Blog Article
Iowa State’s 2025 Football Season: How the Cyclones Plan to Build on Their Historic Success
Iowa State just delivered the best football season in school history, and now they face their greatest challenge: doing it again.
After an unprecedented 11-win campaign in 2024 that included the program’s first-ever Big 12 Championship Game appearance and a thrilling Pop-Tarts Bowl victory, the Cyclones enter 2025 with a mix of returning talent, high expectations, and significant questions to answer.
The Historic Season Nobody Saw Coming
Last year wasn’t just good for Iowa State—it was program-defining.
- First 11-win season in 133 years of Cyclone football
- Finished as Big 12 runners-up, falling to Arizona State in the championship game
- Capped the season with a dramatic 42-41 comeback victory over Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl
- Achieved a final AP ranking of No. 15, third-highest among Big 12 teams
- Generated enough momentum for head coach Matt Campbell to sign an eight-year extension through 2032
The success cemented Campbell’s legacy as the winningest coach in Iowa State history, silencing NFL rumors and giving the program unprecedented stability.
Your first question should be: Can they possibly do it again?
With key departures at wide receiver and a challenging schedule with an international opener, the path to matching last year’s success won’t be easy, but the pieces are there.
Becht’s Evolution: More Than Just a Quarterback
Rocco Becht isn’t just returning as Iowa State’s starting quarterback—he’s returning as the team’s most important leader.
“Obviously, the leadership part, on and off the field, in the locker room—becoming a guy (like) Jaylin Noel and Beau (Freyler) were on their respective sides of the ball,” Becht said recently when discussing his goals for 2025. After throwing for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2024, he’s focused on becoming even sharper.
There are three specific ways Becht elevated his game during the 2024 season:
- Clutch performance: Led four come-from-behind victories, including the bowl game
- Ball security: Threw just three interceptions in the final six games
- Dual-threat capability: More than doubled his career-high in rushing touchdowns with eight
This growth has established Becht as one of the Big 12’s premier quarterbacks entering 2025, but his impact extends beyond stats.
“Rocco is like another offensive coach on our staff,” says ISU offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser. “He’s the guy, since we got back (from the Pop-Tarts Bowl win over Miami), who, when the coaches aren’t there, he’s there running practice and going through routes.”
This player-driven leadership will be crucial as Iowa State integrates new talent at key positions.
The Wide Receiver Question Everyone Is Asking
Iowa State lost its two biggest offensive weapons to the NFL Draft, creating the team’s most glaring question mark.
The departures of Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who combined for 2,377 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns, leave a massive production void that will be addressed through two primary channels:
- Strategic Transfer Portal Additions
- Chase Sowell (East Carolina/Colorado): A 6-4 receiver who had multiple 100-yard games at ECU
- Xavier Townsend (UCF): Versatile playmaker with 66 career catches and experience as a rusher and returner
- Internal Development
- Young players like Carson Brown and Eli Green are stepping into expanded roles
- Converting tight end Kai Black (now 240 pounds) into a potential outside receiving threat
How quickly these new pieces develop chemistry with Becht will largely determine the Cyclones’ offensive ceiling in 2025.
The Recruiting Pipeline That’s Changing the Program
Matt Campbell has slowly established Iowa State as the destination for top in-state talent.
The 2025 recruiting class, ranked No. 52 nationally, continues this trend by securing five of the top six players in Iowa, including:
- Alex Manske (QB, Algona): Four-star quarterback and cornerstone of the class
- Will Hawthorne (LB, Gilbert): Four-star linebacker, one of the state’s best defensive prospects
- Will Tompkins (OT, Cedar Falls): Four-star offensive tackle adding size up front
- Ethan Stecker (ATH, Spirit Lake): Versatile athlete with multiple positional options
- Jack Limbaugh (EDGE, Algona): Highly ranked edge rusher with pass-rush potential
These aren’t just good recruits by Iowa State standards—they’re elite talents that would have typically gone to bigger programs.
The class includes 21 total signees (11 offense, 10 defense), with seven from Iowa, demonstrating Campbell’s emphasis on first building from within the state’s borders.
A Run Defense Problem That Could Derail Everything
For all of Iowa State’s success in 2024, one glaring weakness threatened to undermine it all.
The Cyclones allowed 188.4 rushing yards per game (ranked 98th nationally) and 5.3 yards per carry—a vulnerability exploited in their Big 12 Championship loss and several close games.
To address this, Campbell has:
- Added multiple defensive linemen via the transfer portal, including Cannon Butler (UNI), Vontroy Malone (Tulsa), and Tamatoa McDonough (Yale)
- Signed four-star LB Will Hawthorne and DL BJ Carter in the recruiting class
- Developed young linebackers who were forced into action due to injuries in 2024
- Converted WR Beni Ngoyi to defensive back before the Pop-Tarts Bowl, with promising early results
If the Cyclones can’t stop the run more effectively in 2025, even Becht’s offensive firepower may not overcome it.
Dublin Calling: The Historic Season Opener
Iowa State will make program history before playing a single snap in Jack Trice Stadium.
The Cyclones will play outside the United States for the first time when they open the 2025 season against Kansas State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic on August 23 in Dublin, Ireland.
This international showcase brings unique challenges:
- An earlier start to the season (Week Zero) means accelerated preparation timelines
- Conference opponent in the opener raises immediate stakes
- International travel logistics for players, staff, and fans
- Three bye weeks (Sept. 20, Oct. 18, Nov. 15) create an unusual rhythm to the season
“He’s trying to make it like fall camp,” Becht explained about Coach Campbell’s approach to spring practice. “We know that we start a week earlier because we play in Ireland, and we have one of the longest seasons in college football.”
The Ireland opener is just the beginning of what many consider one of the most demanding schedules in recent memory.
The SWOT Analysis Every Cyclone Fan Needs to See
The Realistic Outlook Every Fan Should Adopt
Expectations need calibration after the best season in program history, both up and down.
Here’s what’s realistic for the 2025 Cyclones:
- Another Big 12 Championship appearance is possible but not guaranteed
- 8-9 wins would represent continued success given the schedule difficulty
- Offensive production may dip initially as new receivers develop
- Defense must improve against the run to remain conference contenders
- The international opener creates both opportunity and uncertainty
Matt Campbell’s eight-year contract extension signals that he and the university believe the program’s trajectory will remain upward despite the significant challenges ahead.
With Becht’s leadership, strategic portal additions, and Campbell’s developmental approach, Iowa State appears positioned to remain competitive in the evolving Big 12 landscape.
The question isn’t whether the Cyclones can match last year’s historic success—it’s whether they can sustain their place among the conference elite over the long term.
Based on the foundation built, the answer appears promising.
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