It feels weird to be typing this, but Iowa State football may need to find a new head football coach soon.
Unfortunately for Iowa State, the timing on this isn’t great, as we’re well on the back end of
the coaching carousel cycle and many of the obvious candidates for the position are now off the table. For example, had this happened a little earlier, Iowa State may have had a shot at former assistant Alex Golesh, who is now the head coach at Auburn.
That doesn’t mean the cupboard is bare and there aren’t any options, but Jamie Pollard and incoming ISU President David Cook will need to do their homework on some lesser-known candidates, along with a couple of in-house names. They absolutely have to nail this hire to maintain the momentum Matt Campbell built here and not let the program fall back to the cellar of the conference.
With little to insider information involved, here are some names worth noting at this extremely early stage.
First Calls
Either of the two following candidates would be a great option, in my opinion. I don’t think one is necessarily ahead of the other, but they do provide the most program continuity and the best chance at keeping most of the roster.
Taylor Mouser – Iowa State Offensive Coordinator
The first name that will be on many fans’ mind is offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, who has spent most of his professional career in Ames, rising through the ranks from graduate assistant, to tight ends coach, and finally up to his current position. His story has become well-publicized this season, but he’s made it clear that he loves Ames and Iowa State.
As far as the job goes, his two years at the helm of the offense have been some of the most successful in school history, and have produced dynamic attacks and creative playcalling. His talent for coaching football is extremely obvious. He’s a beloved figure within the program, and likely gives you the best chance at retaining as much of the current roster as possible and maintaining as much program continuity as possible.
There are really only two questions to be answered with Mouse:
- At just 34 years old, he would be a couple years younger than even Campbell was when he started, and he doesn’t have any head coaching experience. Is he ready to take on a Power Four head coaching job?
- Would he potentially turn down the position to join Campbell at Penn State as his offensive coordinator? His loyalty to Campbell is well-known, and he may decide to follow him to State College.
Nate Scheelhaase – LA Rams Passing Game Specialist
Another former offensive coordinator for Iowa State under Matt Campbell, Scheelhaase has long been a rising star in the coaching world. Prior to the 2024 season, Scheelhaase was hired by Sean McVay of the Rams as their passing game specialist, and appears to be in line for an offensive coordinator position at some point. He’s more than qualified in terms of credentials, talent, and familiarity with the area, so this would one of the very best options available to Iowa State.
The entire question with Scheelhaase is whether he wants to be a head coach in the college ranks more than he wants to keep his place near the front of the line to be an offensive coordinator in the NFL. At the very minimum, you have to call him and gauge interest. You can’t have that talented of a coach spend as much time in Ames as he did and not give it a shot.
From Outside the Program
Ryan Grubb – Alabama Offensive Coordinator
Some may say this is a pie in the sky option, but Grubb is a native of Kingsley, IA and and played at Buena Vista before climbing through the coaching ranks at South Dakota State, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State, Washington, the Seattle Seahawks, and now Alabama.
He’s never been a head coach before and could just opt to stay at Bama until an even bigger role opens up, but if he’s itching to be a head coach, a return to his home state could be the perfect place to do that. He brings immediate name recognition and familiarity with the area, and could provide a huge recruiting boon to the program. The only question here is how interested Grubb would be.
Jason Eck – New Mexico Head Coach
Eck is relatively new to the head coaching world, but he’s had great success to start. He put together a 26-13 record at Idaho in three seasons before accepting the job at New Mexico before the 2025 season. This fall, he’s led the Lobos to a 9-3 record and a share of first place in the Mountain West Conference.
This might sound like an off-the-wall suggestion, but Eck is a La Crosse, WI native and played for Wisconsin and the late 90s. The vast majority of his coaching career has been in the Midwest, with stops at Wisconsin, Winona State, Ball State, Western Illinois, Minnesota State, and South Dakota State, among others, mostly as an offensive line coach.
He’s familiar with the area and has yet to finish with a losing record as a head coach. There’s not a massive head coaching track record there, but the results speak for themselves, and he should be able to recruit Iowa State’s base. But would he be open to leaving New Mexico after just one season?
Jason Candle – Toledo Head Coach
Ball-knowers out there will remember that Jason Candle was Iowa State’s offensive coordinator for about four minutes under Matt Campbell before taking the Toledo job. With the Rockets, he has an 81-44 record and has never had a losing season. Toledo has won their division three times and the conference outright twice, and Candle has been named MAC Coach of the Year twice, most recently in 2023. Outside of Mouser and Scheelhaase, this would have to be the closest you could get to Campbell in terms of maintaining fit and program culture.
The attraction here is obvious, even if this isn’t the most exciting hire on its face. Dipping into the Toledo well worked out the first time. It could pay off again if Candle decides he wants to follow in Campbell’s footsteps and leave behind his comfortable job in NW Ohio.
Matt Entz – Fresno State Head Coach
Entz is a particularly interesting name in this coaching search because of his connection to incoming ISU President David Cook from their mutual time spent at North Dakota State, where Entz was the head coach from 2019 to 2023 and won two national titles. Entz made a brief stop at USC in 2024 where was an assistant head coach for defense and linebackers before accepting the Fresno State job last winter. This season, Fresno State finished the regular season 8-4.
Entz is a proven coaching commodity at the FCS level’s most prestigious program, and is off to a good start in his early FBS career. He’s only been a head coach at this level for one season, but his track record is impressive enough to warrant strong consideration, and the aforementioned connection to Iowa State’s new president could be just the vouch he needs to convince Jamie Pollard to offer him the job.
Similar to Eck, he could decide that he wants more time at his current school, but Entz is a Waterloo native who played at Wartburg before beginning his coaching career, and a return home could be just the right motivation.
A Few Off the Wall Names
Tim Polasek – North Dakota State Head Coach
Polasek is interesting for the exact same reason Entz’s is, but he doesn’t have the FBS coaching experience Entz does.
Jon Heacock – Iowa State Defensive Coordinator
You’re probably wondering why Heacock isn’t further up the list. It’s really just a matter of his age and whether or not he’s willing to take on this type of challenge so late in his career. If he’s up for it, then I’m interested.
