Iowa State Football Should Be Concerned By Lack of High-End Talent

With media day getting underway for the Big 12, the college football season is right around the corner for the Iowa State Cyclones.

Following a pretty wild offseason, the Cyclones are going to be one of the more interesting teams in the Big 12 to keep an eye on. Prior to all of the changeover between the roster and the coaching staff, Iowa State was primed for a big year in 2026.

This was a group that would have been led by a senior quarterback in Rocco Becht and a lot of other strong upperclassmen. Unfortunately, with Matt Campbell leaving, it resulted in a majority of the team entering the portal and leaving.

With Jimmy Rogers taking over quickly after Campbell’s departure, he was able to work the transfer portal well and rebuild a roster that was completely gutted. However, while he was able to fill the roster, the team is not going to be as talented as it was last year.

This certainly feels like it will be a rebuilding season for the Cyclones, and that is evident by the team not having a preseason All-Big 12 player.

Iowa State Not Having Preseason All-Big 12 Player is Concerning

The Big 12 releases the preseason All-Big 12 teams with zero Cyclones represented for the 2026 season. pic.twitter.com/a00qegaEjy
— Cyclone Fanatic (@cyclonefanatic) July 6, 2026

With the Big 12 having a lot of talent and some impact players coming in during the transfer portal, it is no surprise that the Cyclones are without a player for the team. However, while depth is expected to be a strength of the program, star power is also needed to be successful in a power conference.

As of now, Iowa State is going to be relying on players to take significant steps forward in order for the program to be successful. Rogers is a really good coach that should be able to get a lot out of this program, but the harsh reality is that this is going to be a rebuilding season.

While the final list of All-Big 12 players will be the one that really matters, it’s clear that the Cyclones are going to be outmatched in terms of talent in most games. Even though the Big 12 might not be the most challenging football conference in the country, they do have some strong depth, and Iowa State appears to be toward the bottom of it.

With a lack of high-end talent being an issue, making a bowl game might end up being the best-case scenario for the program next season.

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