Time is running short. I took at the Iowa State offense here, now let’s get after the defense.
Defensive End
#58 – Tamatoa McDonough: (6-5, 265, Sr.)
- #8 – Vontroy Malone: (6-4, 265, Jr.)
#88 – Ikenna Ezeogu: (6-5, 285, Jr.)
- 55 Jace J. Gilbert (6-5, 280 Fr.)
Farmageddon would like to welcome Yale graduate Tamatoa McDonough to the midwestern experience (via Ireland). Considered a mid-3*(84.3), McDonough had 27 tackles and 6.5 sacks for the Bulldogs last season on the way to being named second-team All-Ivy League. It will be interesting to see how he holds up against K-State’s non-Ivy
league offensive line.
This will be Ezeogu’s first season as a full-time starter after playing on the ISU second unit the last two seasons. Last season he registered 19 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack. On3 considered him a 4* prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, and he’ll have an opportunity to justify that lofty rating on Saturday.
Malone is a Tulsa transfer who put up 25 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks for the Golden Hurricane last year. Gilbert was a consensus 3* prospect in the in the 2024 class who redshirted.
This game is going to be won in the trenches, and these defensive ends would make me nervous if I were an Iowa State fan (gross). They haven’t proven anything at this level of competition yet, and Kansas State is a team that puts incredible pressure on the defensive end position.
Interior Defense Line
Defensive Tackle
#53 – Zaimir Hawk: (6-3, 305, So.)
- #56 – Alijah Carnell: (6-5, 290, Fr.)
Nose Guard
#95 – Domonique Orange: (6-4, 325, Sr.)
- #52 – Ka’Mori Moore: (6-1, 320, Fr.)
Much like at defensive end, there isn’t much experience at defensive tackle. Hawk played as a reserve last season and put up 9 tackles and .5 tackles for loss. Carnell played in 4 games, registered 2 tackles and redshirted.
Orange is the old head on the defensive line. He played in 13 games and started 7 in 2024, registering 24 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss, and was Honorable Mention All-Big 12 in 2023 and 2024. They’re going to put him directly over Sam Hecht and try to close up the interior run game. It’ll take a double team to dislodge him.
The good news for the cats is that a true freshman, Ka’Mori Moore, is second on the depth chart, and while I’m sure the true freshman is talented, K-State’s offensive line isn’t the ideal opponent for your first college football game.
Linebacker
Weak Side Linebacker
#26 – Caleb Bacon: (6-4, 240, Sr.)
- #0 – Zachary Lovett: (6-2, 250, Sr.)
Bacon is returning from a season-ending injury he suffered playing on special teams in the 2024 opener against North Dakota. Not sure why you have a starter covering kicks against North Dakota, but I’m just a humble blogger. Regardless, Bacon is back and looking to build off his 2023 season when he finished second on the team with 60 tackles and made the Lombardi Award Midseason Watch List and was a Burlsworth trophy nominee (best walk-on in the nation).
Zachary Lovett is a career backup and key special teams contributor.
Middle Linebacker
#47 – Kooper Ebel: (6-4, 235, Jr.)
- #9 – Cael Brezina: (6-3, 235, So.)
Ebel is one of the few returning starters in the front 7. He started all 14 games for the Cyclones last season, recording 69 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and a sack in his first year as a starter.
His back-up, Cael Brezina, made 7 starts in his stead while dealing with his own nagging injuries and recorded 22 tackles and 3 tackles for loss.
Strong Side Linebacker
#23 – Will McLaughlin (6-4, 240, Jr.) OR
#14 – Carson Willich (6-1, 225, Jr.) OR
#34 – Beau Goodwin (6-3, 230, So.)
Iowa State has a pu pu platter of strong side linebackers to choose from, which usually means there isn’t anyone you feel entirely comfortable with on the roster.
McLaughlin started all 13 games in 2o23, but missed the first 9 games of 2025 dealing with an injury. He started 4 of the last 5 games down the stretch, recording 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and forced a fumble in the bowl game.
Carson Willich missed all of 2024 after suffering an injury in spring camp. In 2023 he played in all 13 games, finishing the season with 25 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 3 QB hurries.
Last but not least, Beau Goodwin played in 12 games and started two games as a true freshman in emergency duty. He finished the season with 24 tackles, including 3 tackles for loss, and broke up a couple of passes.
My guess is McLaughlin gets the majority of snaps because he’s the better run defender out of the three options, and also has significantly more starting experience than his cohorts. When he comes off the field on passing downs, it will be a choice between Willich and Goodwin. Again, this is another position where Iowa State isn’t exactly sure what they’re going to get.
Safety
Star
#31 – Marcus Neal Jr.: (6-1, 215, So.)
- #29 – Drew Surges: (6-1, 205, So.)
Star is essentially an extra safety Iowa State moves around when they deploy their 3-3-5 defensive scheme.
Neal is another untested starter. Last season as a true freshman he played in 13 games and finished the season with 18 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. His best game came against Miami in their bowl game where he made 8 of his 8 tackles. Surges is a former walk-on who redshirted in 2024 after dealing with injuries. He had a tackle and more importantly, an interception, against Miami in the bowl game.
Free Safety
#2 – Jamison Patton: (6-2, 210, Jr.)
- #19 – Ta’Shawn James: (6-1, 215, So.)
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Iowa State is breaking in a new starter as free safety. Patton played in 14 games and started the game against Kansas State in 2024. He put up 15 tackles and picked off a West Virginia pass.
James made two starts in 2024 and finished the season with 41 tackles and a forced fumble. He had 8 tackles against Kansas State and 8 tackles against Miami to end the season, but couldn’t take the starting job from the returning Patton.
Strong Safety
#4 – Jeremiah Cooper: (6-0, 195, Sr.)
- #20 – Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman: (5-11, 205, Fr.) OR
- #36 – Carson Van Dinter: (6-3, 210, Fr.)
Cooper is the star of this Iowa State show in the secondary. He started 14 games last season, recording 48 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, breaking up 8 passes, and picking off 2 passes. More impressively, in 2023, he picked off 5 passes and broke up 10 passes. He’s not a player you mess around with, especially considering the lack of experience around him. Avery needs to find Cooper and go in the opposite direction of the 2023 1st team All-SEC selection and honorable mention 2024 selection.
Cummings-Coleman took a redshirt and played on the scout team last season. Van Dinter was the special teams scout team player of the year in 2024. Iowa State desperately needs Cooper to stay healthy.
Cornerback
Field Corner
#3 – Jontez Williams: (5-11, 200, Jr.)
- #5 – Beni Ngoyi: (6-4, 200, So.) OR
- #38 – Eddie Lemos: (5-10, 195, Jr.)
Williams is their best corner by a wide margin. He started 12 games in 2024, finishing the season with 46 tackles, including 2 tackles for loss and a team-leading four interceptions. Where Jace Brown goes, Williams will most likely follow.
Ngoyi played 14 games at receiver last season before transitioning to defensive back in the offseason. Lemos played 9 games on special teams in 2024. Again, there isn’t any proven depth behind Williams. That’s a bit of a theme for this Iowa State defense.
Boundary Corner
#7 – Tre Bell: (6-2, 205, Jr.) OR
#24 – Quentin Taylor Jr.: (6-0, 205, Fr.)
Bell seems like he’ll get the call against the 6’5” Jerand Bradley. He played in 10 games last season and put up 24 tackles, six pass break-ups, and an interception…of course, he did that at Lindenwood University and not the Big 12.
Taylor played in two as a true freshman and took his redshirt.
What Does Any of This Mean?
As a Kansas State fan, I don’t like playing Iowa State in the opener. If I were an Iowa State fan, I would loathe it. This defense is almost a complete rebuild at nearly every level. The defensive front, in particular, is short on game experience, and starting with one of the more physical teams in the country isn’t ideal.
I’m sure there’s talent on this roster, but it’s going to have to emerge from the shadows of this depth chart, and hopefully that happens at some point after the game tomorrow. If I’m Matt Wells, I’m trying to mentally and physically attack this unit. There is something to be said about hard lessons learned on the field, and several of the Iowa State defenders will be learning those lessons in real time, in Ireland, against Kansas State tomorrow morning.
If the K-State defense can keep Iowa State from controlling the game with their offense, and find ways to get off the field, the offense should be able to wear down this inexperienced defense. They are breaking in multiple first-time starters and starters from 2023 who are returning from significant injuries.
The longer the Wildcats can keep them on the field, the better.
