As Iowa State heads toward a season full of new faces and plenty of uncertainty, one of the biggest questions on offense is who will help Jaylen Raynor stretch the field. The answer, at least on paper, is Omari Hayes.
Hayes is projected to be the Cyclones’ top wide receiver after arriving as one of the more important transfer additions in the portal. The soon-to-be junior brings two solid college seasons with him, and last year at Tulane he put together 39 catches for 515 receiving yards and one touchdown.
That production came after he made the jump from Florida Atlantic to Tulane, and he handled the rise in competition well. Now he’s being asked to make another one, this time with Iowa State in the Big 12.
The setup around him is still unsettled. Jimmy Rogers is entering the conference with a roster that was stripped down in the offseason, and while he has earned respect early in his coaching career, the Cyclones are still trying to piece everything together. On offense, a lot will ride on Raynor, the transfer quarterback from Arkansas State, but he’ll need reliable targets to make it work.
Hayes may be the best bet to fill that role. Even though he comes from a Group of Five program, Tulane’s run to the College Football Playoff gave him a taste of high-level competition, and Iowa State will be counting on that experience.
The Cyclones may not be built for a championship push this season, but they do want to put a competitive team on the field. Hayes looks like a central part of that effort.
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