Iowa State looks set to hand the QB1 job in 2026 to Arkansas State transfer Jaylen Raynor, but the Cyclones may have something useful waiting behind him if the depth chart gets tested.
That insurance policy is Zane Flores, the former Oklahoma State freshman who spent last season in the middle of a nightmare. The Cowboys went 1-11, finished 0-9 in conference play and capped it with an ugly loss to Tulsa.
Flores was the quarterback for that stretch, and while the results were rough, the season wasn’t all on him. He was young, and he was dealing with a midseason coaching change.
Even in that mess, Flores flashed enough to matter.
His best traits show up when the play breaks down. He rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns last season, and the box score doesn’t really tell the whole story.
Flores has a knack for finding space, picking up extra yards and playing with a physical edge you don’t always see from quarterbacks. He also leaves the pocket with purpose, whether he’s looking to run or keep the play alive to throw.
That kind of movement skill matters in Iowa State’s situation, especially with Raynor projecting as more of a pocket passer. Flores gives the Cyclones a different look if they need it.
The flip side is just as clear. Flores has work to do in three areas: his touchdown-to-interception ratio, his red zone passing and his deep ball.
Three touchdowns against seven interceptions is a problem, plain and simple. He’ll need to clean that up.
Inside the red zone, his legs help, but his throwing still lags behind. And when he pushes the ball downfield, he’s not nearly as sharp as he is throwing over the middle and stacking up steady yards.
So Flores is useful, but unfinished. If Raynor misses time, Iowa State has a backup who can change the feel of an offense and give defenses something different to deal with. And if Flores doesn’t see the field this season, the bigger picture still matters: he’s young, he has plenty of eligibility left, and he looks more like a long-term project with real upside than a finished product.
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What makes Hayes interesting is the mix of reliability and upside. He has shown he can make tough grabs and rise to the moment in bigger games, including a solid showing in Tulanes College Football Playoff appearance and a strong outing against Ole Miss, but the next step is still the one that matters most in Ames. If he can turn those flashes into a more complete weekly presence, Iowa State may have found exactly what it needs, even if the final piece of the puzzle is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]