Iowa State Football in Final Four for 3-Star WR With Penn State

The Iowa State Cyclones are in a tough spot in Year 1 of the Jimmy Rogers era, as he is tasked with not only replacing Matt Campbell as head coach but restocking virtually the entire roster from 2025.

When Campbell left for the Penn State Nittany Lions, more than 50 players entered the transfer portal, and nearly half of those players followed him to Happy Valley. That left quite a void to be filled by Rogers and the new staff.

With their 2026 roster looking set, outside of maybe an addition at running back, focus has shifted to recruiting for the future. And Iowa State is going against Penn State in pursuit of a player.

Three-star wide receiver Jaden Baldwin recently revealed that he is going to announce his commitment on June 16, and he is down to four finalists: the Cyclones, Nittany Lions, Colorado Buffaloes and Pittsburgh Panthers.

Iowa State in final four for Jaden Baldwin

Basha wide receiver Jaden Baldwin (2) sprints after a reception against Brophy Prep. — Basha wide receiver Jaden Baldwin (2) sprints after a reception against Brophy Prep during a game at Central High School in Phoenix on Aug. 28, 2025. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He broke down what he likes about each program when speaking to Rivals (subscription required). Offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl is a good selling point for the program, and the offensive scheme they have run.

“What stands out to me about Iowa State is how they mix and match their receivers based on scheme, and with an offensive coordinator who has NFL experience, they do a great job creating matchup opportunities and developing versatile playmakers which is how my high school coaches view me and how I view myself,” Baldwin said, via Brandon Huffman.

After being the running backs coach under Campbell in 2024, Roehl was the tight ends coach for the Detroit Lions in 2025. Now, he is back in Ames as the offensive coordinator on the inaugural staff for Rogers in 2026.

That NFL experience is something the Cyclones can use to sell recruits on coming to the school. They also have a history of sending wide receivers to the NFL, with Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins both being selected by the Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL Draft. Xavier Hutchinson was also selected by the Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Iowa State.

Full Season Highlights
Blessed to be a State Champion 💍
64 Catches
84 Targets
76.2% Catch to Target Ratio
820 Yards Receiving
578 Yac Yards
7 Td’shttps://t.co/WFTUQ2skFT pic.twitter.com/Mn2dicXf0x
— Jaden Baldwin (@_jadenbaldwin) December 9, 2025

It will be interesting to see how things shake out for the Cyclones. The date for their official visit with Baldwin is June 19-21, after he plans to announce his commitment.

Rogers, Roehl and wide receivers coach Derrick Sherman will have to go above and beyond on selling the program to him because the other three schools in his final four are all going to have him on campus for an official visit before a decision is made.

Pittsburgh, where his father, Jonathan, attended school, will get first crack at him on May 29-31. Penn State will host him on June 8-10 before he heads to Boulder to visit with Colorado on June 12-14.

Ames will be the last official visit he takes, but it is fair to wonder if that trip will happen if he doesn’t commit to the school.

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