Jaylen Raynor Era Ends for Iowa State Football Before It Got Going

The Iowa State Cyclones had a lot of new faces on both the coaching staff and roster heading into the 2026 college football season after the departure of head coach Matt Campbell.

In the first year of the Jimmy Rogers era, he was putting his confidence in Jaylen Raynor to run his offense. A transfer from the Arkansas State Red Wolves, he was viewed as the starter throughout the offseason, earning the job with his level of play.

His confidence was growing as the offseason program moved along, and he was learning a new system. He was relaying plays in the huddle and under center more with the Cyclones and offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl, compared to getting plays from signals on the sidelines with Arkansas State.

Things were not pretty all the time, but Raynor did show some flashes. Alas, those flashes weren’t enough, as he was benched at halftime of the team’s game in Week 8 against the Arizona Wildcats.

Jaylen Raynor benched at halftime by Iowa State

Iowa State was trailing 25-3 after the first half, and it is fair to wonder if this will be the end of the Raynor era in Ames after seven starts. He completed 8-of-10 passes for 106 yards before being benched, showing much better efficiency and more yards per completion than he has this season, but the team was still down three scores going into intermission.

Looking to find a spark on the offensive side of the ball, Connor Moberly was inserted into the game. That is a golden opportunity for him, because if he shows an ability to move the ball more effectively, the Cyclones could have a new starter when they return home to Jack Trice Stadium in Week 9 to play the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Halloween night.

Entering the game against Arizona, Raynor was not making the kind of impact the coaching staff had hoped he would. He was having the least productive season of his career, completing only 57.4% of his passes, going 85-of-148.

Raynor threw for only 1,001 yards, averaging 166.8 per game. He did throw seven touchdowns, producing the highest touchdown rate of his career at 4.7%. However, he was throwing interceptions at a career-worst rate of 2.7%, with four total.

A dual-threat passer, he wasn’t even making the kind of impact he normally does with his legs. Raynor was averaging 27.7 yards per game, which would also be a single-season low. That number will only be going down after he registered -21 rushing yards against the Wildcats. Alas, he did have a nose for the end zone, scoring three times on the ground.

With Raynor’s leash possibly gone, it would make sense for Rogers and company to evaluate some of their other quarterback options who have eligibility remaining to play with the team next season.