Aiden Flora has gone from unknown to unavoidable, and Iowa State is now dealing with the kind of problem every program wants: keeping its best player from becoming somebody else’s payday.
The Cyclones running back has piled up 1,119 yards and is tracking toward a first-team All-Big 12 finish, with a real chance to land on an All-America team as well. That rise has also made him one of the most intriguing non-quarterbacks headed into the next transfer portal cycle, a reality Jimmy Rogers addressed bluntly Tuesday.
“He’s been given an opportunity; he’s making the most of this platform right now,” Rogers said, before getting to the part everyone around the program is thinking.
“Just gotta keep him here.”
Flora’s production has turned the conversation from surprise to urgency. His yardage has come largely from his ability to outrun defenders around the edges, and the money figures to follow.
Rogers knows it. Iowa State’s NIL people know it.
Fans know it.
“Money will be thrown his way - more than he’s earning this season, I presume,” the reporting notes, and Rogers made clear he understands the reality of the situation.
“He’s not talking about leaving; he’s not that type of person,” Rogers said. “It’s just the landscape of college football. He’d be crazy to ignore the thought that that could happen, right?
“I think he enjoys it here. I think he likes his role here.
At the end of the day, he’s really open with us. He’s one of our captains.
He’s always up in the building.”
That makes Flora’s path even more striking. He was barely on the national radar when preseason lists were assembled, and last season he logged only four rushes.
Now the former walk-on from Adel heads into Saturday’s game against Cincinnati at Jack Trice Stadium as the No. 2 Power Four rusher in the country.
His 1,119 yards are the most by an Iowa State back since Breece Hall’s 1,472 in 2021 and 1,572 in 2020. At 124.3 yards per game, Flora is on pace for the fifth-best rushing season in Cyclones history, behind Troy Davis’ 2,185 yards in 1996, Troy Davis’ 2,010 in 1995, Hall’s 1,572 in 2020 and Blaise Bryant’s 1,516 in 1989.
The efficiency has been just as eye-catching. Flora’s 7.1 yards per carry would stand as Iowa State’s best if the season ended today, placing him in a top five that includes Mike Warren, Buddy Hardeman, Hall, Davis and Tom Vaughn.
That kind of company is rare for a redshirt sophomore who had only 15 career college rushes before this season. It’s also why Rogers made it clear the ball is going to keep finding him.
“He’s going to touch the ball as much as possible,” Rogers said.
Cincinnati’s Scott Satterfield is paying attention, too.
“When he gets to the edge of the defense, he’s going to go,” Satterfield said Tuesday. “This kid is one of the fastest running backs in the country. He’s one of the top running backs in the country.”
Flora’s rise has become one of the season’s biggest surprises, and the numbers explain why. The only question now is how long Iowa State gets to enjoy it.
Beyond that, there’s the portal, the money, and the obvious tug-of-war between loyalty and opportunity. Flora posted on his “X” account on Dec.
25, 2025: “Blessed by the Lord! Staying home!
Merry Christmas! @ISURogers3 @Coach_Roehl”
For now, the Cyclones are still counting on him. And everyone involved seems to know what comes next.
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