Iowa State Football: Who starts at quarterback for Cyclones in 2018?
Assuming quarterback Kyle Kempt does not receive a sixth year of eligibility, who starts at quarterback for Iowa State football in 2018?
Iowa State and Matt Campbell are in the process of applying for Kyle Kempt to gain a sixth year of eligibility. Iowa State is appealing using the same frame that Nebraska did with now graduated quarterback Tanner Lee. Lee began his career at Tulane and transferred after a coaching change. Once at Nebraska, the NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility as he was “run off” by the new coaching staff.
Kempt began his playing career at Oregon State before transferring after a coaching change. After transferring from Oregon State, Kempt’s journey took him to Hutchinson Community College where another coaching change took place. Kempt then walked on at Iowa State and has quickly became a legend.
All Iowa State fans hope that Kyle Kempt will be granted a sixth year of eligibility after he put together a 6-3 record including two wins over top five teams and a Liberty Bowl win over Memphis. Since the NCAA has not made a ruling on Kempt, lets assume he does not get granted a sixth year.
Options to replace Kyle Kempt
Going into the spring semester, Iowa State will have three quarterbacks on their roster. It is very likely that Iowa State adds a graduate transfer if one becomes available. Only three scholarship quarterbacks on a division one roster is not enough especially with only one having any playing time.
Zeb Noland, redshirt sophomore
Zeb Noland will be a redshirt sophomore going into the 2018 football season. Noland is a very popular name around Ames as he came in to relieve Kyle Kempt when he got injured against Oklahoma State and nearly pulled off the upset. Noland started the following week against Baylor and won his first game as a starter.
The gunslinger from Georgia has a big arm, confidence and the coaching staffs trust. Noland finished the year with a 54.5 percent completion percentage (36-66), 533 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on the year. During his near upset win over Oklahoma State, Noland made some incredible throws into tight windows exciting Iowa State fans for the future.
Zeb Noland did a tremendous job jumping in for the injured Kempt. However, with any new full time starter, there will be a learning curve. The talented quarterback will be the frontrunner for the opening if Kempt does not receive a sixth year of eligibility.
Devon Moore, redshirt freshman
Soon to be redshirt freshman, Devon Moore was one of Matt Campbells first commitments and hails from Waterloo, Iowa. Moore had an exceptional high school career passing for 5,098 yards, 43 touchdown passes, and another 23 touchdowns on the ground (Des Moines Register). During summer workouts this summer, Moore suffered a torn ACL ending his redshirt year. The 6’4″ 225 pound redshirt freshman has the build to be a Big 12 quarterback but his growth has been hampered by his injury.
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Re-al Mitchell, true freshman
Re-al Mitchell will be on campus this spring and participate in spring practices. The six foot 190 pound dual-threat quarterback from St. John Bosco prep in California battled injuries his senior season but has an impressive resume. The dual-threat quarterback has passed for 4,180 yards, 38 touchdowns while rushing for 1,910 yards and 27 touchdowns according to Max Preps.
Mitchell must get stronger and improve his arm strength. Anticipate him redshirting his first year on campus to bulk up. This past June, Mitchell competed at the Elite 11 showcase. Cyclone fans should be excited about Mitchell but he will need to get bigger and stronger before making an impact.
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So who gets the starting job?
Iowa State’s quarterback in 2018 is Zeb Nolands job to lose. The redshirt sophomore to be has proven he can play at a high level in Big 12 play. Anticipate Iowa State adding a graduate transfer to come in and compete against Zeb Noland. When fall camp comes around, expect a quarterback competition to take place in Ames unless Kempt is granted a sixth year by the NCAA.