At this time last year, Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell did not feel confident about where his team was after spring practices ended.

Almost the entire coaching staff was new to Iowa State. Both the offensive and defensive coordinators were new and every player on both sides of the ball was learning a new system.

That’s not the case this year.

Joel Lanning, who has been with the program for four years, mentioned the difference between last year and this year.

“Last year was just different because [the coaches] just got here,” Lanning said. “Everyone was learning something new. … I feel like we’re a completely different team from last year.”

After a 3-9 season that had plenty of ups and downs, Iowa State has a much clearer vision for the future than it did a year ago.

“I think last year at this time guys were counting the days until spring practice was over,” Campbell said. “This year, this football team, from the day we came back in January to where we’re at right now, the majority of this team has really understood the value of when nobody’s watching.”

The players have taken the initiative. Multiple coaches have mentioned some of the younger players on the team working out late at the Bergstrom indoor practice facility as an example of players taking matters into their own hands.

Leaders at every position on the team have organized workouts in their spare time to keep themselves and their teammates sharp.

Now, the focus is on getting ready for Sept. 2, when Iowa State takes on Northern Iowa in its 2017 season opener. Jacob Park, who sits atop the depth chart at quarterback, pointed out the importance of summer workouts for every player.

“Even though practice is over with the coaches, practice isn’t over for us,” Park said. “It never stops.

“This is a year-round job, there’s no offseason, there’s no days off. Every day that you have, you’ve got to do something to get better. I think that mindset has definitely been instilled in the rest of this team.”

Campbell called it a “great buy-in” from the players. With less than 21 weeks standing between Iowa State and its first game of the 2017 season, there is plenty of work to be done, and that buy-in from every player on the team will be critical.

“It’s starting to become fun and it’s not a hassle anymore,” Park said. “The whole culture and the way we do things has changed so much. I’m just so excited to see how much more we progress within these next 16 weeks.”