After a crazy week for Iowa State football, in which the Cyclones lost their head coach, seemingly out of the blue, and the athletics department led a national search for his replacement, former ISU offensive tackle Bill Marsau says he is “ecstatic” about the hiring of Paul Rhoads.

Marsau played for the Cyclones from 1995 to 1999, the same time period that Rhoads served as the inside linebackers’ (’95) then secondary (’96-’99) coach. Although Marsau was an offensive lineman and never played under Rhoads, he says he had a lot of interaction with him.

“I would describe him as a young Dan McCarney,” Marsau said. “I think he is more of a ‘Rah! Rah!’ type of guy. A little more vocal then coach Gene [Chizik] was, and I think a lot of the players work very well with that type of coach… He is a very honest person. He is not going to sit there and sugar coat things. If players aren’t getting it done, he’s going to let you know.”

Marsau also saw the same love for Iowa State that McCarney brought to the team during his stint as head coach.

“Very, very, very passionate,” Marsau said. “I mean, you could tell in the time he was here, he had a very strong passion for Iowa State, and we were at the very ground floor then, trying to rebuild the program. We didn’t have a lot of the nice facilities they have now, and hardly any wins at all.”

In addition to Rhoads’ coaching stint with the Cyclones from 1995 to 1999, he has been familiar with the university his entire life. He grew up about 20 miles south of Ames, in Ankeny.

“I like the fact that he grew up an Iowa State fan…” Marsau said. “He knows what being Iowa State is all about. I feel when he takes this job, he is looking at it long-term. He is, of course, looking at this as a great opportunity, being his first head coaching job, but at the same time I don’t think he is going to use it as a stepping stone, where, if he has a couple good years, he is going to look to leave right away.”

Marsau said he feels that that stability is going to be key for the Cyclones in the next few seasons.

“I think stability is very important. I mean, you have players on the team right now, who, this is their third coaching change in the time they’ve been there,” Marsau said. “Sometimes it’s tough for players to buy into coaching philosophies when they have to question whether or not they are going to be there the next year.”

As McCarney’s frist-ever recruit at Iowa State, Marsau has seen a program in its rebuilding stages, and he feels that next years team doesn’t really fit the bill.

“Obviously, anytime you get a new coaching staff, there is going to be some transition there because every coach’s plan is a little different,” Marsau said. “The thing we have going for us is that it is not the same situation we had three years ago when Gene Chizik stepped in. I think the talent level is a lot higher, you know. We had some young guys on the field this year, giving us some experience. So yes, it’s a continual rebuilding, but it’s not a start from ground zero like it was two years ago.”

Marsau said he expects big things from this team in the years to come, and big things from Rhoads.

“I’m very excited,” Marsau said. “I’ve talked to several of the ex-football players and they seem very excited. We are looking forward to future.”