Iowa
Hines: Is this the year for Iowa State football’s offensive line?
Iowa State offensive line coach Ryan Clanton on the O-line’s newcomers
Iowa State offensive line coach Ryan Clanton on the O-line’s newcomers
AMES – OK, are you ready for this?
It’s as sure a sign that fall is near as pumpkin spice conquering every grocery aisle or a kid’s panic about the start of school. Before the leaves change or that first Oktoberfest finds a mug, this rite of autumn must occur.
Consider this your yearly dose of optimism about the Iowa State offensive line.
“The competition in the O-line room right now is great,” sophomore lineman Deylin Hasert said Thursday. “It’s making everybody better, and obviously we have a lot of guys that can play.”
Yes, I know you’ve heard this before. And I know you’ve been burned by believing in Cyclone blockers in the past. All right, I know you’ve only been burned by belief. All that preseason hope. The talk of depth and versatility and competition and scheme change and on and on and on.
And it’s mostly amounted to jack squat once the games started.
I get it. The Iowa State offensive line has been disappointing more often than not in the eight previous years coach Matt Campbell has been at the helm. For all the wins, draft picks and success the Cyclones have had under Campbell, getting the O-line to “average” has seemingly been a yearly struggle.
I know, I know, I know.
But if we want fall to come and football to start, I’ve got to do this. So strap in.
Maybe this year is different?
Hear me out, at least.
The Cyclones have experience, with James Neal, Jarrod Hufford, Jim Bonifas and Tyler Miller all back after starting all 13 games last season. Hufford has started 33 straight for the Cyclones. Brendan Block started the last five.
They’ve brought in Jalen Travis, a 6-foot-7, 315-pounder who was a multi-year starter at Princeton. Hasert, a 6-foot-4, 315-pounder from Minnesota, is healthy after missing all of last year with an injury.
That’s real experience. That’s real depth.
“It’s been beneficial for us to be able to have this many players that can compete,” second-year O-line coach Ryan Clanton said. “It’s my job and our job as coaches to get those guys to play at a high level and to attack each day with a purpose.
“They’re willing, have great intent and we’re chasing the development piece of it right now.”
More: Hines: Iowa State football wide receiver Beni Ngoyi wants to talk about blocking
More: Hines: How Iowa State football’s pass rush issues can be fixed by a new Cyclones transfer
More: Hines: Talent alone not enough for Iowa State football to reach lofty goals
Iowa State now looks as though it might actually have the size and physicality to measure up in the Big 12. Travis and Miller project as towering bookends at 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-9, respectively, at tackle. Neal, at 6-6 and 330 pounds, has been practicing at guard. Black is 6-4, 315 and with the brawling style befitting a former competitive weightlifter. If Hufford could move to center, that’s a 6-4, 325-pound sixth-year senior running the show.
Those are honest-to-goodness real pieces for a good Big 12 offensive line. Let us also not forget that as rough as things got for the offensive line at times last year, there was real progress throughout the season. It wasn’t always sustained, but it was there.
“You can forecast as much as you want,” Clanton said, “but until you get in those situations as an offensive lineman and make it out and succeed and not just try to survive a situation, we’re trying to really test their mental capacity.”
C’mon, coach. That’s too cautious of optimism. We’re trying to pump sunshine here.
“They want to do something special,” Clanton said, “and they believe in this place.”
That’s more like it.
Now bring on the pumpkin spice and get to kickoff.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
Iowa
Jada Williams among eight Iowa State players headed to transfer portal
Audi Crooks, Jada Williams reflect on loss to Syracuse
Iowa State’s Audi Crooks and Jada Williams discuss what went wrong in the second half for the Cyclones’ to fall to Syracuse.
Iowa State’s first-round exit from the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament has triggered a mass exodus, with a reported eight players leaving the team to enter the transfer portal.
Junior forward Addy Brown announced her decision to “move on” from Iowa State and enter the transfer portal in a social media post on Tuesday, March 24.
“This decision comes after a lot of thought about my future and goals,” Brown wrote in a post shared to social media. “While it’s never easy to move on, I believe this is the right step for me and I’m excited for what’s ahead as I continue to grow and chase my dreams.”
By Thursday, March. 26, several other players followed suit. Junior guard Jada Williams confirmed she’ll be “pursuing my dreams elsewhere” for her senior season. She added in a social media post, “Iowa State will always have a place in my heart and I’ll never forget the Iowa State way.”
Williams transferred to Iowa State for the 2025-26 season after playing for Arizona for the first two years of her career. William averaged career-highs in points (15.3), assists (7.7) and field goal percentage (41.7) in her lone season at Iowa State.
Iowa State freshman guard Reese Beaty, freshman guard Freya Jensen, sophomore guard Reagan Wilson, sophomore guard Aili Tanke, junior forward Alisa Williams and junior center Lilly Taulelei all intend to enter the transfer portal, according to On3’s Talia Goodman.
The transfer portal opens on Monday, April 6, following the NCAA Tournament championship game on Sunday, April 5.
Could Iowa State junior center Audi Crooks be next? Crooks declined to answer whether she would return next season following Iowa State’s 72-63 loss to Syracuse on Saturday, March 21. She instead said, “We’re all still processing everything and just being there for each other right now is the priority. That’s the main thing, making sure everybody is mentally OK through this tough time.”
Crooks had 37 points (17-of-25 FG) and five rebounds in the losing effort against Syracuse.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@usatoday.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.
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Iowa
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Iowa
Iowa law enforcement issues thousands of citations under hands-free driving law
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – Law enforcement has issued thousands of citations since Iowa’s hands-free driving law went into effect, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
The law went into effect in July 2025, prohibiting using phones while driving unless in hands-free mode. Citations started on January 1.
Since then, officers have issued over 2,400 citations and over 1,900 warnings.
The violation is a moving violation in Iowa, with a fine of $170.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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