Iowa State Football 2026: Jaylen Raynor Poised to Lead Rebuilt Cyclones Offense
Iowa State football enters the 2026 season with a nearly brand-new offense, a new head coach in Jimmy Rogers, and a new offensive coordinator in Tyler Roehl, fresh from the Detroit Lions. After an 8-4 campaign in 2025, the roster has undergone a mass exodus, leaving the Cyclones to rebuild from the ground up. The biggest question heading into fall camp is simple: who carries the offensive load? The answer, most likely, is transfer quarterback Jaylen Raynor, but a dark horse candidate could make things interesting.
Jaylen Raynor: The Obvious Choice for Offensive Player of the Year
Let's be direct. Iowa State's 2026 offensive player of the year award is Jaylen Raynor's to lose. The Arkansas State transfer arrives in Ames with three years of starting experience and a resume that speaks for itself. Over 37 appearances with the Red Wolves, Raynor threw for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns against 28 interceptions. His 2025 season alone produced 3,361 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 423 rushing yards. He led the Sun Belt in pass completions and yards and was named Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in 2023.
The dual-threat element is what makes Raynor genuinely exciting for Rogers' new offense. He is not a pure pocket passer, and that is a feature, not a flaw. An offense coordinated by someone coming from the NFL level with a mobile quarterback who can hurt you through the air and on the ground is a matchup nightmare for any defensive coordinator in the Big 12.
The jump from the Sun Belt to the Big 12 is real, and nobody should pretend otherwise. But Raynor has familiarity with Iowa State quarterbacks coach Keith Heckendorf, who was his offensive coordinator at Arkansas State for three seasons. That relationship matters enormously for a player navigating a new system, a new conference, and a program in full transition. By all accounts, Raynor has been in the facility constantly since arriving in Ames. The work ethic is not a question.
If Raynor can manage the upgrade in competition and limit his turnovers, the offense will go where he takes it. This team's ceiling is largely his ceiling.
Omari Hayes: The Dark Horse Candidate
If Raynor is the engine, then Omari Hayes is the accelerator. The Tulane transfer comes to Ames competing for the WR1 role and profiles as a genuine downfield threat that Iowa State's new offense desperately needed. Hayes is a redshirt senior with two productive seasons at different programs under his belt and a reputation for getting teams down the field in a hurry.
What makes Hayes interesting as a secondary player of the year candidate is simple. Raynor needs a target he can trust in critical moments, and Hayes profiles as exactly that. A quarterback playing in his first Big 12 season with a new coaching staff needs a safety valve, a reliable set of hands on third down, and a player who can turn a short gain into a big one after the catch. Hayes checks all of those boxes.
The wide receiver room at Iowa State is thin after the mass exodus of the offseason. That scarcity creates opportunity. Hayes does not have to compete for targets. They are going to come to him, and in volume.
What to Watch For in Fall Camp
Iowa State fans should keep a close eye on the chemistry between Raynor and Hayes during fall camp. If those two develop a rapport early, the Cyclones offense could surprise a lot of people who have already written off this program in year one of the rebuild. The Big 12 is wide open, and a productive season from Raynor makes Iowa State competitive and keeps the Rogers era pointed in the right direction.
For a program in transition, the pieces are in place. The question is whether they can put it together on the field. With Raynor under center and Hayes as his primary target, the Cyclones have a legitimate chance to exceed expectations in 2026.