WATCH: Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell speaks at Big 12 Media Days

[Music] okay we'll have Coach make an opening remark and then we'll go ahead and take questions from the group yeah I'll just I'll start off saying you know really just grateful for you guys hanging around here today I I know it's late in the day and and I'm last here but really appreciate you what you guys do for the Big 12 and certainly those of you that cover our program what you do for Iowa State football um really on behalf of Iowa State University and our football program I am honored to be here uh we've got four great young men that have come with us four fantastic seniors that I brought with me today and I would like to talk just a little bit about these four guys because I think they've been pillars of Excellence within our football program two of them on defense uh first is senior defensive tackle Jr Singleton who is a fifth year senior in our football program and has really just been a a phenomenal young man that's had great success within our program a great senior starter for us and then uh a senior middle safety for us in BO Freer Bo's a young man that was a junior Captain a year ago and what I would deem is one of the one of the young men that has given our football program and certainly our defense a warrior spirit in in terms of how he goes about his his business and certainly what he stood for and then on the offensive side of the football uh we're really grateful to have two great receivers two senior receivers here that are representing our program uh first is Jaden Higgins uh a 64 big outside wide receiver a young man that really the second half of the season I thought was maybe a special as any receiver in college football uh really played great football for us and then also senior um again Junior Captain a year ago and Jaylen null and Jaylen much like Bo a young man that has been a four-year starter in our program a guy that has exudes a standard of Excellence in every single thing he does and so really proud of the young men that I brought with me today uh really proud of our football team coming back uh there's a group of 18 seniors that have led the way since January they've been phenomenal in their approach to our football program really took a lot of confidence from last year's football season spearheaded into the offseason this this year and really our Focus has been really our best becoming the standard and I think when you have so many guys that have coming back that have played football in our football program learning how to be your best in everything you do as you prepare for the season um to have great confidence going into the fall is really special and this group has been nothing short of exceptional in what they've done so uh excited about our football team and look forward to answering any questions you would have for me okay ask question raise your hand we'll get you a handheld microphone we'll stay here on the right hand side Row one right on the first seat uh Kenneth Barry touchdowns and tangents Coach Campbell you've been obviously really close with these Iowa State teams especially even going back before pery but you've been very close what do you feel like this team needs to do to get over the hump and as far as just building out you know the program and the future of it how secure do you feel about your future at Iowa State yeah you know it's been it's been an unbelievable ride here you know I this going into my ninth football season here at Iowa State um you know the first part of that question I would say is you know not only close I mean we we've been there you know we've been able to get to the Big 12 championship game you know we've been able to win the regular season conference um and we've been really close in a lot of other seasons and you know I think as our our young team coming off a rough year in 2022 and the way our team in football program responded last year um it was really fun to watch this football team come back to really the standard of who we are and what we've been and what we've been has been really special so um you know from that point really excited and then uh you know the future of it you you almost take every season one day at a time you know and one opportunity a time like I said at this beginning of this just really grateful to be at one place for nine football seasons and the ability to lead something that I think is stood for something that's really special right now in the college football we'll go to the left side Row three in the middle hey Matt Colin Wilson with the Action Network as much as I wanted to ask you about your tight ends a third year in a row you had a top 15 rank in Rush explosives and pass explosives Iowa State's always a move the chain success rate animal where did the explosiveness come from where we see it again yeah you know I think the explosiveness comes when you have explosive players you know and and again I you you went in the last season so young that that that even you saying that stat which would have shocked me a year ago just CU you didn't know who we were um you knew we had really talented young players how fast could they mature but when you talk about you know certainly the play of the true freshman tailback a year ago in Abu and what he did you know there was another true freshman Carson Hansen both those guys kind of took the bulkload of snaps at the tailb back position were able to create explosive plays and then you you look at the receiver position and what what Jaden Higgins became through the entirety of last football season by the end of the season really being a dynamic playmaker and you were able to couple him with Jaylen null um and then you talk about the true freshman tight end Ben bramer who we feel like has got a chance to be as special as anybody and and and then you put that around Roco Beck and watch what he evolved into from where he was as a red shirt freshman um kind of forced into the starting position to Man by the midpoint of the season this guy's got a chance to be really special and this guy's got a chance to be dynamic in his ability to be a great facilitator of the football to those guys um that's really what occurred last season and obviously yeah you want to see that continue to grow forward and I think when you have those players and some of those players being so young to see now them grow grow into their position it's going to be really fun to watch this fall and we'll go to the right side row two second seat in Neil Meyer with the front office news Coach Campbell you have a great relationship with a guy like Scott safield and Tyson bite who recently came to Cincinnati walk us through what that processes was like and your relationship with both of them and how that move came about yeah you know I I I would just say for for me one of the responsibilities that I feel like as a head football coach is not just to your players and getting them to reach their full potential and be their best but I feel like it's equally my responsibility of our staff members and continuing to help them get to their goals and aspirations and you know Tyson was such a great anchor for us defensively at Iowa State and what we became and what we've been able to do Tyson's been with me for nine years you know our nine years at at Iowa State and then prior to that was with us for the three years at Toledo and you know obviously Scott and I were together at the University of Toledo and I just felt like number one close to home back home for for Tyson number two obviously the utmost respect for the Cincinnati football program and then number three the utmost respect for Scott it just felt like it was a great opportunity to maybe at least help bridge that Gap Tyson to his credit did a great job interviewing for the job and and Scott I think made a great hire I think they're going to make a great team together for sure we'll stay on the right side third row hey Coach pay Blas 24/7 Sports in his first season as a starter Rock Ock surpassed expectations how do you see his trajectory moving forward and where can he continue to to rise as he heads into his second season as a starter yeah you know I think the the biggest thing for for Rocco is you know when you finally have videotape of yourself in game action to be able to go back and you know as an individual and collectively as a coaching staff go back and really work through man what went really well man where are you really grow where are you really having success and how do we grow forward and and again to me that is the great reward of coaching and that's the great reward of of playing is you're either getting better or you're getting worse and to me it's a it's a confidence factor I think of playing in those big game moments and being the guy with the ball in the hand making all those decisions and I think what you saw really from the midpoint season on this guy just start to really flourish and have comfortability the role of being the starting quarterback and then I think the other thing is is really just the ability to do the common things in an uncommon way sometimes I think we man we get so enamored in all the other things but man taking care of the football Distributing the ball where it needs to go based on what the coverage dictates man in those critical moments can you be Flawless in execution I think some of those things are what you hope is the next step for Rocco from going from a red shirt freshman to going into a red shirt sophomore season we'll go far back side or far right side over here in the middle far back Coach Campbell Alex Blackburn college football dogs uh how important is Abu sama's success to Iowa State as a whole do you think he can build off last year well yeah you know I think when you looked at at our football program over the last eight years um when we have been able to run the ball with great success we have been we have been a really really Dynamic football team and you know so when you ask the question how important is a Buu and and and I would just say our running back room in general the growth of that room because it's still a really young room you're talking about you know two true freshmen a year ago Carson Hansen being the other one and then you talk about Dylan Lee is a true freshman and then we did pick up a veteran Jaylen Jackson that came in uh this year um but you but you talk about the growth of that room we think it's as talented maybe as top to bottom as what we've had at Iowa State but to watch that room really take a a huge step forward is going to be critical when you have great balance offensively I just heard coach Gundy talk about it man you really Force the defense to have to defend the entire part of the football field and so I think really really important for us and uh again when we've been at our best we've been able to run the football as good as anybody go to the left side fifth row yeah Matt Barry traml with the Tulsa World I can't remember if 18 or 20 start starters you conceivably could have back how difficult is that to return that many guys in this day and age I mean rosters turn over so quickly and just the novelty of having so many veterans back yeah I think it's really hard Barry I mean you know and you you you face challenges unique challenges that that have been just so different from when I started even in Iowa State to where we are today is you know a place like Iowa State the only way you're really going to have success is retention and development you know we we just are not going to ever be the people that have the the most money or the most nil money we're going to have to be the te team that develops our players better than anybody and you know again when we've been at our best we've been older and we've been able to keep our guys you know and be able to get older and so um just a great credit to our coaching staff right now I think a great credit to our senior leadership we've got a really great locker room and I think there's no way we would have been able to keep or retain the players in our football program and the quality of players in our football program if we didn't have a great locker room and and they believing in the coaches and they believing in their teammates and themselves so uh we're really fortunate for what we have okay we'll go right here at seventh row center aisle on the left side Matt Doo wda Y and Fargo you've imported a couple of uh buising guys first the addition of Tyler R and Eli green can you give me a little bit of background on both and what their additions can mean into your football team yeah you know and and I'll I'll I'll jump one year back we were fortunate to bring Noah P who was your wide receiver coach you know the the season before and you know I I my history being Mount Union and and and certainly our lineage of of success and having so much respect for the North Dakota State football program over the years um you know it was a great starting point when we had some job openings to to start there and you know Noah really came in and did an exceptional job I think if you look at our receiver room from where we were when he came in to where we are today um man we're we're really special and a lot of credit to Noah and what he's done in terms of the development and then I think the same thing that I would say with Tyler you know we we not only bring a a a football coach that's got an exceptional football mind as an offensive coordinator but you also bring into the running back room this really talented running back room a player that was a phenomenal player at North Dakota state that understands what it means to be his best played in the National Football League a little bit and then to be to watch his coaching Journey you know and he didn't start right back there he had to work his way back up from the ground up and you know kind of fit the mentality of our coaching staff and you know what what both of those coaches have meant to us has been been nothing short of exceptional they brought energy and they' brought our same belief system in man how do you love care serve Empower our players and develop our players to be the best and then you talk about Eli green you know we're really fortunate obviously that that kind of came out in nowhere and all of a sudden you know a young man that had relationships on our staff we knew a little bit about Eli from afar but I think you know just the ability for us to get a young man that again has played winning Championship level football a guy that that's certainly his role and in success within that bison program was having tremendous success in his work ethic it's been a great addition to our football program so we are really grateful for all three of those guys okay we go on the right side third row second seat in I coach Alec busy 247 you spoke really highly of both frer in the past calling him an anchor of your defense of your program you call him a warrior for your defense today I just wanted to ask you where does he get those character traits and why are those so valuable for your defense yeah you know I think what we ask that middle safety position to do in our defense is is really unique and I think there's people that have tried to replicate our defense at times and maybe have struggled because that position in my opinion is the key to success and what we asked Bo to do man fit the run like a true linebacker and yet have the speed and the skill to cover in the secondary that's such a unique skill and trade and you know I think the thing that's been really rewarding to watch Bo you know Bo came in here and started his started his career running down as like the L5 on our kickoff which is not the easiest place to play that's physical football and and a guy that let our team and special teams tackles is a true freshman and really by the midpoint of the Season had earned the right to be on the field on defense and you know how Bo goes to work every day what his work ethic in the waight room what his commitment to being man an authentic leader to his teammates I think if you'd ask all of our teammates like the guy that's there for all of our kids the guy that's uh man willing to help others and willing to Servant lead our football program they'd come back and they'd talk about Bo and you know he's not only a guy that leads by example but he's a guy that is an unbelievable sermon leader and willing to to pull others with him and to me I've always defined excellence and Greatness by your ability to to bring others up with you and nobody has done it as great in our football program as what Bo has done for us all right that'll do it coach thank you for your time okay thank you