Mailbag: What's next for Iowa State as it heads into the offseason?

Iowa State lost its season finale to No. 4 TCU 62-14. The Cyclones have gone 11-15 in two seasons under coach Matt Campbell. They went to the Big 12 championship game in the last two years. Campbell's team has one of the worst offenses in college football. It's a different offseason for the team than previous ones. It needs to grow. it needs time to evaluate where it is and where the program can go.

Iowa State's offense was the worst in the Big 12 this season. The team is going to do some soul searching and evaluate its offensive philosophy. Coach Campbell is not going back to the field immediately.  

Is offensive coordinator Tom Manning back? What about offensive line coach Jeff Myers or quarterbacks coach Joel Gordon?

Iowa State had a disappointing season. Hanika feels the team let down the defense. Campbell is considering changing the recruiting system and the transfer portal.  

Iowa State's special teams have cost them many games over the past three seasons. The team's freshman kicker Jace Gilbert missed two field goals against TCU. Campbell is open to changes on the offensive side of the ball, but more guarded about changes at the special team position. He doesn't want to make a special-teams coordinator hire. He feels the team has made progress, though. It's not far off from where it needs to be.

Iowa State had a disappointing season. The team is still very well positioned with Campbell at the helm. However, the team has to guard against erosion. Nebraska went from a blue blood to a punch line in a few decades. This is a pivotal moment for Campbell to set the course. The challenge is to keep proving it. If they don't, there's only one other direction to go. It takes years to build up a program, but it can unravel quickly. Iowa State has proven it could accomplish difficult things.