Iowa
Big 12 preview: Why Iowa State’s Campbell is excited to play these 2 newcomers
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Editor’s note: This is part of a series previewing each of the opponents on BYU’s inaugural Big 12 schedule, beginning with the Cougars’ Sept. 23 road opener at Kansas and leading up to defending champion Kansas State before fall camp opens in August.
SALT LAKE CITY — While praising the four incoming schools of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF has become commonplace among members of the continuing eight coaches in the Big 12, two stand out to Iowa State coach Matt Campbell.
A native of Ohio, the former Mount Union standout who coached at Bowling Green and Toledo before taking the Cyclones to new heights in 2016 will certainly have a special spot in his heart for Cincinnati. The Bearcats of the Queen City will host Iowa State on Oct. 14, and Campbell — who grew up 225 miles away in Massillon — clearly sees that trip to Nippert Stadium in something of a homecoming.
But the other is BYU.
The longtime fan of the sport will be pinching himself Nov. 11 when the Cyclones visit LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, where Campbell grew up watching the scenery on late-night ESPN broadcasts.
“You just talk about both of those institutions, and the history, the success, the excellence that those two brands really embody, and then two amazing places to go play football,” Campbell said during Big 12 media days. “As a young kid, I always dreamed of playing against BYU, and that Provo area is something that I grew up watching those games late night on ESPN, and really look forward to the opportunity to go compete there.”
Underneath the backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains, the Cougars and Cyclones should almost certainly play a competitive game, too.
The two were linked in the Big 12 preseason poll, picked to finish 11th and 12th by the media, after Iowa State’s 4-8 campaign that included just one conference win in 2022.
The Cyclones haven’t won a league title since the 1921 Missouri Valley co-championship, but won seven or more games in five of their first six seasons under Campbell prior to last season’s setback.
That prompted Campbell to jettison offensive coordinator Tom Manning and promote Nate Scheelhaase. Like many coaches making offseason changes, the hope is that a new offensive philosophy combined with returning quarterback Hunter Dekkers, who led the Big 12 a year ago with a 66.1% completion rate as well as a league-high 14 interceptions, can turn around a Cyclone offense that ranked 113th nationally in scoring.
Beyond Dekkers, Iowa State will need the help of returning receiver Jaylin Noel, the top returning receiver after 1,171-yard receiver Xavier Hutchinson was drafted by the Houston Texans; as well “as deep and talented as any tight end group we’ve had,” Campbell said, led byby DeShawn Hanika.
“Our starting point is Jaylin Noel,” Campbell told ESPNU. “Jaylin has had unbelievable moments as a true freshman, won the starting job as a sophomore last year, and Jaylin’s one of those guys who has elite potential. He’s got great speed, he’s got great power, great ability to make people miss in space. Consistently becoming that football player for our team will be critical.”