Iowa State Defense Aims for Return to Form Under Heacock, Brahmer and Burkle Emerge as Offensive Playmakers
Iowa State’s defense, under the guidance of defensive coordinator Jon Heacock, is looking to rebound from a statistically disappointing season. This marks the third time in head coach Matt Campbell’s 10-year tenure that the unit has faced such a challenge. The return of experienced linebackers Caleb Bacon, Will McLaughlin, and Carson Willich, coupled with the overall effort displayed last season, offers a glimmer of hope for a return to their characteristic stingy play.
Heacock and his coaching staff have undertaken a thorough review of their defensive strategies, delving back into essential principles that proved successful in 2017. “We were not vrey good a year ago,” Heacock admitted,citing deficiencies in statistics,fundamentals,and coaching. “We just weren’t as good as we needed to be yet our guys played extremely hard and all those things. We’ve gotta get back, I think, going back a little bit to the fundamentals of what we put into this defense from ’17, some of the simple things that we had done back then that allowed our guys to play fast. I think that’s the key.”
The 2025 defense will also feature established stars at every level. All-Big 12 performers Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper are set to anchor the secondary, the linebacker corps is deep, and Domonique orange is expected to be a disruptive force on the interior. These players are anticipated to step into leadership roles during summer camp, with Heacock emphasizing the importance of identifying who will step up and when. “That’s what summer camp’s about, is who’s gonna say what, when, and who’s gonna do what, when,” Heacock stated. “Those guys all want to. They’ve had grate guys in front of them for the past few years to watch, and I think they’ll just keep growing and getting better.”
On the offensive side of the ball, former freshman all-American tight end Ben Brahmer found a positive takeaway from an injury-plagued season: witnessing the progress of Gabe Burkle.Brahmer, who set the ISU true freshman tight end record for receptions with 28 in 2023, expressed his admiration for Burkle’s game. “I was happy for him,” Brahmer said. “He’s a great player. He does everything right. He knows how to work and he knows how to play.”
Burkle, who had only two receptions before November, finished third on the team in receptions with 24 as a redshirt freshman. He acknowledged the collaborative nature of his success.”None of that success is just because of me,” Burkle commented. “Obviously, it takes a village and Ben is part of that village. He helped me a ton in practise and in games,just telling me what he saw so I could make in-game adjustments or adjustments in practice.”
