Senior wide receiver Allen Lazard told Twitter fans on December 1, 2016 that he had a surprise announcement the following day. The wide receiver group saw the tweet and waited to hear whether he was coming back to Iowa State or going into the National Football League draft.

On Dec. 2, Lazard wrote a tweet that made Iowa State fans and teammates cheer with happiness. Number five was staying in Ames for one more season.

One last go around! pic.twitter.com/FgCBZW22nJ

— Cinco (@AllenLazard) December 2, 2016

“I had some unfinished personal and team goals I wanted to reach in my collegiate career,” Lazard said. “The decision took time, but in the end, I knew this is what I wanted.”

Lazard has wanted to accomplish some team goals since his freshman year as a Cyclone. Those goals include winning a Big 12 and national championship, reaching a bowl game, and winning a bowl game.

None of these four goals have been reached yet, but he’s determined to leave Ames with accomplishing some, if not all, these goals. He’s also hoping to obtain some individual goals.

Lazard wanted to come back to play football, but more importantly to him, he wanted to finish his degree. School is an important aspect to his time at Iowa State and he had a smile on his face knowing he would earn that degree.

On the field, he’s turned into not only an offensive leader, but a team leader throughout his junior year. He learned how to play college football quickly when he filled in as a starting wide receiver his freshman year.

“I believe that the opportunity to play significant time during my freshman year allowed me to build my leadership skills at a younger age,” Lazard said. “I’ve been able to share those leadership skills and I hope to continue doing that during my senior year.”

During Lazard’s decision, coach Matt Campbell spoke to NFL officials to find out the Iowa State wide receiver could be drafting between the fifth round and not being drafted completely. The opportunity to play one more season could benefit Lazard in the 2018 NFL draft as he’s already being looked at as a potential first round pick.

The NFL dream has made Lazard conscious about his training, diet and overall football IQ. His mindset is much different than any of the three seasons at Iowa State.

“When Coach Campbell presented the idea obviously I loved it, but actually executing it was very hard,” Lazard said. “Because I just turned 21 and so I’m in college and I want to have fun, so it took a while to make the switch.”

Wide receiver coach Bryan Gasser has noticed the change since his decision was made last December.

“Allen [Lazard] is very attentive of what’s going in his body and how he’s training over the summer,” Gasser said. “He’s not only preparing for the college season, but he’s also preparing for a possible future career in the NFL. He’s definitely matured in his training process.”

Not only have coaches seen his effort this summer, but his teammates have too.

“Just making that move to the NFL. He’s not just that Big 12 first team, he’s trying to be an NFL player, an NFL draft pick,” cornerback Brian Peavy said. “You can see that in his game. You can see he took it to the next level.”

Lazard has those team goals in the back of his head and wants to focus his attention on the college football season, not the pursuit to the next level.

He’s still enjoying his time as a Cyclone as he wore Joel Lanning’s number seven jersey to media day and joked around with every teammate throughout the morning. He understands his responsibilities, but wants to have fun during his last year.

It’s his last season as a Cyclone football player, so he’s prepared to soak in every second at practice, with his teammates and coaches, and enjoying the atmosphere at Jack Trice Stadium.

“I’m just going to go out there and play my hardest every single game,” Lazard said. “I’m going to let my actions influence my teammates and give it all I got.

“I’m not worried about what the end result will be because I know I’m going to give my best effort for my teammates to make sure we succeed.”