearly quite a bit of talent there, and on Saturday, he looked like their number one guy.

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