By Mark Pszonak
With action in the transfer portal slowing down, it is time to take a closer look at how each P4 school did during this cycle. Up now are the Iowa State Cyclones
The skinny: Maybe not to the same level as their cross-state rival Iowa, the Cyclones have also not been overly aggressive in the portal during recent cycles. That continued this season, despite seeing more than 20+ scholarship players enter the portal. Head coach Matt Campbell has done a fantastic job of identifying talent, recruiting and then developing that talent, which negates the need to aggressively dive into the portal on an annual basis.
Total # entries into portal: 26
Total # of scholarship players who entered portal: 21
Number of scholarship players who withdrew: 1
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Key losses: OL Oluwafunto Akinshilo (still available), OL Darrell Simmons (Kansas)
Key additions: OL Jalen Travis (Princeton), DE Kenard Snyder (Louisiana-Monroe), OL Dylan Barrett (Wisconsin)
Final thoughts: Iowa State is a unique case during this portal cycle. Yes, they had 21 scholarship players enter, which is slightly above average, but how many of those will truly be missed? Of the 16 who have found a new school, only two signed with another P4 school, while eight went G5 and 6 went FCS. With most of their production from 2023 returning this season, Iowa State did not really have any gaping holes to seal up. They were able to add some depth for the offensive line with Jalen Travis and Dylan Barrett after a couple of offensive linemen departed, while a player like Kenard Snyder will likely find himself in the rotation on the defensive side of the ball. The Cyclone have the potential to make some noise in the new Big 12, but if they do, it won’t have anything to do with their use or non-use of the portal.
