Iowa State enters the 2023 season looking to bounce back, and the coaching staff that Matt Campbell put together will lead the charge. It’s a unique year already for the Cyclones, and we’ll take a look at the coaches that will help them navigate this season.
Iowa State Cyclones Coaching Staff 2023
Head Coach, Matt Campbell
After taking the Toledo football program to new heights, Matt Campbell finally got his chance to be a head coach at the Power Five level. He made an instant impact on the Iowa State program by bringing in a solid coaching staff to bring the Cyclones out of the Big 12 cellar.
He’s already a 3-time Big 12 Coach of the Year and helped Iowa State make bowl games in 5 of the last 6 seasons. He’s been a great coach for a team that enters every season as an underdog, a feeling that Campbell knows how to culture from his time with Toledo.
Offensive Coordinator, Nate Scheelhaase
Campbell promoted Scheelhaase to offensive coordinator for this season after his work as running game coordinator for the Cyclones. He worked primarily with the running backs and wide receivers before the promotion, meaning he helped guys like Breece Hall and Xavier Hutchinson become stars.
Before coming to the Iowa State coaching staff, he served as both assistant director of football operations, running backs coach, and offensive analyst for Illinois.
Defensive Coordinator, Jon Heacock
Jon Heacock is a trailblazer for the Iowa State coaching staff, and he’s a big reason they’ve had so much success recently. The Cyclones don’t get the same level of talent as many of their fellow Big 12 members, so they needed to find advantages elsewhere. Heacock’s scheme did exactly that, and now even teams like Clemson are copying it.
He enters his eighth season with the Cyclones after stints with Youngtown State, Indiana, Kent State, and Toledo. His defenses at Iowa State have been some of the best in college football, and he’s helped several players get drafted too.
Special Teams Coordinator, Jordan Langs
With Scheelhaase moving to offensive coordinator and working with the running backs, Campbell brought Jordan Langs to take over the running back position while acting as the special teams coordinator too.
He inherited a unique opportunity at Indiana Wesleyan, where he served as the head coach for a program that just started when he was hired. He elevated them to an 11-2 record before coming to the Iowa State coaching staff. Before Indiana Wesleyan, he served as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for Wheaton.
Wide Receiver Coach, Noah Pauley
Pauley is most known for his work with current Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson. The former NDSU wide receivers coach comes to Iowa State for the same position. Before NDSU, he served as Minnesota-Duluth’s offensive coordinator.
Tight End Coach, Taylor Mouser
Another longer-tenured coach with the Iowa State coaching staff, Mouser enters his third as the tight ends coach. In his first season coaching tight ends, Mouser had the luxury of working with Chase Allen and Charlie Kolar. His only other coaching stop before Iowa State was when he held a graduate assistant role at Toledo in 2015.
Offensive Line Coach, Ryan Clanton
Campbell used a former opponent to bring Clanton to Ames. Clanton called plays for Northern Iowa’s offense last year along with being the offensive line coach, and now he joins the Iowa State coaching staff to do the same this season.
Defensive Line Coach, Eli Rasheed
The Toledo connection brought Eli Rasheed from Toledo to Iowa State with Campbell. After seven seasons with the Rockets, he enters Year 8 with Iowa State as the defensive line coach. The Cyclones’ most recent draft pick, Will McDonald IV, thrived under Rasheed’s watch.
Linebacker Coach, Tyson Veidt
After serving as the linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator for Campbell at Toledo, Tyson Veidt joined him to take the same position coaching job with Iowa State. Before that, he held various roles at Bluffton, Saint Vincent, West Virginia, Muskingum, and Indiana.
Cornerback Coach, Hank Poteat
Outside of his role as a graduate assistant with Pitt from 2013 to 2014, Hank Poteat’s been a cornerback coach everywhere he’s coached. Before coming to the Iowa State Cyclones, he coached the position at Wisconsin (2021-22), Kent State (2016-18), and Kentucky Christian (2011-12).
Safeties Coach, Deon Broomfield
Broomfield returned to his alma mater after different stops coaching the defense. He started his coaching career in Carthage (Wisconsin) in 2015 as the safeties coach before becoming the cornerbacks coach at both Western Illinois and Indiana State. In 2020, he served as a defensive assistant for the Houston Texans before coming back to Ames.