Iowa
How Jaylen Raynor can Make or Break Iowa State Football in 2026
The Iowa State Cyclones have had quite the offseason. They lost Matt Campbell, Rocco Becht, and the majority of the roster, with many heading to Happy Valley to join the Penn State Nittany Lions. After years of consistency and greatness amongst the Big 12 conference, they now look in a completely different situation. Now, they have to save the program.
Over the last few seasons, Iowa State’s face of the program has been their quarterbacks. Outside of one solid Hunter Dekkers year, the last couple of years have been dominated by the likes of Becht and Brock Purdy. But with Becht now out the door, they have to look to the next best option.
The general consensus around the Cyclones is that their offseason was terrible. Partially that was true. But the players that Iowa State brought in aren’t as bad as people may think, and one name especially, takes the crown as the best offseason addition.
Jaylen Raynor is Key
The Cyclones brought in Jaylen Raynor, a three-year starter from the Arkansas State Red Wolves. He looks like he may be the savior of the program.
Raynor was a solid player as a freshman, having 2,550 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions throughout the year. The potential was limitless right off the bat. He stayed for a second year, improving his numbers to 2,783 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Then finally in his junior year, he once again bumped them up, this time to 3,361 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Raynor has been consistent throughout his collegiate career, and needs to continue that at Iowa State.
To be completely honest, the Cyclones are in a rough situation. Their roster is pretty sub-par, and a lot of their pieces aren’t near the expectations that Iowa State have. One of the only players that can really put everything together is Raynor, one of the most proven veterans of them all.
Raynor has to be the leader of the Cyclones. Everyone is coming in from different programs from different areas at different levels. When that happens, a quarterback needs to come in and lead his team by bringing the locker room together.
Iowa State’s season doesn’t just change depending on Raynor, it’s defined by him. A veteran leader that has consistently proven to shine now gets one last chance with a new program, where he has the opportunity to save the history, the success, and the pride of the Cyclones.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
IOWA CITY, Iowa — An Iowa City man is facing a felony theft charge after police say he was involved in an armed robbery in downtown Iowa City earlier this year.
According to the criminal complaint, 20-year-old Boubacar Dioubate is charged with second-degree theft.
Police say the robbery happened around 12:49 a.m. on April 18 in the 100 block of South Clinton Street.
Court documents allege the victim was approached by three suspects who threatened to stab and shoot him. Investigators say one of the suspects held a knife while demanding the victim’s cellphone.
The victim reported that his $500 cellphone, a $1,000 necklace and $200 in cash were stolen, for a total value of about $1,700.
According to the complaint, security cameras captured the incident. Investigators say the footage shows Dioubate assaulting the victim, repeatedly grabbing the victim’s phone and taking the victim’s necklace.
Police also say the stolen cellphone was tracked to Dioubate’s Iowa City address a few hours after the robbery.
Dioubate was arrested, and the charge was filed in Johnson County District Court. The case remains pending.
High School On SI Iowa recently published polls for the midseason high school softball player of the year in each of the five classifications. Now, it is time to vote for the baseball midseason player of the year in Iowa.
The Iowa High School Athletic Association State Baseball Tournament begins July 20 in both Cedar Rapids for Class 4A and Class 3A and in Carroll for Class 2A and Class 1A. Many of the players you will see listed below are part of teams currently ranked in the High School On SI Iowa Top 25 State Baseball Rankings.
Below are the nominees for the High School On SI Iowa Class 1A Baseball Midseason Player of the Year. Stats listed with the players are from Bound and accurate as of June 28, 2026.
Feel free to vote as many times as you like, with voting set to close on Monday, July 6 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
High School On SI Iowa Class 1A Baseball Midseason Player Of The Year Nominees
Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Junior
Heydon is hitting .623 with a .710 on-base, blasting six homers with 12 doubles, five triples, 53 RBI and 42 runs scored. He has stolen 24 bases and is 4-0 with a save and 61 strikeouts in just under 33 innings pitched.
Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, Senior
Wight, a leader for the Blue Devils, has 44 RBI with 18 doubles, nine homers and three triples. He is batting .581 with 56 runs scored. He has stolen 19 bases and struck out 18 in just under 11 innings.
Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, Senior
Over seven starts and nine games, Mullenbach has yet to allow an earned run, going 8-0 with 41 strikeouts. He has surrendered just three runs total and 23 hits. At the plate, Mullenbach is batting .403 with 33 runs scored and 22 steals.
Colton Moffitt, Baxter, Senior
The Class 1A leader with 109 strikeouts, Moffitt is 9-1 with one save over 53-plus innings. Opponents have just 19 hits and two earned runs off him, as he owns a .106 batting average against and a 0.26 earned run average.
Macklin Loftus, Logan-Magnolia, Sophomore
Just a 10th-grader, Loftus has taken the state by storm, allowing four total hits and one earned run in 32-plus innings, striking out 81 batters. He is a perfect 5-0 on the mound.
About Our Midseason Baseball Player Of The Year Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
Follow
The Iowa State Cyclones are going to be preparing soon for the 2026-27 campaign, and they will be relying on some returning players to take a step forward.
It was a fantastic season for the most part for the Cyclones last year. This was a team that was one of the best in the country and was ranked as the number two overall team in the nation at one point.
The Big 12 was one of the most challenging conferences in the country, and even though Iowa State had some bumps along the way, they were still a real threat heading into March Madness.
There was plenty to like about the team, with this being a group under T.J. Otzelberger that was really good not only defensively, but on the offensive end of the court as well. Unfortunately, the team was eliminated in the Sweet 16 with the absence of their star Joshua Jefferson being too much for the team to overcome.
Now, as they get ready to head into next season, the roster is going to look a lot different, but they do have one returning player who did show some signs of improvement at the end of the year.
Killyan Toure Has Star Potential
Coming off such an impressive NCAA tournament, it could end up being Toure who will be the next star of the Cyclones. This was a team that lost a lot of talent both in the transfer portal with Milan Momcilovic leaving, but also due to graduation.
As they prepare for next season, there are going to be a lot of new faces on the roster. Otzelberger was active in the transfer portal, bringing in talent, and it will be needed to fill some holes. However, they do have a returning starter who could be a player to watch.
After being a starter as a freshman, Toure is very experienced and now knows what it takes to be successful. Right off the bat, the young guard proved as a freshman that he was one of the best defenders in the conference. With speed and length at the position, he was able to guard most players and was a real problem when it came to opposing guards.
However, if he is going to take the leap toward stardom, it will be the offensive end of the court that will be key. Hopefully, the end of the season was something that Toure can build upon heading into year two. If he improves offensively to go along with his already elite defensive skills, he will be one of the best guards in the Big 12.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
-
Massachusetts7 seconds agoMillions of gallons of wastewater discharged into Merrimack River due to broken pipe
-
Minnesota5 minutes agoDriver in fatal crash near Belview, Minnesota, was fleeing law enforcement
-
Mississippi12 minutes agoMississippi gas prices drop ahead of Fourth of July weekend
-
Missouri15 minutes agoGas prices falling in Missouri despite U.S. conflict with Iran
-
Montana20 minutes agoJune 29 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today
-
Nebraska27 minutes agoNebraska running back arrested in Florida on aggravated battery charge
-
Nevada30 minutes agoAn ‘orchestrated dance’: Nevada moves bighorn sheep to help restore northern herd
-
New Hampshire35 minutes agoNashua Man Indicted On 8 Child First-Degree Assault Charges: Hillsborough County Superior Court Indictments
