Iowa State Football: Tom Manning leaving for Indianapolis Colts
Iowa State football offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Tom Manning is leaving Ames to take an assistant coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts.
Iowa State football took a major blow as Matt Campbell announced to multiple local sources that Tom Manning was leaving for the Colts. Manning will be the new tight ends coach under new head coach Franke Reich. Manning came to Iowa State with Campbell from Toledo and has served as the Cyclones offensive coordinator and offensive line coach the past two seasons.
Since coming to Iowa State, the Cyclones offense has been rejuvenated under Manning. Under Manning, Iowa State had their top-two passing offenses in Iowa State history and this past season put up 40 or more points five times.
Manning quickly proved his value this season as he was forced to use four different quarterbacks after Jacob Park left for personal reasons. With Kyle Kempt stepping in, Manning tailored the offense around Kempt resulting in two top-five wins and a Liberty bowl victory over Memphis.
With Manning heading to the NFL, Iowa State will quickly need to find an offensive coordinator and an offensive line coach. The timing of the announcement could not be worse as today is Iowa State’s Junior Day and numerous prospects are on campus.
Whoever takes over at offensive coordinator will have plenty of playmakers. Iowa State returns quarterback Kyle Kempt, All-Big 12 running back David Montgomery and honorable mention All-Big 12 receiver Hakeem Butler.
The offensive line was something Manning was really beginning to have some success with in 2017. The success of the offensive line was a slow process as he was forced to find five new starters in his first year at Iowa State. Whoever takes over the offensive line will have a little better luck as the Cyclones have four players returning who started in 2017.
According to cyclonefanatic.com both hires are likely to come from within. Current graduate assistant Jeff Myers is the favorite for the offensive line position. Myers was a three-year starter at Toledo under Campbell and has spent the past two seasons as a graduate assistant at Iowa State.
Chris Williams, publisher of Cyclone Fanatic forsees the search for an offensive coordinator to have a few options. Current tight ends coach Alex Golesh is a possibility from within and Brian Wright, current offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Toledo is another potential candidate for the opening.
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Iowa State starts spring practice on March 19. Every college coach wants to have their staff solidified entering spring ball. It will be interesting to see how Matt Campbell handles the second departure from his staff after an incredible 2017 season.