Matt Campbell Calls Iowa State Cyclones Defender Best in Big 12 Right Now

The Iowa State Cyclones were mired in a brutal slump over the last few weeks. After starting the season 5-0, they had lost four consecutive games, sending their season into an ugly spiral.

Heading into their Week 11 matchup against the TCU Horned Frogs, expectations were very low. It is hard to blame any fans who weren’t bullish on their chances of winning, especially with their recent form.

However, the Cyclones overcame the odds, picking up an impressive come-from-behind victory. Trailing 20-6 in the fourth quarter with 13:30 remaining in the game, Iowa State scored the final two touchdowns of the game to win 20-17.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Cyclones ultimately ended their four-game losing streak, becoming bowl eligible in the process. There were a few standout performers in the game, but linebacker Kooper Ebel really stood out.

One of the best players on the team, head coach Matt Campbell had nothing but praise for his junior linebacker’s performance against TCU.

“If you’d been missing Kooper Ebel the last four weeks, I don’t know if there’s a better defensive player in the Big 12 right now than him,” Campbell said, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required). “He’s playing with an elite accelerated vision. He’s playing with unbelievable toughness. He leads. He never comes out of the game. When you need to make a play, that guy is there to make a play.”

Ebel led the team with 11 combined tackles on Saturday afternoon, including one tackle for loss. He helps set the tone for the Iowa State defense, being all over the field, making plays, whether it is against the run or the pass.

There are a lot of great defensive players in the Big 12, so Campbell’s calling his linebacker the best player on that side of the ball in the conference is major praise.

In the nine games heading into the matchup with the Horned Frogs, Ebel had recorded 51 total tackles, 4.0 of which were for a loss, with 1.0 sacks and one pass defended.

He is second on the team in tackles, behind only safety Marcus Neal, who has 70. His 5.0 tackles for loss are the third most, behind only Neal, with 9.0, and fellow linebacker Caleb Bacon, who has 6.5.

Ebel is one of seven players with at least one full sack for the Cyclones’ defense this year, and one of six with a forced fumble, as well.

That kind of production has been crucial to Iowa State’s success on that side of the ball this year.