Iowa State Cyclones Successfully Flip Washington State Cougars Cornerback Commit

Another Washington State Cougars commit has successfully been flipped by the Iowa State Cyclones.

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 Jimmy Rogers era with the Iowa State Cyclones got off to a tumultuous start. With Matt Campbell no longer the head football coach, there were a lot of changes with the recruiting Class of 2026 and roster.

A mass exodus of players occurred. There are a staggering 49 Cyclones currently in the transfer portal. Their 22-player class on Signing Day was whittled down to seven current holdovers despite the coaching change.

Rogers was staring down yet another massive challenge when it came to making the roster come together. In his first and only season with the Washington State Cougars, he had 75 new players on the roster. 

It certainly feels as if Iowa State is going to approach that number for new faces in 2026. There may not be many household names that Cyclones fans will remember, but Rogers and his staff are bringing in a lot of players they are familiar with in some fashion.

Iowa State flips Amiri Barnes from Washington State

Sep 20, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars helmet sits during a game against the Washington Huskies in the first half of Apple Cup at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | James Snook-Imagn Images

Just as recruits followed Campbell to Penn State, the same is happening for Iowa State. The most recent player to flip his commitment from the Cougars to the Cyclones is cornerback Amiri Barnes.

A three-star recruit out of Katy, Texas, and Cy Lakes High School, Iowa State is the only power conference team to have made him an offer. He was originally committed to the Texas State Bobcats before changing his mind in early December, joining Washington State.

Now, he is following Rogers to Ames, where he will play under defensive backs coach Mike Banks.

There was a lot of interest from American Athletic Conference programs, with the North Texas Mean Green, Navy Midshipment, Army Black Knights and UTEP Miners all making an offer to Barnes.

BREAKING: 3⭐️ CB Amiri Barnes (@whois_amiri) has flipped his Commitment to Iowa State!

The 5’11 180 CB from Katy, TX had been committed to Washington State since early December. Barnes is another WSU commit that has decided to follow Jimmy Rogers and his staff to ISU.

"Now all… pic.twitter.com/bE9ExhN0cg

— Parker Titus (@ptgraphics0) January 2, 2026

He is the second defensive back to flip their commitment, following Torrence Sanders. The former Cougars commits are joined by holdovers Josiah Zayas and Tayten Duncan, who originally committed when Campbell was the head coach but have opted to stick around with the new regime.

The former Cougars commits are joined by holdovers Josiah Zayas and Tayten Duncan, who originally committed when Campbell was the head coach but have opted to stick around with the new regime.

Restocking the depth in the secondary through high school recruiting and the transfer portal is imperative because the depth has taken a major hit. Safety Drew Surges and cornerback David Coffey are the only returning players who logged at least 100 defensive snaps in the secondary in 2025.