Keith Heckendorf joins a coaching staff that was overhauled this past offseason and aims to make an impact with the Cyclones’ quarterbacks in the 2026 season.

Heckendorf is not part of the group Jimmy Rogers brought from South Dakota State and Washington State, but he has a long history of working with quarterbacks throughout his career.

The St. Cloud State alum had an impressive college career, breaking records in every major passing category in program history. He was also a two-time finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which goes to the top player in Division II football.

Heckendorf eventually stopped playing and turned to coaching. He returned to his high school alma mater in Wisconsin as an assistant coach in 2004.

After that, Heckendorf joined Nebraska. He started as an offensive video intern for the Cornhuskers before returning as a graduate assistant the next two seasons.

He later went to Western Carolina, where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Catamounts.

After three seasons, Heckendorf stayed in the state and headed to Chapel Hill for a player development role at North Carolina.

In 2014, he was promoted to quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator for the Tar Heels.

In his second season in that position, North Carolina had its best season since the 1990s, going 11-3 and rising as high as No. 8 in the AP Top 25.

Following that successful campaign, the Tar Heels turned to Heckendorf to fill their vacant quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator positions.

As Heckendorf stepped into the spotlight, so did his quarterback prospect. Mitchell Trubisky, who had been a backup for North Carolina the previous two seasons, had a breakout junior year.

Trubisky totaled 3,748 passing yards, a 30-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio and the best completion percentage in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Chicago Bears selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Following the 2018 season, Heckendorf was looking for a change and landed at Arkansas State as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Even with those responsibilities, Heckendorf found major success in his second season.

The Red Wolves offense again averaged nearly 500 yards of total offense and 364.4 passing yards, which ranked second nationally.

Heckendorf focused on the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach roles in 2021. That season brought more of the same, with the offense posting the 11th-most passing yards in the country.

In a rivalry game against Memphis, Heckendorf’s offense totaled 680 yards and 582 through the air, yet still lost 55-50.

Heckendorf coached potential Cyclones starting quarterback Jaylen Raynor for the last three seasons at Arkansas State.

Raynor won Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2023 after starting 11 games for the Red Wolves.

After an average sophomore season, Raynor turned in his best season as a junior. He led the Sun Belt in completions, passing attempts, passing yards and passing yards per game while rushing for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.

The passing offense as a whole ranked in the top 35 nationally and won the 68 Ventures Bowl after going 7-6 in the regular season.

The dual-threat quarterback committed to Iowa State this winter and is trying to win the starting job. However, Raynor is not a lock for the spot. Three players with completely different backgrounds will be trying to win the quarterback position.

Connor Moberly was Iowa State’s backup last season and is entering his redshirt sophomore year.

Zane Flores was in the Big 12 last season, starting nine games for Oklahoma State. He struggled there, but was a three-star transfer prospect.

Raynor played at Arkansas State, a Group of Five program, with Heckendorf and came to Ames as a three-star transfer. The door for the quarterback position is wide open.

“They’ve all got a clean slate and can be whoever they want to be,” Heckendorf said. “At the end of the day, we’re going to put our best players in position to win.”

Only special teams coordinator Rob Grande returned to Iowa State, and some coaches followed Rogers from his previous two stops.

Heckendorf is not only getting familiar with the players on the field, but also with the coaches he is working with behind the scenes.

“That’s part of the fun as a coach, always looking for ways to continue to grow and get better,” Heckendorf said. “Continue to expand who you are and your knowledge base to then, in turn, help your kids and put them in a position to be successful.”

Heckendorf believes the quarterback’s primary responsibility is to win at all costs. Whichever quarterback gets the call to start Week One against Southeast Missouri will know that it is the priority.

“Your number one job is to win,” Heckendorf said. “That may be throwing it 50 times a game, that may be throwing it 10 times a game. Every week is different. But your job is to influence the people in the room. Your job is to influence the guys on this football team.”