AMES — Iowa State will go into the 2024 football season with nine returning starters on defense. The gaps that need to be filled are those of T.J. Tampa in the secondary and Gerry Vaughn for the linebacker group.
On days like the Spring Game, the scoreboard is the least of the Cyclones’ concerns. Matchups and personnel experimentations are what the staff look forward to evaluating.
“You’re looking at individual matchups, who executed well, who went out and could function with different people,” head coach Matt Campbell said. “That’s what you like about a day like today. You’re put in stressful situations that are unique and different.”
The projected starters saw little to no action in the Spring Game. On the defensive side, linebacker Caleb Bacon is expected to have a big role in the upcoming 2024 season.
Throughout spring practice, Bacon has been looked upon as the guy to take over Vaughn’s spot as the leader. As a former walk-on, Bacon found his stride in the 2023 season with 60 total tackles and three sacks while playing in all 13 games.
“[Bacon] flashed so bright last year during the fall,” Campbell said. “If you look at the last six games in the fall, man, I don’t know if anybody played better on our defense than he did.”
Growing into the leadership role opened by Vaughn’s departure has played a part in how Bacon approached the spring. While Bacon may be viewed as the new leader, he thinks that if the group can come together and have multiple leaders, it may be more beneficial.
With a new linebackers coach at the helm for 2024 and two starters from last season returning, the linebacker group will be one to highlight in the fall.
“I feel like I had a good spring,” Bacon said. “A big part of that has been our new linebackers coach, coach [Colby] Kratch. He’s been big in our development. We watch film with him almost every morning.”
The reps in the Spring Game were limited for Bacon, as the redshirt junior finished the day with one solo tackle. The limited playing time allowed for some of the younger players to practice game situations to better prepare for the fall season.
Rylan Barnes, a redshirt freshman from Britt, Iowa, and Mason Miller, a freshman from Colorado Springs, Colorado, led the way for the linebackers in the Spring Game. They each recorded three solo tackles and Barnes added a seven-yard sack to finish the spring season.
Bacon said he was pleased with how the younger linebackers stepped up and played in Saturday’s Spring Game. The younger players add depth to an already strong group that will likely be led by Bacon.
“[Bacon is] just such a unique player,” Campbell said. “He’s an elite pass rusher, he’s a guy that really plays great in the pass coverage game and he can run sideline to sideline.”
The secondary is the other group that lost its leader in Tampa, who is expected to be an early-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
From last season’s defense, four essential defensive backs will return. Jeremiah Cooper, Beau Freyler, Myles Purchase and Malik Verdon will lead the way for the defensive backs this season, all with 11 or more starts previously.
The role that Tampa had last season will likely be filled right away. With the experience presented, the secondary may be the strongest part of the Iowa State defense heading into the fall.
“That secondary’s got experience,” Campbell said. “Ta’Shawn James, Jamison Patton, you saw Cam Smith step up and play today. We feel like we’ve got maybe, in that safety position, seven or eight guys that are going to compete to start.”
James was the leader in tackles with eight, four solo and four assisted, and added a tackle for loss in the Spring Game. Sophomore Caden Matson followed James in total tackles with seven.
Both James and Matson did not play a lot in 2023, but with their performances in the Spring Game, they could be weapons in the fall.
