Peterson: Iowa State football's process to become good again was swift and to the point

AMES − To fully understand Iowa State football’s best one-season turnaround, let’s look at the events that led to the Cyclones improving from one Big 12 Conference victory in 2022 to six in 2023.

Full-staff meetings. Closed-door meetings with individual staffers, some of whom would not be retained. Multiple meetings with player leaders.

You name it, head coach Matt Campbell was doing what he knew was right for the program and the young men he coaches. They didn’t sign on to go 1-8 in the Big 12 and 4-8 overall (the team's 2022 records). They joined up for better than that.

Players he recruited came aboard for something resembling the 2023 result: six conference wins, seven (so far) wins overall and a bowl game – in this instance, the Dec. 29 Liberty Bowl against hometown Memphis.

“We knew we were better than that,” All-American cornerback T.J. Tampa told me at Big 12 media days in July. “What happened last season – that wasn’t what we’re about. Everyone had to look at themselves. What could we do to get better?”

That self-reflection started almost as soon as the team’s charter touched down in Iowa after the 2022 season-ending, 62-14 loss at TCU.

“The record is what the record is,” Campbell told the Register’s Travis Hines moments after the loss. “We’re not going to run from it. That’s why they keep score, and that’s why they give you a record. It’s a drastic difference from where we were two years ago.”

Two years before, the Cyclones won eight of nine Big 12 games, played in the conference’s championship game, beat Oregon in the New Year’s Six Fiesta Bowl and reached nine wins for the first time since 2000.

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Slippage started when the 2001 team, with a roster that included four NFL Draft selections, won just seven games. Further decline was evident throughout a 2022 season in which Iowa State lost eight of nine conference games.

Campbell wasn’t standing pat. He knew what needed fixing.

“I’m not going to hide from that,” Campbell said after the TCU game capped a disappointing 4-8 season in 2022. “That’s the reality. A lot of soul-searching here in the next couple days and weeks . ... A lot of things for us to evaluate (about) where we are and where we need to move ourselves forward. Definitely a different offseason than we’ve had, and in some ways, we need it.”

They certainly did.

If we knew what play was coming, the opposition certainly did, too. Special teams were horrendous. The offensive line still hadn’t shown much, if any, improvement. That all resulted in Iowa State’s worst season since the 2014 team finished 2-10 and 0-9.

“I think all the things for us are a puzzle,” Campbell said after the eye-opening season. “Whether it's offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, strength and conditioning coordinator – it’s your job as the head coach to do a great job of putting the right pieces around those coordinators to be successful.”

Campbell’s deep dive into the program included the biggest staff shakeup of his seven seasons at Iowa State. It included hard decisions about who stays, who goes, and who’s hired.

The result? Iowa State’s sixth bowl game on Campbell’s watch, an impressive achievement considering all the freshmen and sophomores contributing in significant ways.

The mission was clear: Realign the staff as swiftly – and as smartly – as possible.

Players throughout the country were entering the transfer portal. Four newcomers were coming onto the Big 12 scene – BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. The college football world was spinning with NIL money being tossed about like trick-or-treat candy. The Cyclone/Hawkeye gambling investigation was still months away.

“You’re talking about what’s going on with college football globally – and you’re going through some staff changes for the first time in a unique way,” Campbell reflected to me after a recent press conference. “Some (staff turnover) was equal; some guys knew they wanted to move on and do some different things.

“We knew we had to realign ourselves the right way. We had a lot of balls in the air; sometimes that’s tough ... and chaotic.”

More: Peterson: 2023 is Matt Campbell's best season as Iowa State football coach

Keeping assistant coach Nate Scheelhaase was the priority. At 32 years old a year ago, the former Illinois star quarterback was in demand, both in college and in the pros. Iowa State needed to retain his fresh ideas, innovations and thoughts on how to shape the team's future.

Scheelhaase had been on Campbell’s staff since 2018 – first as running backs coach, then receivers coach, and then run game coordinator. He knew the players. He knew what needed fixed.

Campbell consulted staffers and players. He already had a relationship with Scheelhaase. He knew what he was getting. He knew, too, that if other schools weren’t already trying to poach him, they soon could be.

“Coach Campbell asked us a lot of things – like about how we felt about the strength staff, and even the offensive coordinator,” receiver Jaylin Noel told me recently. “I love coach Scheelhaase. That was my suggestion immediately when he asked me.

“I was like coach Scheelhaase – hands down.”

Quarterback Rocco Becht had similar thoughts.

“When the job opened and Nate was in the rumors, I wanted for him to be the quarterback coach as well,” the freshman All-American told me recently. “Having that offensive coordinator and quarterback coach in one person – that’s huge for a quarterback having that connection with your coach.”

Some staff changes had been made before players scattered for last holiday break. Some changes were still to come.

“We were confused with what really was happening,” Becht told me. “Everybody left to go home. Not a lot of people were talking to each other, which is understandable. We were with our families. Connections were off.”

There was no bowl game to prepare for. Final exams were all that remained before the players’ holiday break.

“In a way, it was kind of hectic, but it wasn’t hectic to where it was hurting anybody or degrading anybody,” Noel told me. “It was a time we knew we needed change, and a time we knew we had to accept change. With that mindset, the transition was easy. Bringing new players in, new coaches in, and having new ways to do things ... we knew what was coming.

“You don’t want to go through that transition all the time, but it was a transition that we needed.”

Everything was on the table. No one’s role was sacred.

DEC. 2, 2022: Offensive coordinator Tom Manning and strength and conditioning coach Dave Andrews were out. Manning was offensive coordinator during all but one of Campbell’s seven seasons, in 2018, when he coached Indianapolis Colts tight ends. Andrews came to Iowa State in February 2021.

DEC. 5, 2022: Scheelhaase, whose roles as running backs and receivers coach played large parts in David Montgomery, Breece Hall, Kene Nwangwu and Xavier Hutchinson making it to the NFL, became the offensive coordinator.

“One of the rising stars in college football coaching circles,” Campbell said. “He’s an outstanding recruiter who makes a difference in the lives of our student-athletes every day.”

Also on this day, Campbell announced offensive line coach Jeff Myers would pursue other coaching opportunities.

DEC. 14, 2022: Quarterbacks coach Joel Gordon, who coached Brock Purdy, accepted the same job at South Florida, where he reunited with new USF head coach Alex Golesh, a former Cyclones tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator.

DEC. 21, 2022: Reid Kagy became Iowa State football’s strength and conditioning coordinator.

JAN. 5, 2023: Ryan Clanton left Northern Iowa to coach Iowa State’s offensive line.

JAN. 12 (or so), 2023: Jordan Langs became the new special teams coordinator and running backs coach. Hank Poteat replaced cornerback coach Matt Caponi, who left to become defensive coordinator at North Texas.

JAN. 27:  Noah Pauley becomes the new receivers’ coach.

A gambling investigation and a successful transition

Iowa State lost several key players to NCAA suspensions due to the state's summer sports gambling investigation. But their replacements proved to be more than capable.

• Becht took over for Hunter Dekkers and became one of the nation's top young quarterbacks.

• Running backs Abu Sama, Eli Sanders and Cartevious Norton got the job done after Jirehl Brock was sidelined.

• The Cyclone tight ends didn't miss a beat despite losing DeShawn Hanika.

Almost exactly one year after the 48-point loss at TCU, Iowa State upset Kansas State in the snow at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Nov. 25 – and the program's turnaround was complete.

The offensive line had improved. Play-calling had become less predictable. Becht and Sama made it clear that they are present and future stars. Jon Heacock's defensive unit continued to be a strength. Special teams were special – especially transfer kicker Chase Contreraz and his 19-of-24 field-goal accuracy.

The Cyclones averaged almost a touchdown per game more than they did in 2022, after losing six times by seven points or fewer that season.

“At this time last year, it sucked,” Noel said. “We weren’t getting ready for a bowl game.”

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 51st year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: A timeline of how Iowa State football became good again