Iowa State Makes Offer to Class of 2027 Safety Also Pursued by Penn State

The Iowa State Cyclones are set to go head-to-head with the Penn State Nittany Lions for a recruit in the Class of 2027.

Dec 8, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Matt Campbell is announced as the Penn State Nittany Lions new head coach during a press conference at the Beaver Stadium Press Room. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones and Penn State Nittany Lions are going to be intertwined for years to come.

That is because, after 10 years at the helm as head coach of the Cyclones football program, Matt Campbell accepted the head coaching position with the Nittany Lions. And their sidelines are going to have more familiar faces for Iowa State fans than the ones at Jack Trice Stadium in 2026.

Multiple coaches and players followed Campbell to Happy Valley, while Jimmy Rogers is tasked with replacing the winningest coach in program history in Ames. That is more than enough to connect the two programs for the foreseeable future, but they are also now battling it out for the same recruits.

Iowa State recently made an offer to safety Wyatt Liebentritt, according to Bill Seals of Cyclone Report (subscription required). The only other Power Four program who extend an offer to the Skutt Catholic High School product from Omaha, Nebraska is Penn State.

Iowa State joins Penn State pursuing Wyatt Liebentritt

Oct 30, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; An Iowa State Cyclones helmet on the bench during the third quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

A three-star recruit with an 88 ranking per 247Sports, he is the No. 44-ranked player at his position right now in the Class of 2027 and the No. 4-ranked player in his state.

Liebentritt received his offer from the Cyclones this past weekend. He is very familiar with the school, making visits to Ames when the previous coaching staff was there, and planning to make another in the near future, possibly next month.

“I’m super excited. I’ve been up to Iowa State three times now. I’ve been there for camp, spring practice and for a game this last year. I’m super excited to learn more about Iowa State and continue my interest there,” the safety recruit said, via Seals.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Liebentritt has also received offers from the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and North Dakota State Bison.

Across 11 games played as a junior, he racked up 49 total tackles, one of which went for a loss, to go along with two interceptions.

Penn State has eyes on several former Iowa State recruits

Dec 8, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Matt Campbell answers questions from the media after being announced as the Penn State Nittany Lions new head coach during a press conference at the Beaver Stadium Press Room. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

He is far from the first recruit that Campbell has shown an interest in bringing along with him to the Nittany Lions, and likely won’t be the last.

Iowa State’s Class of 2026 on Signing Day, a mere 48 hours before the news broke about Campbell’s departure, included 22 players. That dwindled down to six, with at least nine of them ending up with the Nittany Lions.

In the Class of 2027, Penn State has also shown interest in offensive lineman Will Slagle. Originally committed to the Cyclones, he reopened his recruitment following the coaching change.

Rogers and his staff have since re-offered Slagle, who was drawing immediate interest when he was back on the market.