Iowa State heads into Saturday night in Iowa City with more on the line than bragging rights. The Cyclones will also have a chance to make a real impression on several recruits they’re battling for, with Kinnick Stadium set to host a cluster of prospects Iowa State is trying to keep in play.
One of the biggest names in that group is Sioux City receiver Isaiah Grant. He visited Ames in the spring to see Jimmy Rogers and the Cyclones, and Iowa State is pushing to get him back on campus this fall. The four-star receiver is also being recruited by Nebraska and Illinois.
Tight end Jevyn Severson will also be in the building on Saturday. He’s scheduled to take a gameday visit to Iowa State later this season, but the Cyclones were a major player in his recruitment before Matt Campbell left for Penn State. That change gave Iowa and Kirk Ferentz room to get more involved with the Top247 prospect.
Two Des Moines-area offensive linemen Iowa State is recruiting are also expected in Iowa City: Dowling Catholic’s Carter Barrett and Des Moines Christian’s Declan Heying. Heying is rated as a top-5 player in the state in 2028, while Alabama is also in the mix for Barrett.
That road trip also fits into a bigger picture for Iowa State, because the Cyclones have already seen what one rough outing in Kinnick can turn into down the line. Jamie Pollard said earlier this summer that by the end of Matt Campbell’s first season, he could see where things were headed.
"We won three games, but in the 12th game of the year our fans couldn't wait for the next year to start because you could just feel like you could see it," Pollard told Cyclone Alert earlier this summer.
"I mean we got just run out of Kinnick Stadium his first year. It was bad.
It was really bad, and from that point on, I don't think there was ever a game we weren't in. You could just feel the momentum building and then he found that success right away."
Campbell’s first year ended at 3-9, but the finish started to shift late. Iowa State beat Kansas 31-24, then followed that with a blowout win over Texas Tech in Ames.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 219 yards in that game, but he also had two interceptions and was outplayed by Jacob Park, who finished with 285 yards and two touchdowns. Joel Lanning was the headliner, though, running for 171 yards and five touchdowns to tie Troy Davis’ five rushing scores against UNLV in 1995 for the school’s single-game record.
The season ended with a 49-19 loss at No. 18 West Virginia, but the momentum carried over.
Iowa State opened the next year 6-2 after beating No. 4 TCU 14-7, then closed at 8-5 with a 21-20 win over No.
20 Memphis in the Liberty Bowl. That was Iowa State’s first bowl trip since 2012 and its first bowl victory since the 2009 Insight Bowl.
Saturday’s game is also one of the weekend’s biggest tests in the Big 12 landscape, with Week 2 opening tonight and a long slate of conference action ahead. No.
23 Missouri at Kansas leads the way in the latest Border War installment, the second straight year the rivalry has been played and the first time the teams have met in Lawrence since 2005. Missouri beat Kansas 42-31 last season in Columbia after falling behind 21-6 early.
No. 6 Oregon visits Oklahoma State after the Cowboys’ Week 1 loss at Tulsa, a result that marked the first time since the 1950s Oklahoma State has lost in consecutive seasons to Tulsa. Oregon beat Boise State to open the year, though not in overwhelming fashion.
Arizona State’s trip to No. 10 Texas A&M gives Cutter Boley and the Sun Devils a far tougher measuring stick after Boley’s strong showing against Morgan State. A win in College Station would register as a major statement for the Big 12.
Arizona travels to No. 15 BYU in another game that could help define the league’s early shape. BYU is favored, but Arizona has a chance to show it belongs in the conference race, and the quarterback duel between Noah Fifita and Bear Bachmeier stands out.
Iowa State’s own trip to No. 21 Iowa carries a notable milestone too.
The Cyclones are trying to win three straight road games against their in-state rival for the first time since the 1998, 2000 and 2002 meetings. A victory would also make Jimmy Rogers just the second Cyclone coach since 1915 to beat Iowa in his first try, joining Gene Chizik.
Another Big 12-SEC matchup lands on the board with Arkansas at No. 20 Utah.
It’s the fourth such game this season, with Arkansas and new coach Ryan Silverfield heading to Salt Lake City to face Morgan Scalley’s first Utah team. Utah and Devon Dampier looked sharp last week against an overmatched opponent, and Saturday will show much more.
In Other News...
Cy-Hawk Just Got More Tense For Iowa State's 2028 Recruiting Push
Jimmy Rogers and his staff at Iowa State are still sorting through the ripple effects of the coaching change, trying to stabilize a recruiting class that took some hits after Matt Campbells departure. The Cyclones have kept building with the Class of 2027, which sits No. 43 nationally with 24 commitments and includes names like Isaiah Hansen and Will Slagle, but the bigger long-term work is already underway for 2028.
Thats where this weekend carries a little extra weight for the Cyclones. Iowa State has already brought in several Class of 2028 prospects, including defensive lineman Hunter Mosolino and quarterback Chase Grove, and both are set to visit rival Iowa this weekend. For a program trying to reassert itself in the next recruiting cycle, every cross-border visit in the Cy-Hawk orbit matters a little more than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Enters A Pressure Week Fans Cannot Ignore
Early-season pressure always feels a little louder in the Big 12, and Iowa State is tied into it through Jimmy Rogers as the leagues coaching carousel gets its first serious stress test. The conference landscape has already started to sort itself by expectations and urgency, with several programs measuring themselves against tough starts, uneven performances and the kind of games that can shift the tone of a season before September is over.
For the Cyclones, that broader picture matters because the scrutiny is not limited to one sideline or one school. Rogers is part of a group of first-month coaches whose next few Saturdays will help shape how their teams are judged, and the stakes are especially high with key matchups approaching across the league. In a conference where patience can disappear quickly, Iowa State knows the conversation around its coach is only going to get sharper from here. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Still Carries Mari-Rae Soppers Powerful Legacy 25 Years Later
Twenty-five years later, Mari-Rae Soppers story still reaches beyond gymnastics and well into the larger memory of September 11. Before her life was cut short, she had been a former gymnast and a Navy JAG officer who left a high-paying attorney job to chase a collegiate coaching career, a choice that said plenty about the kind of path she wanted to build. For Iowa State, her legacy remains tied not just to what she accomplished, but to the ambition and purpose she brought to the sport.
Sopper boarded American Airlines Flight 77 on Sept. 11, 2001, and was among those killed when it was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon. Her name lives on at Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon Memorial and the National September 11 Memorial, reminders of a life remembered in more than one place. For the Cyclones, the resonance is especially powerful because her story still represents a blend of sacrifice, service and the pursuit of coaching that continues to matter long after the calendar turned on that day. [Read more 🡒]