College football rankings: Post-spring Top 25 – Clemson, Alabama vie for top spot
- Notable Losses: David Montgomery, Hakeem Butler, Kyle Kempt, Brian Peavy, Willie Harvey
- Notable Returners: Brock Purdy, JaQuan Bailey, Mike Rose, Braxton Lewis, Greg Eisworth
- 2019 Recruiting Class Ranking: 48th
Matt Campbell continues to be one of the names that get floated around in the football offseason in regards to hot coaching candidates, yet he remains the head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones for another year entering the 2019 season. Unfortunately for Campbell, he will be entering another season with the Cyclones having to replace some key contributors on the offensive side of the ball.
Running back David Montgomery and wide receiver Hakeem Butler are heading to the pro football ranks by way of the NFL Draft. Considering that they were the team leaders in their respective fortes in the offense last season, replacing them will not be a small task. The good news for Campbell and Iowa State is that the future is secure at quarterback.
Freshman Brock Purdy took over the reins of the offense last season and proved to be a budding star, albeit one that slid slightly under the radar for much of the season. Purdy helped lead the Cyclones to an 8-5 record on the year and the hope is that, as he progresses and matures, Iowa State as a whole will follows. 2019 will be telling in that regard.
Additionally, the Cyclones return the bulk of their defensive starters from a year ago, obviously boding well for them on that side of the ball. Despite the fact that the Cyclones didn’t make much noise in recruiting, which causes them to fall a bit from the previous rankings, they aren’t going away.