Rob Gray

Iowa State simply can’t win with regularity when it's ranked 118th or worse in any — let alone three — special teams categories. As a result, Cyclones football coach Matt Campbell brought in Jordan Langs to coordinate those units while also coaching the running backs.

Easton Dean’s physical struggles last season mirrored Iowa State’s as a whole. Now he stands front and center for a group looking to serve as a so-called security blanket as the Cyclones break in a new quarterback.

Iowa State defensive tackle Domonique Orange stands 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 335 pounds. He’s skilled and explosive on the defensive interior, tearing through the trenches with brute force and bad intentions.

Jirehl Brock, Iowa State’s leading rusher last season, has voluntarily left the program, an ISU athletics spokesperson confirmed Monday to The Gazette.

Ryan Clanton helped turn both former Northern Iowa standouts into early-round NFL Draft picks, so when he chose to join Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell’s staff, current ISU offensive linemen took notice.

Beyond longtime starter Gerry Vaughn, several Iowa State linebackers have shined at times throughout spring ball, summer workouts and fall camp. The crux of the competition for the other two spots alongside Vaughn naturally centers on consistency

As impressive as their catches are, avid fishermen Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins are chasing bigger ones as Iowa State football fall camp amps up and dovetails toward the Sept. 2 season opener against Northern Iowa.

The Iowa State quarterback position looks to be as unsettled as it’s been since Matt Campbell’s first season in 2016 — and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Iowa State senior defensive tackle Isaiah Lee has left the team, an Iowa State athletics spokesperson confirmed Monday. Lee is one of six Cyclone players known to be facing charges stemming from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s inquiry into sport gambling

Iowa State special teams standout Ben Nikkel calls special teams plays “controlled chaos.” That’s nothing compared to the commotion created Monday when Cyclones Coach Matt Campbell announced Nikkel would be placed on scholarship.

Iowa State running back Jirehl Brock and three other teammates face charges stemming from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s inquiry into sports gambling.

New Iowa State special teams coordinator Jordan Langs joined the program with one simple goal in mind: Be of help, not a hindrance.

“Violence and Versatility” form the framework of Iowa State’s first-year offensive line coach Ryan Clanton’s physical and philosophical approach to his craft

ISU suffered through its first losing season since 2016 — but a harsher blow was yet to come. Matt Campbell stood at the podium Friday just three days after news broke that last year’s starting quarterback, Hunter Dekkers, was facing charges relating to the Iowa Division of Investigation’s inquiry into gambling. Campbell didn’t comment on the allegations against Dekkers, but did address the issue generally.

Change is the theme of the 2023 Iowa State football season. It won’t be easy to reverse its fortunes after going 4-8 to snap a streak of five consecutive winning seasons. Here are three keys to potential success.