Aiden Flora went from buried on Iowa State’s depth chart to the top spot in a hurry, and now the Cyclones are preparing for a much bigger workload from the running back in 2026.
Flora stayed in Ames after head coach Matt Campbell left for the Penn State Nittany Lions, even as several others followed him to Happy Valley. The move came with a clear incentive: he was set to become a scholarship player. The new staff wanted him around, and Flora chose to ride out the transition with Jimmy Rogers.
That decision has him positioned as RB1 entering the season opener against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks. It also leaves Iowa State with some careful management to do, because Flora has almost no mileage on him. He carried the ball just four times last season and only 15 times in his entire career.
“I think there is, but I think it’s significant that you start the season with your best players feeling the best that they possibly can,” said Rogers when asked about Flora’s workload on media day, via Bill Seals of Cyclone Report (subscription required). “I think that’s more important.
I can’t change his game experience. I can’t go back in history and throw him into a game.”
The way offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl wants to lean on the run game only raises the stakes. There’s a real chance Flora could equal his career total of 15 carries in that first game alone.
That’s a huge leap for a player who spent recent seasons behind Carson Hansen, Abu Sama III and Dylan Lee. All three are gone now, with Hansen transferring to Penn State, Sama to the Wisconsin Badgers and Lee to the UCLA Bruins. Their departures have opened up a major hole in the backfield, and Iowa State believes Flora can step into it.
He didn’t win the job by default, either. Flora beat out Cameron Pettaway, the Bowling Green transfer and 2025 MAC Freshman of the Year. Pettaway is expected to bring a multi-purpose element to the offense and has already landed on the Paul Hornung Award watch list and the Jet Award watch list.
Arnold Barnes III is another transfer who could factor in. He arrived late from the Tulane Green Wave after Jayden Jackson’s departure and brings the most experience of any running back on the roster.
Roehl’s offense should have room for all three backs, but Flora is the one who earned the starting role.
In Other News...
Iowa States Defensive Reset Now Hinges On One New Arrival
Iowa States defensive makeover took another important step when Jimmy Rogers brought Isaac Terrell over from Washington State as part of the programs post-Matt Campbell reset. With Campbell gone for Penn State and much of the old staff and roster following, the Cyclones have been left to rebuild quickly, and Terrell has already been handed a prominent place in that effort. He has been named a team captain and also landed on the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, a sign that the new staff views him as one of the most important pieces on the defense.
For a team trying to settle into a new identity, that kind of early trust matters. Terrell is expected to play a major role for Iowa State this season, not just because of his background under Rogers at Washington State, but because the Cyclones need someone to anchor the front while the broader transition takes shape. The question now is how quickly that leadership translates once the games start, and whether his arrival can help set the tone for a defense still finding its footing. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Suddenly Has A Major Backcourt Question To Open The Season
Iowa State opened the week with an early backcourt concern after sophomore point guard Killyan Toure had surgery Aug. 21 to repair a right shoulder injury he sustained at Damian Lillards Formula Zero Elite Camp. Toure was viewed as an important part of the program and a player expected to have a key role in the 2026-27 season, so his absence changes the picture for a team that was already trying to settle its rotation heading into the new year.
T.J. Otzelberger said the expectation is for Toure to return in January, with the Big 12 schedule the target. In the meantime, Iowa State may have to lean on Jaquan Johnson to handle that role during the non-conference portion of the season, leaving the Cyclones with a notable test in the backcourt before the league grind even begins. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Suddenly Has An Early Point Guard Problem
Iowa States backcourt picture took an early hit when Killyan Toure underwent successful surgery on Aug. 21 to repair his right shoulder, leaving the Cyclones to map out the first part of the season without one of their point guard options. Toure is expected back in January, but for now the injury shifts the focus to how Iowa State handles ball distribution and pace while it waits for him to return.
The shoulder issue traces back to Damian Lillards Formula Zero elite camp in Salt Lake City, where Toure was hurt. In the meantime, the Cyclones are looking at Bradley transfer Jaquan Johnson and freshman Yusef Gray Jr. as possible answers at point guard, a reminder that even before the season tips off, the rotation already has a piece missing and a competition taking shape. [Read more 🡒]