Iowa State came away empty in the 2026 preseason All-Big 12 team, a notable turn for a program that had at least one player on the list every year since 2015.
The conference’s preseason selections were heavy on BYU and Texas Tech, with both schools landing multiple spots across the offense, defense and special teams. BYU’s group included running back LJ Martin, offensive lineman Bruce Mitchell, defensive lineman Keanu Tanuvasa, linebacker Cade Uluave, defensive back Evan Johnson and defensive back Faletau Satuala.
Texas Tech also stacked the board with tight end Terrance Carter Jr., kicker Stone Harrington, defensive linemen A.J. Holmes Jr. and Adam Trick, and linebackers Ben Roberts and Austin Romaine.
The offensive side starts with Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, a redshirt senior, and includes West Virginia running back Cam Cook, BYU running back LJ Martin and West Virginia fullback Kayden Luke. The wide receiver group features Arizona State’s Omarion Miller, Houston’s Amare Thomas and Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Young.
Up front, Cincinnati’s Joe Cotton, Houston’s Shadre Hurst, BYU’s Bruce Mitchell, Kansas State’s John Pastore and Cincinnati’s Evan Tengesdahl make up the offensive line. Stone Harrington of Texas Tech was named at kicker, while Utah’s Mana Carvalho earned the punt/kick returner spot.
On defense, Arizona State’s C.J. Fite, Kansas State’s Wendell Gregory, Texas Tech’s A.J.
Holmes Jr., BYU’s Keanu Tanuvasa and Texas Tech’s Adam Trick were selected on the line. The linebacker group also includes BYU’s Cade Uluave, alongside Texas Tech’s Ben Roberts and Austin Romaine.
The defensive backfield features Houston’s Will James, BYU’s Evan Johnson and Faletau Satuala, TCU’s Jamel Johnson and Texas Tech’s Brice Pollock. Baylor’s Palmer Williams was chosen at punter.
In Other News...
How Iowa State Went From Big 12 Newcomer To Rare Constant
A decade can make a conference look like a different sport, and Iowa State has had a front-row seat to the change. When Matt Campbell arrived for his first Big 12 Media Days in 2016, he was the rookie face of a league that still felt stable and familiar. By the time Jimmy Rogers took the same stage in 2024, the backdrop had shifted so much that the comparison said as much about the Big 12 as it did about the Cyclones.
None of the head coaches who were there in 2016 are still in the league, a reminder of how quickly college football now turns over even the people in charge. The Big 12 itself has gone from a 10-team round robin to a 16-team league stretched across four time zones, with NIL and the transfer portal helping remake the job description along the way. For Iowa State, the unusual part is no longer being the newcomer. It is being one of the constants. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Freshman Buzz Just Took A Brutal Turn Before Fall Practices
The Big 12 is kicking off its media days with commissioner Brett Yormark set to spend part of the week answering broader league questions, and Iowa State has its own subplot worth watching on the basketball side as fall practices approach. Christian Wiggins arrived with the kind of freshman buzz that can matter on a veteran roster, the sort of young perimeter piece who might have found a way into the rotation sooner rather than later.
Instead, his early momentum has been interrupted before preseason work even gets rolling, leaving the Cyclones to adjust their backcourt plans and wait on a player they were hoping could help stretch the floor and bring some two-way value off the bench. For a program that tends to lean on depth and development, the timing is especially rough, and it adds another layer of uncertainty to a month that was already going to be full of league-wide storylines. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Earns Top 12 Respect Despite Major Roster Turnover
Iowa State is still earning national respect heading into the new season, landing 12th in CBS Sports latest college basketball power rankings even as the roster around it changes. The Cyclones are coming off a strong run and will look different this time around, but coach T.J. Otzelberger has enough returning pieces to keep the program in the mix.
Killyan Toure and Jamarion Batemon give Iowa State some continuity in the backcourt, and that matters for a team trying to reload without sliding backward. Otzelbergers group has already shown it can adapt, and the bigger question now is how quickly the new pieces settle in around the players who already know what it takes to win in Ames. [Read more 🡒]