Iowa State Flips Four-Star Rivals300 Offensive Tackle From Washington State

The Iowa State Cyclones' Class of 2026 received a massive boost from a former Washington State Cougars commit.

Nov 12, 2022; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars helmet sits during a game against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. | James Snook-Imagn Images

One of the reasons that new Iowa State Cyclones head football coach Jimmy Rogers had so much work to do with the roster was that players departed and followed Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Several of the players who entered the transfer portal followed him to Happy Valley. As did high schoolers who originally committed to Iowa State on Signing Day on Dec. 3.

Departures occurred for several weeks, but the Cyclones started to see the same benefit with players following Rogers from the Washington State Cougars. With the February Signing Day set for the fourth, flips continued.

Iowa State has a new top recruit in this year’s class, and he is a former Washington State commit. As shared by Bill Seals of Cyclone Report, offensive tackle Benjamin Makelela has committed to the Cyclones.

Iowa State secures commitment from Benjamin Makelela

Dec 11, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones new football coach Jimmy Rogers speaks during the Cyclones game with the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

A four-star player who landed in the updated Rivals300, he is the highest-rated recruit that Rogers has landed in his first cycle with Iowa State. He originally signed with the Cougars during the December period, but was released following the coaching change and has decided to follow to Ames.

Makelela is the No. 244-ranked prospect in the Rivals300, coming in at No. 24 amongst offensive linemen and No. 22 in the state of California. He played football this past year at Capistrano Valley Christian School in San Juan Capistrano, California.

Listed at 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds, Makelela played in the trenches on both sides of the ball as a two-way player. A team captain, he registered 23 tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks and one interception while playing defense.

He is the third offensive lineman to join the Cyclones in the Class of 2026. Derek Worden and Kingston Fotualii are the other two players. All three of them were previously committed to Washington State.

God blessings 🙏🏾@CycloneFB @cvcseagles pic.twitter.com/2rO6a0QxbP

— Benjamin Makelela (@BMakelela) February 4, 2026

An emphasis was put on the offensive line during this cycle by Rogers and Jake Thornton, the offensive line coach on his inaugural staff, who previously worked with the Auburn Tigers.

Iowa State was hit hard by losses in the trenches. James Neal III, Trevor Miller, Jim Bonifas and Dylan Barrett all exhausted their eligibility. Brendan Black and Trevor Buhr entered the transfer portal, leaving the team dangerously thin on the depth chart.

That has been addressed over the last few weeks. Makelela will be the 16th offensive lineman on the unofficial depth chart shared by Seals over at Cyclone Report.