As college football heads into another bizarre offseason with roster’s getting decimated left and right, one sitting U.S. Senator has cited the Iowa State Cyclones as an example for why congress must act as it relates to the state of college athletics.
Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz re-shared a post on X highlighting how Iowa State currently only has 17 players on its roster, and one returning starter planned, as of now, for 2026. Cruz then called Iowa State’s situation an “absolute crisis”, adding that, “Congress NEEDS to act.” Cruz said for months he’s been working with both sides of the aisle to save college sports, saying if Congress fails to do so, “it will be an utter tragedy”.
Iowa State has seen enormous turnover after Matt Campbell left for the Penn State job, and the Cyclones brought in Jimmy Rogers to replace him. The Cyclones have now lost 40 players to the transfer portal, with multiple players announcing their departure on Monday and Tuesday of this week.
Iowa State is getting some good news this week with the Cyclones making some additions and adding some commitments, including players who were previously committed to Rogers at Washington State.
College Football’s Bigger Problems
But it doesn’t change the fact that college sports is becoming a season-by-season sport. It’s harder than ever to predict, and the days of watching young players enter a program as wide-eyed freshman, and graduate as senior veterans are done. That was part of the charm of college sports for decades. Now, it feels like it’s all gone.
And while that’s not the main reason for the issues the big-money sports face at the college level, it’s certainly not helping the cause. Eventually, fans will throw their hands up, be tired of donating their hard-earned money to a player who has absolutely zero loyalty to the university, and say, enough is enough.
When is that breaking point? No one knows. And in the meantime, the crazy continues.
Is Congress required to solve it? Considering how poorly the NCAA and the sports themselves have done governing themselves, I suppose Congress might be the only answer. That’s a scary proposition, but it might be all we’ve got.
