Iowa State’s time on the stage at Big 12 Media Days concluded Thursday as head coach Matt Campbell and select players talked with the media about the upcoming football season.

With a lot of questions surrounding the team after a 4-8 2022 season, Campbell gave his outlook for the immediate future.

Here are the three big takeaways from Big 12 Media Days:

A season of struggles

The 2022 season was underwhelming, to say the least. 

Campbell and company had high expectations for the talented young group. Although the team saw many key players leave for the next level, like longtime star quarterback Brock Purdy, the team was still set up for success.

However, despite the talent across the board, Iowa State couldn’t quite find footing in the Big 12 season, going 1-8 against its conference rivals. Of those eight losses, six were by less than one score.

“I think last year you can point to a lot of different things or a lot of things we did well, and there were a lot of things we didn’t do well,” Campbell said. “I think all of us… having the humility to see where are our gaps and how do we do a great job of filling in those gaps together moving ourselves forward, that’s critical for us.”

Campbell said that last season the youth on the team showed through on occasion. The Cyclones were the third youngest team in college football a year ago with most of their veteran players being on the defensive side of the ball.

So while the defense saw plenty of success, the offense sputtered week after week. However, through the struggles, Campbell was sure that learning opportunities were there for the young players especially.

“We’ve been worthy to suffer sometimes,” Campbell said.

To Campbell, being “worthy to suffer” means that the team has the ability to come out of their suffering stronger than ever. Campbell saw plenty of areas the team needed to work on to compete with the elite competition in the Big 12. Now, the Cyclones are geared up to learn from their mistakes and enter the 2023 season on fire.

The biggest thing that will separate Iowa State from the rest of the competition is winning in the margins. If the Cyclones can find a way to execute their game plan the way they know they can, they will be tough to stop.

“When we’re playing at our best, our detail and precision is as good as anybody in college football,” Campbell said. “That’s what it’s gonna take for us to have great success.”

Campbell also spoke on the team’s ongoing gambling investigation. Although the situation is still up in the air, there is still a cloud hanging over the team.

“Right now for us, that investigation is ongoing and just continues to not really have a lot of clarity to it,” Campbell said. “But, I think we’re getting closer to getting clarity.”

Moving forward and growing stronger also means dealing with the consequence that might arise from the situation.

Although Campbell is removed from the investigation process, he will still be there when the results come out. For Campbell, the situation can act as a learning moment for the young players. 

Campbell has stated before that he is a builder of men, so no matter what comes out of the investigation, he will use it as a good chance to further help the team grow stronger.

“It’s a great teaching moment—how to handle things when it doesn’t go well and then how do you respond to that?” Campbell said.

Iowa State prepares for new challenges

The 2023 football season will prove to be unique in one big way.

With four new teams entering the conference, the Big 12 could be more competitive than ever. Wins were already hard to come by, but now with the 14 teams gunning for the top spot in the conference, there’s no telling what the upcoming season will hold.

For Campbell, he is focused on the new challenges ahead. The Cyclones take on Cincinnati and BYU in 2023, two teams that have found success in recent years.

“We know it will be a great challenge because of the quality of coaches and the quality of teams that both of those institutions represent,” Campbell said. “I’ve always felt like it’s great to compete against the best, and you feel like you got two great opponents in those programs.”

Both games will also be on the road, adding to the challenge. However, Campbell is no stranger to tough matchups.

The Big 12 consistently proves to be a tough conference to compete in. Now with more teams and old rivals being tougher than ever, the Cyclones will have to be on top of their game if they want to compete with the top dogs.

“Top to bottom, [the Big 12 is] as deep as any conference in college football,” Campbell said. “You have to play your A game to win football games in the Big 12.”

Defense looks to double down on success

Although the Cyclones finished the 2022 season near the bottom of the Big 12, the defense finished on top.

Throughout the entire season, the defense would lock down opponents every single week. With the combination of defensive coordinator Jon Heacock and his group of strong-willed veteran players, the defense was the shining light of the team.

Now with the offense still growing, it is more important than ever for the defense to shine yet again. No matter what happens, Campbell is sure that as long as Heacock is at the helm, the defense is in good hands.

“For me, trust is so critical in this journey, especially in college football,” Campbell said. “It’s a time [where] relationships, continuity and trust are hard to find, but for me, that’s what Jon’s meant to me.”

Campbell and Heacock go way back, as Campbell noted that they first interacted when Campbell was a high school recruit. While Heacock was head coach of Youngstown State, he took note of Campbell.

With Heacock also being the defensive coordinator at Toledo while Campbell was there, the two have had a storied relationship that continues to grow stronger. 

“He’s been a steadying force every step of the way for me,” Campbell said.

The defense was the rock of the team last year. Although some defensive leaders moved on to the next level, other veteran players have stepped up to fill any gaps. 

Across the board, there are players on defense stepping up to push the Cyclones to the top again. 

“What we do on defense is not really what’s special,” Campbell said. “How we do what we do on defense is what’s made us really special.”

Going forward, the defense has to be steady again if the Cyclones want to flip the close games in their favor. The defense gave the offense many chances to win games last season—now the offense is more confident that they can capitalize.