Home grown talent propels Iowa State into Top 10 rankings

Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell is getting major contributions from former Iowa high school football standouts

Iowa State football head coach Matt Campbell has program pointing in the right direction, using a mix of home grown high school football stars and prominent national talent. The formula has the Cyclones soaring inside the national Top 10 rankings. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Under Matt Campbell, the Iowa State football team continues to soar to new heights.

Campbell and his coaching staff have prioritized securing the top talent from around the country to join the Cyclones, who are tied for first in the Big 12 Conference and in the national Top 10.

But that doesn’t mean they are ignoring in-state talent, including those from some of the smallest schools within the Iowa borders.

This past weekend in a road win over West Virginia, three former standouts from the smallest 11-player classification in Iowa, Class A, lined up at linebacker led by starters Rylan Barnes and Kooper Ebel and reserve Beau Goodwin.

Iowa State Cyclones linebacker Kooper Ebel (47) celebrates after winning 20-19 over Iowa in the Cy-Hawk game at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Barnes, a walk-on and redshirt freshman from West Hancock, was second on the team in total tackles with nine including four solo stops. Ebel, a sophomore out of Hartley-HMS, had four tackles with one for loss, and Goodwin, a freshman from Kingsley-Pierson, registered two tackles for loss.

“I think it is inspirational when you see a guy like Beau Goodwin go in and play 40 snaps the way he played,” Campbell said during his press conference Tuesday with the media. “And what Rylan has done.”

Barnes spent last year taking a redshirt following a high school career that included leading West Hancock to a state championship his junior season. He earned all-state honors and made over 80 tackles with 14 for loss as a senior while also recording over 600 yards of offense and 12 touchdowns as the Eagles finished second.

Iowa State linebacker Rylan Barnes (41) prepares to make a hit on Baylor's Dawson Pendergrass (35) at Jack Trice Stadium, on Oct. 5, 2024. / Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

During his four years at West Hancock, the team won two state titles with perfect 13-0 records and went 47-3 overall.

Ebel saw action in eight games last year and was a contributor on special teams for Iowa State. As a prep, he garnered all-state status on offense and defense while helping Hartley-HMS reach the state quarterfinals with 2,511 yards rushing, 824 yards passing and 36 total TDs while also making 78 tackles.

Along with competing in basketball and qualifying for multiple events at state track, Ebel held offers from Iowa, Nebraska and Vanderbilt.

Goodwin was the quarterback on offense for Kingsley-Pierson, recording over 1,500 yards in the air while rushing for another 725 his senior season with 26 combined touchdowns. He also stood out in basketball, baseball and track.

Along with his accolades on the football field, Goodwin was a state runner-up in the high jump, led his team to the state baseball semifinals and averaged over 17 points per game on the basketball court.

Iowa State returns home this Saturday to take on UCF inside Jack Trice Stadium in Ames beginning at 6:30 p.m. This is the first of back-to-back home games for the Cyclones, as they also welcome in Texas Tech on Saturday, Nov. 2 for Homecoming following a bye week.

From there, Iowa State heads to Kansas City to face Kansas before being back in Ames to take on Cincinnati. They close out November at Utah and vs. Kansas State in hopes of securing a spot in the Big 12 title game in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 7.