Lessons learned from sitting out fuel Iowa State star linebacker Caleb Bacon

AMES — The constant discomfort didn’t dim Caleb Bacon’s spirits as he sat alone at home. That’s because the budding, but injured Iowa State star linebacker had a big game to watch.

So the former walk-on from Lake Mills grabbed the TV remote, feeling both isolated and invigorated after undergoing knee surgery to repair a season-ending injury in last year’s opener.

“It almost didn’t feel like it was real that first week — the surgery was so quick,” said the 6-4, 245-pound redshirt senior who expects to enter this season fully healthy and primed for even more growth. “But when we went into Iowa (and) beat them (20-19) … that was just really cool for my guys. I just got a different perspective (last) season, just being on the sidelines watching.”

That newfound perspective will accompany Bacon back onto the field this season — but he’s far from alone in that regard. Fellow linebacker Carson Willich also missed all of ISU’s historic 11-win 2024 season. Freshman Cael Brezina played in just a handful of games and junior Will McLaughlin — the most experienced linebacker for the Cyclones last season — sat out because of injury until mid-November, and never came close to being fully healthy despite gutting out dozens of snaps down the stretch.

“I think those guys learned great lessons along the way,” ISU head coach Matt Campbell said. “I think they’ve got a chip on their shoulder coming back, which is kind of fun. And I think they’ve got a lot that they feel like they have to prove, which is a lot of fun, too. So we’re excited about that linebacker room.”

That group took its lumps at times last season, as a patchwork unit of walk-ons and unknowns were thrust into duty and impressed teammates and coaches alike with their energy and effort despite being rank beginners in terms of the playbook. Players such as Rylan Barnes and Beau Goodwin emerged to help plug the gaping holes, and their development formed a silver lining that accompanied that injury-based tumult at linebacker for the Cyclones.

“It helped that everybody was just ready to compete, top to bottom,” said Brezina, who totaled three tackles for loss and recovered a fumble last season. “I feel like you could have gone with anybody in our room and we were ready to play. We were locked in. Great leadership in the room. You had old guys (who) were injured or not playing, but that whole time they were still in the film room, they were still working with us young guys.”

There’s only one truly “old guy” slated to start at linebacker this season and that’s Bacon. He’s one of just two seniors in the room even though he’s only played two full seasons, and just one in down and distance situations. But that 2023 season, Bacon burst onto the scene, climbing to second on the team in total tackles with 60, and tying for second in sacks (3.0) and quarterback hurries (8.0).

“(He) was such a monumental figure for our football team in ’23,” said Campbell, whose team opens the 2025 season in the Aug. 23 Aer Lingus Classic against archival Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland. “The offseason that he had a year ago, physically — he was so ready to emerge on the scene. So I think anytime you have adversity, how you handle it is really big. (He was) a great leader last year.”

Now Bacon's ready to start popping pads and dropping quarterbacks again. He and Willich will both be limited contact-wise this spring in hopes of being 100 percent for fall camp and the season to come. Bacon's just happy to be back out there, combining brute force with that hard-earned perspective acquired by sitting at home, then standing on the sidelines as his teammates made history last season.

“I’ll just be going out there and playing everything like it’s gonna be my last snap,” he said. “Kind of felt like after that play when I went down (in last season’s opener), it’s like, ‘Man, anything can happen, anytime.’”

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