Iowa State Cyclones Key Defensive Player Will Be in Lineup Against Kansas Jayhawks

Injuries have been a major storyline for the Iowa State Cyclones throughout the 2025 college football season.

They have contributed to the team’s season spiraling out of control. After starting 5-0, the Cyclones went on a brutal four-game losing streak, during which nothing was going their way on the field.

In Week 11 against the TCU Horned Frogs, Iowa State was able to get back into the win column for the first time since Week 5. A 20-17 victory snapped the losing streak and made them bowl eligible.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all positive, because the injury bug bit them again. Linebacker Caleb Bacon went down with an injury against the Horned Frogs.

A defense that has been decimated by injuries in the secondary can not afford to lose any more key contributors. Luckily for the Cyclones, the ailment Bacon was dealing with must not have been overly serious because head coach Matt Campbell provided a positive update, sharing the star linebacker will be active this weekend against the Kansas Jayhawks.

“Bacon will be ready to play,” Matt Campbell said Tuesday, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Report, part of the 247Sports Network. “Bacon is good to go and [will] be ready to play this weekend.”

That is excellent news for Iowa State to have its star back in the lineup. He is third on the team in total tackles with 55. His 6.5 tackles for loss are the second most on the team, behind only safety Marcus Neal.

Bacon has also gotten the job done in coverage with three passes defended. Capable of performing in every facet of the game, being without him would have been a major detriment to the Cyclones’ defensive game plan.

Alas, the injury updates for Iowa State weren’t all as positive as they were for Bacon.

Tight end Gabe Burkle is not going to be able to play. He is set to undergo surgery today. Safety Jamison Patton is seemingly trending in the wrong direction, being labeled questionable “at best” to take the field against the Jayhawks.

Fellow defensive back Ta’Shawn James is also going to be sidelined “for the foreseeable future,” which means his season could be over.

That is a brutal blow for defensive coordinator Jon Heacock to deal with. He is already without his top two cornerbacks, Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams, and backup Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman.

The Cyclones are digging deep into their depth chart to find out the season, looking to improve their bowl positioning as much as possible over the final two weeks.