Another Iowa State Cyclones Recruit Announces Decommitment From School

Another member of the Iowa State Cyclones recruiting Class of 2026 has announced their decommitment from the school.

Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers speaks during a timeout in the first half in the Iowa State and Iowa men’s basketball Cy-Hawk series at Hilton coliseum on Dec. 11, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones' future looked incredibly bright just over a week ago when Signing Day rolled around. Matt Campbell was on the verge of landing the best-ranked group of recruits in his tenure with the program.

22 players signed that day, and the Class of 2026 was right around a top 50 group. However, things would quickly change when the Iowa State football program was turned upside down with some shocking news.

It was announced that Campbell was heading to the Penn State Nittany Lions to become their head coach. The Cyclones announced the hiring of Jimmy Rogers of the Washington State Cougars as his replacement a few hours later.

To the surprise of no one, the coaching change has led to seismic changes on the roster. A ton of players have announced their intention to enter the transfer portal or be released from their signings.

Iowa State loses commitment from linebacker Barry Fries

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

The most recent player to depart from Iowa State’s Class of 2026 is linebacker Barry Fries. A three-star recruit from Elkhorn North in Omaha, Nebraska, shared the news of his decision on X, formerly Twitter.

He thanked the former Cyclones head coach and, after having discussions with his parents, decided that reopening his recruitment was the best move for him.

My recruitment is reopened, thank you Matt Campbell and ISU for believing in me. @adamgorney @GregSmithRivals @DerekHoodjer @SWiltfong_ @ENHS_Football @PeteNakos @Sean_Callahan @Coach_Kratch pic.twitter.com/XlJNPasxcQ

— Barry Fries (@barry_fries51) December 13, 2025

Also, a track and field athlete in high school, it will be interesting to see how the second recruiting process of Fries goes. Iowa State was the only Power Conference school that offered him a scholarship.

His other four offers came from the Air Force Falcons, Lindenwood Lions, Sacramento State Hornets and South Dakota State Jackrabbits. It will be interesting to see if Rogers and his staff can convince Fries to come back to the Cyclones; his connection to South Dakota State, where he won a national championship in 2023, can only help.

The Michigan Wolverines, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Missouri Tigers and Oklahoma State Cowboys all showed some level of interest in the linebacker, but didn’t make an offer previously.

🚨NEWS🚨 LB Barry Fries has been released from his signing with Iowa State.

Read: https://t.co/NTuUHP6uU1 pic.twitter.com/DT2bYdWlco

— Rivals (@Rivals) December 13, 2025

Of course, there is always a chance that Campbell wants to bring Fries along with him to the Nittany Lions. One former member of Iowa State’s Class of 2026, safety Bryson Williams, has already announced his commitment to Penn State.

There could certainly be more players who join the Nittany Lions in the coming weeks, with players entering the portal who were on the roster in 2025 and recruits alike.

What started as a 22-player class is now down to 11 players with Fries reopening his recruitment. A top-50 class just 10 days ago, the Cyclones group is now outside of the top 100.