Matt Campbell and his opening statement consumed most Iowa State fans’ attention on the first day of fall camp, but the 2018 Cyclones still took the field for practice on Friday.

Some of the drills featured players shuffled around in different positions. A few new faces combined with some returning players stood out on the first day of practice.

Quarterbacks

The morning session of the first day of fall camp showcased the starters and the third string players. As a result, senior Kyle Kempt and freshman Re-al Mitchell handled the passing and handoff drills.

Kempt turned in a typical Kempt-like performance. He was consistently accurate without too much flash.

Mitchell, on the other hand, gave the media its first look of him on an Iowa State field. The 6-foot quarterback provided glimpses of his athleticism and quickness.

In passing drills, Mitchell connected on a handful of nicely placed deep balls. On medium to short throws, Mitchell was solid but missed his mark on a few.

Overall, Mitchell looked good, but keep in mind, he was in shorts with no defensive pressuring him.

Offensive Line

The first-team offensive line differed from the two-deep depth chart.

The initial depth chart released in July listed the starters as: Sean Foster at left tackle, three players battling at left guard, Julian Good-Jones or Colin Newell at center, Josh Knipfel at right guard and Bryce Meeker at right tackle.

On Friday, the first-team offensive line look as followed: Good-Jones at left tackle, Josh Muller at left guard, Newell at center, Knipfel at right guard and Meeker at right tackle.

The second-string offensive line consisted of Foster at left tackle, Oge Udeogu at left guard, Will Windham at center, Trevor Downing at right tackle and Alex Kleinow at right tackle.

During Campbell’s post-practice press conference, he said that the offensive line isn’t set and could change.

With less than a month until Iowa State’s opener, the offensive line will be a unit to keep an eye on.

Hakeem Butler

The 6-foot-6 wideout will be a key piece in replacing the void left by Marchie Murdock and Allen Lazard.

Butler competed against senior corners D’Andre Payne and Brian Peavy on Friday. Butler utilized his sized over the smaller corners, hauling in a few deep balls.

With Murdock and Lazard on the outside last season, Campbell said after practice that Butler is talented enough to play outside or in the slot.

If Butler emerges as an outside option, the offense could open up for a receiving tight end like Chase Allen, who caught four passes last season.