Iowa State Football Secures Re-Commitment From Matt Campbell Recruit

The Iowa State Cyclones Class of 2027 has gotten a massive boost from a re-committed player.

Jan 2, 2021; Glendale, AZ, USA; Detailed view of an Iowa State Cyclones helmet during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones football program was in a state of flux when Matt Campbell announced he was leaving after 10 years at the helm to accept the head coaching position with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

More than 50 players entered the transfer portal from the roster. Their Class of 2026 diminished to only six holdovers. It left new head coach Jimmy Rogers with a lot of work to do, but he has hit the ground running thus far during his time in Ames.

When the 2026 roster was set, he immediately turned his attention to the Class of 2027. The Cyclones were certainly behind in that regard, but have made a move in the right direction, securing another recruit.

Offensive lineman Will Slagle announced on his X account that he has committed to Iowa State. That name will be familiar to Cyclones fans because it is the second time that he has committed to the program.

Will Slagle re-commits to Iowa State

Iowa State football head coach Jimmy Rogers talks to media during NFL football pro-day at Bergstrom Football Complex on March 24, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When Campbell was still head coach, the four-star recruit announced that he would be playing for the Cyclones during a tailgate outside Jack Trice Stadium. It was a massive addition to the Class of 2027, figuratively and literally, adding a highly sought-after player to the mix.

However, when Campbell announced that he was leaving for Penn State, Slagle decommitted from the program. The Nittany Lions were immediately in contact with him, and it looked as if he would be the next former Iowa State recruit to flip to Penn State.

When he decommitted, it opened the door for plenty of programs to get into the mix. In a graphic shared on a post on his X profile, there were 13 different logos, including the Cyclones, all of which were Power Conference teams.

Loyal Sons Forever True🌪️🌪️🌪️ pic.twitter.com/x3eT43J7or

— Will Slagle (@slagle_will) April 17, 2026

As a four-star recruit, he was the No. 4 player in the state of Iowa, hailing from Grinnell, and the No. 22-ranked interior lineman in the class. Re-securing a commitment from him speaks volumes to the work that Rogers and his staff are doing on the recruiting trial.

Slagle was one of the highest-rated recruits to ever commit to the program when Campbell secured it originally; that will remain true now that he has officially committed to the new staff in place.

Rogers made it clear from the start that his priority was to build this roster from the inside out, starting with the offensive line. He added a bunch of talented players in the transfer portal, and Slagle will be part of that pipeline in the Class of 2027, which now sits at five players for the Cyclones.