Matt Campbell is redefining Iowa State football, transforming its once “coaching graveyard” into a program brimming with potential. Despite initial skepticism surrounding his hiring in November 2015, Campbell eagerly took on the challenge, culminating in the school’s most successful season in recent memory with an 11-3 record. Now, he’s implementing innovative offseason strategies, adopting an NFL-inspired model that emphasizes precise training, professional game-day procedures, and strategic travel management. Campbell’s proactive leadership and embrace of innovation have elevated Iowa State into contention and set new standards for preparation and success.

The 4-0 start to 2024 wasn’t simply good fortune; it was the reward for resilience, battle-tested in the previous season. The 2023 gambling scandal had robbed the Cyclones of crucial players, leaving the program vulnerable. Initial stumbles, such as a 1-2 record and Campbell’s confrontation with a fan after the Ohio defeat, threatened to derail everything. But despite that, he guided Iowa State to a hard-fought 7-6 record in 2023. Now, he’s making sure Iowa State builds on the same standard.

And talking about his offseason grind on the Iowa State Football podcast, he didn’t mince words before laying out his entire plan. “I talked to Coach Freeman and Notre Dame. Obviously those guys have done that and did it two years ago; you know, they talked a little bit to Scott Frost, you know, and I know he did it with Nebraska a couple years ago. But I really spent probably the bulk of my time in the National Football League just because, to me, I still think if you’ve studied the results of the college game, nobody’s done this well,” he said.

Now, this season Matt Campbell is venturing beyond his usual routine as Iowa State prepares for the “Week Zero” clash with Kansas State on August 23 in Dublin, Ireland. Acknowledging his preference for habit, Campbell says this trip requires him to adapt how his team trains, travels, and recuperates. He studied Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame team, which managed a similar Ireland game in 2023 against Navy, and Scott Frost’s Nebraska team that played Northwestern there in 2022.

These experiences provided Matt Campbell with a framework for handling time zones, jet lag, and maintaining freshness for the games ahead. But rather than starting from scratch, Campbell is merging these lessons with NFL strategies. NFL teams have become experts at overseas games by prioritizing rhythm—flying back promptly, forgoing a bye week, and sustaining their momentum.

Iowa State’s head coach believes consistency is key and will help Iowa State remain focused, prevent exhaustion, and ensure the Dublin trip doesn’t negatively impact their season. “There’s not been any sustainable success in the season if you really study it. You know, and the game is unique in its own right. It’s coming back from that game and what happens next that I think people have really struggled with. And you know, I think the area that they haven’t struggled in per se is in the NFL. You know, there when you look in the National Football League, it’s a very similar model,” Campbell added. But with an intense drive, Matt Campbell also has immense trust in his quarterback’s potential.

Matt Campbell’s trust in Rocco Becht’s caliber

Ames is buzzing with anticipation as the 2025 Iowa State Cyclones gear up for another shot at the Big 12 title. Head coach Matt Campbell’s squad nearly clinched their first conference championship last season, and despite some lingering questions, fans are putting their faith in veteran quarterback Rocco Becht. As he enters his third year as the full-time starter, Becht confidently leads the offense, riding the momentum of guiding Iowa State to its first 11-win season and a Pop-Tarts Bowl victory over College Football Playoff contender Miami.

While Becht has received varied reviews throughout the offseason—some analysts highlighting his experience, others questioning his size or NFL prospects—his 2024 performance speaks for itself: 3,505 passing yards, a 59.4% completion rate, 25 touchdowns, and only nine interceptions. He also proved his versatility with 318 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Now, his offseason progress is even drawing praise from Matt Campbell.

“You know, and in that elevation, you’re talking now when you get to this level that he’s performed at, especially last year; you’re talking, you know, those gaps are going to be harder, you know, smaller and smaller to fill in. You know, the jump to where he’s trying to get to is, you know, the precision and detail to make those jumps are going to be even that much more precise,” Campbell said. And the result is already showing, as Rocco Becht is emerging as one of the most trusted quarterbacks in college football.

That’s right. The Athletic ranked him higher than Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Georgia Tech’s Haynes King at No. 14 among 134 starters nationally. And within the Big 12, he ranks third, just behind ASU’s Sam Leavitt, who holds the No. 7 spot, and Baylor’s Sawyer Robinson, who’s at No. 11. But with his skills even his leadership made an impact on the team this offseason. “I think he already took a major step in years one and two as a great leader in our football program. And that’s probably one of Rocco’s special traits—he’s just got such great humility and leadership ability,” Campbell pointed out. Now, with the offseason grind and a quarterback ready for another breakout season let’s wait and see how this year turns for them.