Recent Offer by Iowa State Football Could Be Game-Changer for 2028 Recruiting Class

The Iowa State Cyclones are pursuing one of the best players from the 2028 class.

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

While the college football season is still a few months away, the Iowa State Cyclones’ coaching staff is wasting no time trying to help improve this program. 

Head coach Jimmy Rogers took over under some difficult circumstances but has undoubtedly been working hard to get the team where he wants it to be in the coming years. 

Rogers inherited a team that lost a majority of their players to the transfer portal, and this year will be a bit of a rebuilding year for the program. While he worked well in the portal, the Cyclones aren’t going to have the same level of talent as they have had in the past, and it will take some great coaching to get the most out of this roster. 

Fortunately, Rogers proved with the Washington State Cougars last year that he can be up for a tough task. Now, as he starts to establish himself more as a coach, he will be trying to build the roster up through recruiting. So far, he has been very active, and the recent offer to a player from the class of 2028 could be a game-changer. 

Iowa State Offers Four-Star Running Back 

#AGTG Really appreciate you coming out to spring practice @COACHJJ_CYCLONE . Blessed to say I received an offer from @CycloneFB 🌪️ @FootballTomball @handal_dave @Mike_Zierlein pic.twitter.com/2yvmcwR3pE

— Ian Thomas (@ITs_Time_22) May 11, 2026

The Cyclones have been very busy of late making offers to players from the 2028 class, and four-star running back Ian Thomas is one of the latest. According to Rivals, the young running back is going to be one of the best players in his class, and Iowa State's making a run at him is great to see. 

Rogers hasn’t been shy about trying to go after talented players on the recruiting trail, and Thomas is another player from the powerhouse state of Texas. While Rivals has him as a four-star player, he is also ranked as the fifth-best player in the country at the running back position, the eighth-ranked player in Texas, and the 68th-best player overall. 

Thomas is clearly one of the best recruits that the Cyclones have offered and them trying to land him would be a massive addition. It isn’t all that frequently that they are able to bring in a Top 100 recruit, but perhaps Thomas will be their guy. 

As expected, a number of other Power Four schools have offered Thomas as well. However, Iowa State has done a really strong job of sending running backs to the next level, and while that coaching staff might have left, the pedigree for the program at the position is certainly there.