Iowa State Cyclones 2021
After earning a trip to the Big 12 title game in 2020, Iowa State has an excellent shot to contend for the national title.
In short: Basically everyone decided to stay. [Well, the defensive line witnessed a key departure***]
Senior starters Greg Eisworth II, Jake Hummel, Sean Foster and Eyioma Uwazurike all opted to use the extra year of eligibility. Star juniors Brock Purdy, Charlie Kolar and Mike Rose each postponed the chance to pursue an NFL career, too. They'll return alongside Breece Hall, one of the nation's top running backs.
Iowa State needs to outlast Oklahoma when it matters most, but head coach Matt Campbell has a championship threat in 2021.
[2019 record: 7–6 (5–4 Big 12) and non-conference showdown in Week 2 is huge, like 2019. Home games flip for Cyclones back to 2019 mirror in conference play]
7. Iowa State
Iowa State’s best team ever is back nearly intact with fourth-year QB Brock Purdy, All-America RB Breece Hall, TE Charlie Kolar and top WR Xavier Hutchinson headlining 10 returning starters on offense. Purdy’s yards per attempt have slipped from 10.2 as a freshman, when he had Hakeem Butler, to 7.5 in 2020. Fifth-year WR Tarique Milton, limited by injury last season, could provide a spark.The defense brings back nine starters, including the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, LB Mike Rose, Big 12 sack leader Will McDonald IV and All-Big 12 S Greg Eisworth. Early enrollee S Malik Verdon has drawn praise.
College Football News sees the Cyclones as the #3 team in their conference.
Did the College Football Playoff expand to 12 teams for 2021?
Big 12 #3 Iowa State Cyclones
Why To Be Happy: QB Brock Purdy is returning. RB Breece Hall is back. TE Charlie Kolar isn’t bolting early. OT Sean Foster is still around. EVERYONE – or, almost everyone – is expected to be back on the offense that was so sharp and so strong when it had all the parts together. The defensive side should be a killer again, too, helped by the return of S Greg Eisworth and LB Mike Rose, but …*** What To Work On: DE JaQuan Bailey is off to the NFL. Not everyone is staying, and losing one of the team’s leaders and best pass rushers isn’t a plus. That’s nitpicking, though, considering how much talent is coming back, and that’s going to be the big problem, because …
Bottom Line: It’s going to be a seven-month media gush-fest over this team, but Oklahoma is better than it was in 2020, Texas is better, and the rest of the Big 12 should be a bit improved, too. The expectations are going to be through the roof, and rightly so. Just getting to the Big 12 Championship this time around will feel like a disappointment if the Cyclones don’t win.
Just keep doing it, Hawkeyes!
Trophy opponents - always important ....
