Jimmy Rogers Flips Washington State Commit As First Recruit With Iowa State Cyclones

Jimmy Rogers has landed his first recruit with the Iowa State Cyclones, flipping a player from the Washington State Cougars.

Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers speaks during a timeout in the Cy-Hawk men's basketball game on Dec. 11, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Since Jimmy Rogers was announced as the replacement for Matt Campbell as head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones, he has seen the program’s recruiting Class of 2026 disappear.

On Signing Day, held on Dec. 3, Iowa State secured 22 players. Since Campbell departed for the Penn State Nittany Lions, that class has diminished. Linebacker Keian Kaiser is the latest defection, dropping the class to 10 players.

Some of them, such as safety Bryson Williams, punter Lucas Tenbrock and quarterback Kase Evans, have already announced they are following Campbell and have committed to Penn State. Others, such as Class of 2027 offensive linemen Will Slagle, are being pursued by the Nittany Lions.

That has put Rogers in an incredibly tough spot. He has plans laid out to retain as much talent as possible, but he has his work cut out for him.

Malcom Watkins is first Iowa State recruit for Jimmy Rogers

Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers speaks during a timeout in the first half in the Iowa State and Iowa men’s basketball Cy-Hawk series at Hilton coliseum on Dec. 11, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alas, after so many defections from the class, the Cyclones have finally added a recruit back to the mix. As shared by Bill Seals of Cyclone Report, part of the On3 Network, on X, Malcolm Watkins is being added to the Class of 2026.

A three-star ATH, the Frontier product out of Bakersfield, California, is flipping his commitment from the Washington State Cougars to Iowa State. He has been released from his letter of intent with the Cougars and will be heading to Ames.

***FOOTBALL RECRUITING*** BREAKING: Bakersfield (Calif.) Frontier 3-star ATH @Malcolmwatkins_ becomes #IowaState's first commitment of the Jimmy Rogers era. Watkins has been released from his Washington State LOI & is joining #Cyclones' 2026 class.

➡️https://t.co/3cauRA7ZSj pic.twitter.com/h027trQVGe

— Bill Seals (@williamseals) December 15, 2025

This is the first recruit of the Rogers era to join the Cyclones. Just as the case was with Campbell and players following him to Penn State, it was only a matter of time until players who committed to Rogers while he was head coach of the Cougars would do the same.

A dynamic athlete, Watkins will presumably be playing wide receiver in college. He caught 46 passes, gaining almost 800 yards and scoring eight touchdowns. A multi-sport athlete, he was also a standout performer on the track, where he was a sprinter, partaking in the 100- and 200-meter races and relay team.

His addition helps address what was turning into a major question mark for Iowa State. Amarion Jackson and Kash Brock, two members of the Class of 2026, were released from their letters of intent. Freshmen Karon Brookins and Zay Robinson both announced they would be entering the transfer portal with four years of eligibility remaining.

What was a borderline top 50 class before the coaching change is now sitting outside of the top 100. Rogers is certainly hopeful that this will change in the coming weeks, and the arrival of Watkins is a step in the right direction of achieving that.