2 Iowa State Cyclones Offensive Players Decommit, Reopen Recruitments

The Iowa State Cyclones had two more players decommit from the program, re-opening their recruitments.

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 were ecstatic last week when 22 players put pen to paper during Signing Day. It was on the verge of being the best recruiting class in Matt Campbell’s tenure with the school.

Unfortunately, a week later, that class is falling apart because Campbell decided to take the head coaching job with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Already, some of the players who committed to him or wanted to play under people on his staff are reopening their recruitment.

First, it was Class of 2027 four-star offensive lineman Will Slagle. Safety Bryson Williams, a three-star recruit in the Class of 2026, reopened his recruitment and is already drawing interest from Penn State and the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Iowa State loses Will Eglitis, Amarion Jackson from Class of 2026

Nov 9, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Iowa State Cyclones helmets on the bench during the first quarter against the Kansas Jayhawks at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Not even 24 hours later, a few more players have followed suit with Williams, opting to reopen their recruitment. Another offensive lineman, Pete Eglitis, was one of four players to sign with the Cyclones in the trenches.

Shortly after his announcement was made, a third player, wide receiver Amarion Jackson, revealed he is doing the same. A two-way player in high school, he was expected to play offensively at the onset of his collegiate career, joined by fellow wide receivers Kash Brock and Jeffrey Roberts.

Jimmy Rogers, who is succeeding Campbell as head coach, knew that departures were likely. When coaching changes occur, players want to re-evaluate their standing and see if they are a fit for the new regime coming in.

Rogers has a detailed plan on how he is going to go about retaining players, and he will have to sell his vision to them just as Campbell did. There are going to be schematic changes with a new coach in town, which could lead to players seeking opportunities elsewhere.

Jimmy Rogers has work to do with Iowa State roster

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

For example, Rogers has already let it be known that Iowa State will now be playing with four down linemen defensively. That means bolstering the depth in the trenches on that side of the ball and changing how they go about recruiting players to the school.

Down to 19 players in the recruiting Class of 2026, that number could very well continue to shrink in the coming days and weeks. It will be interesting to see if Rogers can get any Washington State recruits to follow him to Ames, just as Campbell will likely do with players to the Nittany Lions.

Over the next few weeks, Rogers and his staff can try their hardest to not only convince incoming freshmen to stick with their commitments, but also convince players who are already on the team not to enter the transfer portal.

On Jan. 2, the portal opens. That will be a key time for roster building for the new regime to bring in as much talent as possible to help reshape the roster under their vision.