Iowa State head wrestling coach Kevin Jackson is stepping down at the end of the season, Iowa State announced Tuesday.

The Cyclones are a disappointing 1-9 so far this season, including 1-5 in the Big 12.

Jackson had just over a year left on his contract. Athletic Director Jamie Pollard said he’ll explore potential roles on campus or in the athletics department beyond his current contract’s end.

“Iowa State has a great wrestling tradition and everyone involved with the program has very high expectations,” Jackson said in a press release. “We have not consistently met those expectations recently, which has been disappointing to me, my staff, our current and former wrestlers, the wrestling donors and our fans.

“I feel that a number of wrestlers on our team have the potential for strong tournament runs and making this announcement now relieves some pressures and uncertainties for our current student-athletes as well as for incoming recruits.”

Iowa State returned three All-Americans from last year’s roster, and the Cyclones were ranked in the top 15 before the season started.

They started off the season a disappointing 1-3, including loses to South Dakota State, North Dakota State and Wyoming.

Recently, Iowa State lost to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. The Oklahoma State loss was the worst home loss in school history.

“Kevin has worked tirelessly at Iowa State to develop a first-rate program on and off the mat and we are appreciative of those efforts,” Pollard said. “He is a man of great integrity, a terrific ambassador for the Cyclones and a talented coach but we agreed that our program isn’t performing at the level we expect.

“I truly appreciate the way Kevin has handled this situation by putting his student-athletes and Iowa State University first. His decision to step away from coaching at the end of the season is a great example of his selfless leadership.”