Iowa State’s preseason profile is already looking familiar in one big way: the Cyclones are built to defend. Kenpom dropped its preseason rankings on Sunday, and Iowa State landed at No. 6 overall, with projections that point to the country’s No. 23 offense and No. 2 defense.
That defensive number fits the roster shape. Tamin Lipsey returns as a three-time All-Big 12 defender, JaQuan Johnson arrives as the reigning Missouri Valley defensive player of the year, and Leon Bond III brings another defensive honor to the mix after being named to the MVC defensive team.
T.J. Otzelberger has also made it clear he views Killyan Toure as one of the nation’s elite on-ball defenders and Blake Buchanan as the best defensive big he has coached.
The offense, though, has some rebuilding to do after losing consensus All-American Joshua Jefferson to the first round of the draft and Milan Momcilovic to Kentucky. Lipsey’s return gives the Cyclones a steady hand, and sophomore Jamarion Batemon is expected to take on a bigger scoring and shot-making role.
Kenpom is not alone in liking Iowa State. The Cyclones are the second-highest ranked Big 12 team in those preseason numbers, behind Houston at No. 3 and just ahead of Arizona at No. 5 and Kansas at No.
- Texas Tech checks in at No.
The same general picture shows up in the other major projections as well. Bart Torvik has Iowa State at No. 9, which slots the Cyclones fourth in the Big 12 behind Arizona, Houston and Kansas. Evan Miya has them at No. 8, again behind Arizona and Houston and just ahead of Kansas.
On the women’s side, Iowa State now knows its coaching timeline. Bill Fennelly said Monday that the 2026-27 season will be his last leading the Cyclones. Over more than three decades, he turned Iowa State into one of the Big 12’s most reliable programs, piling up 656 career wins, 24 NCAA Tournament appearances and 26 postseason berths.
His resume at Iowa State includes Elite Eight runs in 1999 and 2009, a Big 12 regular season title in 2000 and league tournament championships in 2000, 2001 and 2023. As the retirement window approaches, attention now turns to who might follow him in Ames.
One name to watch is Heather Ezell, the Wyoming head coach and an Iowa State alum who played for the Cyclones from 2005-09. Ezell is entering her fifth season at Wyoming after seven years on staff there, and as a Midwest native she would fit the profile of someone who could return closer to home. Wyoming was 10-20 last season, so a bounce back to the 20-win level she reached in 2023 and 2025 would likely be important if she is going to emerge as a real contender.
Another internal possibility is Billy Fennelly, who has been on the Iowa State staff since 2010 and is entering his fourth season in his current two-role setup as assistant and general manager. If Bill Fennelly has any say in the search, his son would be a name worth watching. Billy also has past stops at Northwestern and Maryland.
Caroline McCombs gives Iowa State another in-house option. She was hired this summer after serving as head coach at George Washington from 2021-25 and at Stony Brook from 2014-21. Her overall head coaching record is 185-141, though her George Washington tenure ended with a 55-65 mark.
Among outside options, Aaron Johnston stands out. The South Dakota State coach has won 11 regular season titles and earned Summit League coach of the year honors nine times.
In 22 seasons with the Jackrabbits, he is 550-169. Pulling him out of Brookings would not be easy.
Chris Kielsmeier is another name with Iowa State ties, since he is an Iowa State alum from 1999. He is preparing to start his ninth season as a head coach and first at Texas State. Before that, he won 178 games and two Horizon League championships in eight seasons at Cleveland State.
And then there’s Brock Purdy, whose NFL season is gaining serious traction. The former Iowa State quarterback is currently No. 2 in MVP odds behind Buffalo’s Josh Allen, with most sportsbooks listing Purdy at +300 and Allen at +250 as Week 6 approaches.
Both quarterbacks have played five games, but Purdy has a better completion percentage and more touchdown passes than Allen, the 2024 AP MVP. San Francisco is 5-0, while Buffalo is 4-1 after its 37-34 win over the Rams on Monday Night Football.
In Other News...
Blake Buchanan Could Decide How Far Iowa State Can Go
Blake Buchanan arrived in Ames with a different kind of resume than the usual one-and-done buzz, and last season gave Iowa State plenty of reason to believe his presence changes the ceiling. After two years at Virginia, he settled into a role for the Cyclones and averaged 8.5 points and 5.7 rebounds, showing the kind of steady interior production that can matter in a long Big 12 season.
What makes Buchanan especially important for Iowa State is the part of the game that does not always show up first in the box score. T.J. Otzelberger has called him the best defensive big man he has coached, a striking endorsement from a coach who has built his program on toughness and connected defense. With Buchanan returning, the Cyclones are banking on his leadership and rim protection to help determine just how far this group can go. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa States Passing Game Just Took Another Brutal Hit
Iowa States passing game took another hit over the weekend when Dominic Overby went down with a knee injury against BYU, and the Cyclones now have to finish the season without one of their most reliable receiving options. Head coach Jimmy Rogers later confirmed on Coaches Corner that Overbys injury is season-ending, a tough development for a unit that has already been thinning out at wide receiver.
Overby had emerged as a leading target for Iowa State, giving the offense a steady option as it tried to keep pace through a difficult stretch. Losing him only deepens the challenge for the Cyclones, who have already been dealing with multiple season-ending injuries at the position and now have to reshape their passing attack again with little margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Enters A Pivotal Bye Week With Offense In Question
A 3-3 start has Iowa State in the thick of the Big 12 race but also in need of some answers as the calendar turns to a bye week. The Cyclones have stayed close with several top 20 opponents, which keeps the record from telling the full story, but there is still a clear offensive concern after the season-ending injury to receiver Overby. His absence matters because it changes the look of the passing game just as the team is trying to find steadier production.
The break now arrives at a useful time, giving the staff a chance to regroup, evaluate players and tighten up the plan for the stretch run. A bowl game is still within reach if Iowa State can win three of its last six, but the next phase will depend on how quickly the offense can adjust and whether the Cyclones can turn those competitive losses and close calls into something more tangible. [Read more 🡒]