Keeping Iowa State Cyclones' Star Player Should Be Top Priority for Jimmy Rogers

Which player does Jimmy Rogers and the Iowa State Cyclones need to keep?

Jimmy Rogers speaks during his introductory press conference as Iowa State’s new head football coach on Dec. 8, 2025, at Iowa State University in Ames, IA. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have entered a new era following the departure of Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions. Now, the program will be hoping to keep key talent around.

In what ended up being a very quickly developing move over the weekend, the Cyclones saw their head coach of 10 years leave for the Nittany Lions somewhat out of the blue. Campbell helped build Iowa State into a much better program than when he arrived, and everyone is happy with what he was able to accomplish. 

Now, the team will be entering the Jimmy Rogers era, and he will have some big shoes to fill. The first order of business for Rogers is going to be to try to retain some of the existing talent that is already on the team. This unit was a group with a lot of juniors, and the 2026 campaign figured to be a solid one for the program. 

While players will undoubtedly leave and seek new opportunities, there are a few that Rogers should really be focused on trying to keep at all costs. One of those players is star running back Carson Hansen. 

Hansen Should Be the Top Priority to Retain 

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

It was a fantastic season for Hansen in 2025, with the junior running back arguably being the best player on the team. He was able to total 952 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, and a 5.1 yards per carry average. 

Hansen certainly had an incredible campaign, and that is also with him missing about a game and a half due to a concussion. If that injury hadn’t occurred, he likely would have been able to eclipse the 1,000-yard milestone during the regular season. Unfortunately, with the Cyclones opting out of their bowl game, he won’t get the chance to hit the mark this year. 

For Rogers and the Iowa State program, keeping arguably their best offensive player from 2025 is going to be important. Hansen was fantastic in the rushing attack and finished off the campaign running for over 100 yards in the last five games. 

Keeping a player like Hansen is going to be key for the program and for Rogers to set the tone. Losing too much talent would cripple the program, especially if it were their top offensive star. The talented running back could head into 2026 as one of the best players in the entire conference and keeping him should be a top priority.