With the football season getting closer and closer for the Iowa State Cyclones, what this team will look like this coming year is a big question. However, they do have one position player on offense who could be poised for a good year.
Following a really tough offseason, the Cyclones are going to be a completely different-looking unit. Iowa State saw a majority of their players leave in the transfer portal, and who will be playing key roles is largely yet to be determined.
Head coach Jimmy Rogers had to get aggressive in the portal to reshape the roster, but this is a team that is lacking the same talent that it had a year ago.
While Iowa State won't be competing for a title in the Big 12 this year, it will be an important season in their new era. One player who the team will have high hopes for is incoming running back Cameron Pettaway. The transfer appears to be the likely starter for Iowa State, and that could present him with an opportunity to have a breakout year.
Bowling Green Falcons running back Cameron Pettaway (26) is forced out of bounds by Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Jake Golday (11) in the first quarter of the NCAA football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Bowling Green Falcons at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati on Sept. 6, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Coming over from Bowling Green, Pettaway is a very intriguing addition in the transfer portal for the Cyclones. The running back room was a strength for the team last year, led by Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III.
However, both of these players left the program, and Iowa State will now have a new group. When looking at who will likely get a bulk of the workload, Pettaway appears to be the wise choice.
With all of the new faces and the turned-over roster, what the game plan is going to be next year will be interesting to see. This does appear to be a group that is going to have a defense-first mindset, and that could translate into them looking to establish themselves on the ground on the offensive side of the ball.
If the Cyclones do indeed have this mindset and running the football is a priority, Pettaway could be poised for a big year on the ground. It will be interesting to see how much of the workload the coaching staff looks to give Pettaway right away.
An impressive camp should be able to secure him the starting job, and if that's the case, he could challenge for a 1,000-yard season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/iowa-state as Predicting Stats for Iowa State Cyclones' Cameron Pettaway This Season .
