Rob Gray

Iowa State linebacker Jack Sadowsky’s rookie success story included a stat line of 33 tackles and 2.5 stops for loss. He also notched a quarterback hurry for a deep unit that lost Gerry Vaughn to graduation and Carson Willich to a torn ACL this spring, but returns several players with valuable playing experience.

Endless adversity. That’s what Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell and his staff have tried to create for a Cyclones team brimming with a blend of proven and unproven talent.

Jontez Williams, a 5-11, 200-pound native of Starke, Fla., doesn’t possess T.J. Tampa’s expansive wingspan, but he clearly has the mental makeup to shine at cornerback for Iowa State opposite returning starter yles Purchase.

Kiper thinks the cornerback has all the tools to make it in the NFL and should be rated higher in the draft

Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins could give Cyclones quite a punch on offense, among other talented threats

Cyclone junior has only been playing football since his senior yeare in high school and once considered basketball his future

New Iowa State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser played an integral role in building strong relationships on the recruiting trail and within the team’s walls. And he’s ready to lead an offense that improved from 128th to seventh in red zone scoring and features an array of big play threats in the running and passing games.

One broke a 38-year-old Iowa state record in the long jump. The other became Minnesota’s first two-time Gatorade player of the year award winner. Together, Iowa State sophomore tailbacks Abu Sama and Carson Hansen form a one-two punch in the backfield that should pose a problem for opposing defenses this fall.

Iowa State’s potential roster for the 2024-25 season is filled with scorers and lockdown defenders, particularly at the guard position, where standouts Keshon Gilbert, Curtis Jones and Tamin Lipsey are expected to return after helping to guide the Cyclones to their second Sweet 16 appearance in the past three years.

Iowa State came up short against Illinois, 72-69, in the Sweet 16 Thursday night. Say what you want about this Cyclone team, but maximum “effort” and “fight” defined a season that included a second-place finish in the Big 12, a sixth conference tournament title.

Tre King and Robert Jones were on the Iowa State men’s basketball roster when the team reached the Sweet 16 two years ago before falling, 70-56, to Miami, but Jones is the only returner who actually played. Both will start Thursday night against Illinois.

T.J. Otzelberger constantly stresses the importance of strictly adhering to daily habits. That includes no yawning in the weight room

Iowa State eventually flipped the script against Washington State by ramping up its disruptive defense, which is ranked No. 1 nationally according to KenPom. Then Ward skied for one of his patented alley-pop dunks to help set up a high-level, late-night Sweet 16 confrontation with Illinois.

Ben Brahmer’s big numbers have helped define him early in his ISU career. The first-team Freshman All-American by The Athletic broke the program’s true freshman tight records for receptions (28) and receiving yards (352) last season and the best is likely yet to come.

A 9-0 run that helped propel Iowa State to a 67-56 second-round NCAA men’s basketball tournament victory over the Cougars at CHI Health Center Arena.