New Iowa State Staff Attempting To Flip Class of 2026 Defensive Lineman

The Iowa State Cyclones are hoping to add another recruit to their Class of 2026 haul.

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

New Iowa State Cyclones head football coach Jimmy Rogers has been hard at work the last few weeks restocking the team’s roster for 2026 and beyond.

When he took over the job from Matt Campbell, who departed for the Penn State Nittany Lions, the team experienced significant attrition. More than 50 players entered the transfer portal, and 16 of their 22-player Class of 2026 decommitted from the school.

Slowly but surely, the talent has been replenished. The Cyclones look to have their 2026 roster pretty much set with more than 100 players. However, they are still looking to add another to their Class of 2026 haul.

As shared by Bill Seals of Cyclone Report (subscription required), the new staff is attempting to flip one more player ahead of the February Signing Day set for the fourth: interior defensive lineman Jaden Weaver.

Iowa State attempting to flip Jaden Weaver

Jimmy Rogers speaks during his introductory press conference as Iowa State’s new head football coach on Dec. 8, 2025, at Iowa State University in Ames, IA. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Feb. 2, the Carl Sandburg High School product from Orland Park, Illinois, received an offer from defensive line coach Jalon Bibbs.

“I’m just as shocked as everyone,” Weaver said, via Seals. “It was just kind of out of the blue. Coach Bibbs told me he’d heard great things about me and had watched my film. He said people around (the football facility) have spoken highly, because I went to a camp in the summer and did pretty well. There was talk around the building and that helped them make the offer.”

In addition to attending a camp held at Ames last summer, the Chicagoland product is very familiar with Iowa State. There are family ties to the school, and he has made multiple visits to campus outside of the camp.

Currently committed to the South Dakota Coyotes, there is a chance that he flips to the Cyclones ahead of Signing Day on Feb. 4. Iowa State is the only Power Four program to make him an offer to this point.

Iowa State facing some competition for Jaden Weaver

Oct 23, 2021; Ames, Iowa, USA; General view of helmet used by Iowa State Cyclones against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first half at Jack Trice Stadium. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The other schools that have pursued Weaver are the Western Michigan Broncos, Western Illinois Leathernecks, Miami (OH) RedHawks and Kent State Golden Flashes.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, Weaver believes that he is a good fit skill-wise for the game plan that defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit is expected to deploy. He is going to be running a 4-2-5 base defense, while the previous staff used a 3-3-5 alignment.

It will be interesting to see what decision Weaver ultimately makes. There is familiarity with the Cyclones that will make their late offer one that he strongly considers.