The most important position in football was the topic of discussion at Wednesday’s media availability at the Jacobson Building.

The Cyclones return sixth-year senior Kyle Kempt and redshirt sophomore Zeb Noland, while freshmen Re-al Mitchell, Brock Purdy and Blake Clark were added to the room. Iowa State also receives redshirt freshman Devon Moore who is coming off injury last season.

Kempt has improved confidence

Kempt spent last preseason at Iowa State practicing with backup players and facing the backup defense. This fall, Kempt gets the repetitions against JaQuan Bailey, Willie Harvey and the rest of Iowa State’s solid first team unit.

For Kempt, it’s not only helped him physically, but also mentally.

“It helps my confidence [practicing with the starters],” Kempt said. “It’s been a big help for me.”

Along with the higher quality of practice opponents, Kempt has changed his body as well. Kempt added 15 pounds after the 2017 season, increasing some of his strength.

The senior quarterback said adding the weight in the offseason helped his velocity on passes and confidence in his arm.

“It was all summer long,” said quarterbacks coach Joel Gordon on Kempt’s increased confidence. “When he got done in the spring, it was clear he was motivated and driven to get better. He was in the film room all summer long, everyday working at his craft. He’s had a really good camp, so really happy where he’s at right now.”

Noland benefitted from small playing time

Noland only filled in for Kempt four games last season with one of those as a start, but the redshirt sophomore gained experience to build upon.

“You learn a lot when you play,” Noland said. “When you prepare in the offseason like it’s a game, and you see how fast the game actually moves, you can be more ready for fall camp than you were a year ago because you know how natural it feels to be back there and what it takes to be prepared to play in a Big 12 game.”

Noland said that he and Kempt have benefitted from being teammates, too. The duo spend a lot of time in the film room, according to Noland, and they point out aspects of each others game that they can improve at.

Kempt also noted the importance of Noland’s game experiences last season paying off after the season.

“He’s made a bunch of progress,” Kempt said. “It was good for him to get those reps last year. He got a full game in… he’s continued to progress. I’ve been really proud of what he’s doing.”

No Set Third String

Most fanbases don’t have a ton of interest in the third string quarterback, but many Cyclone fans do this season. At this time last year, Kyle Kempt wasn’t a name tossed around in football conversations in Ames, and the Cyclones have plenty of other examples to look at of backup quarterbacks starting games in the past.

This year, Kempt and Noland are locked in to the top two quarterback spots on the depth chart, but behind them, the competition is open.

“Competition, everyday,” Gordon said on the third string quarterback spot. “The good thing is we have three young guys that are eager, they’re learning, they’re getting better every single day.

“They’re going to go all the way until someone separates themselves.”

Gordon said that Kempt and Noland are handling the repetitions against the older players on defense, while Purdy, Mitchell and Moore are facing younger defenders.

The young trio is learning behind the older two in camp, and Noland has taken note of the quarterbacks’ performances.

“I think all three have had a really good camp,” Noland said. “Re-al’s made some really good plays with his feet. Brock’s the same guy everyday, and Devon’s the same guy everyday. They’ve all done a really good job this fall, coming in and coming prepared. I can say I feel like this quarterback room is the most prepared it’s ever been each day for practice.”

Kempt also reverberated Noland’s statement, saying the freshmen quarterbacks played well in Iowa State’s scrimmage.