Jimmy Rogers may be new to the Big 12, but he knows Kalani Sitake well.
As Iowa State’s new head coach prepares for his first meeting with BYU Friday in Provo, he reflected on his longtime respect for Sitake, born 25 years ago during Sitake’s first coaching stop.
“I think Kalani Sitake is a heck of a coach,” Rogers told reporters Tuesday during his weekly press briefing. “On the one hand, he’s an incredible person. I had the opportunity to meet him years ago, he coached my brother at a junior college in eastern Arizona (in 2001).
“…I think he does an incredible job. He’s just a great person, you get to see his players play for him, and what he’s been able to turn into BYU over the years has been incredible to see.”
Rogers’ early performance at Iowa State was also impressive, with his Cyclones posting a 45-42 win over West Virginia last weekend.
Iowa State was widely predicted to be the worst team in the Big 12 in 2026, as Matt Campbell’s departure for Penn State in December led to a massive overhaul of Ames’ roster — 55 Cyclone players transferred in the offseason and Rogers signed 83 new players for his first campaign with the program.
Still, Rogers’ new group has already proven to be better than the Big 12 cellar, averaging 46 points per game over its three wins. Both of the Cyclones’ losses came against ranked opponents, taking No. 21 Iowa all the way and giving No. 15 Utah a fight until the fourth quarter.
Of course, after leading South Dakota State to an FCS championship in 2023, Rogers’ level is understandably high, even in what could have been a perfectly understandable rebuilding season.
“I don’t know if we’ve met expectations, they’re pretty high here. We’re 3-2, we have a whole season left to play,” Rogers said.
“…I would say, of all things, I pride myself on resilience inside games and never putting my head down and never feeling like I’m out of the game. With so many new people, it can be difficult sometimes because you come from different backgrounds. You don’t know what they’re really used to in the history of competing and competing, that they can get back into a game or stay competitive throughout a game. So for me, I’m happy with it.”
Friday against No. 8 BYU will arguably be Iowa State’s toughest test in 2026, and for more than just facing a top-10 team on the road.
The 8:15 p.m. kickoff will be especially late for the Cyclones arriving from the central time zone, and the Cougars are 35-4 in night games since 2019. It’s also the Cyclones’ first trip outside of Iowa in 2026, with Provo’s elevation sitting nearly 4,000 feet higher than the Hawkeye State.
“I think the more you talk about things, the worse things are, honestly,” Rogers said when asked about the trip, the late kickoff and the elevation. “If you think our guys are in bed at 11 p.m., we’re crazy, you know? So we go out with the expectation of competing and winning a game.
“Elevation is like a lot of things. It’s like heat, I think it’s a bit of a state of mind more than anything. Is it different? Yes, it’s different, but it is what it is. There’s no excuses…it is what it is.”
In addition to Sitake, Rogers praised Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier, particularly for how he embodies BYU’s toughness.
“I like the way Bear plays. I mean, he’s a physical kid. He can throw the ball deep with the best of them,” Rogers said.
“Obviously they put a lot on his plate, and you can see it schematically, but I think he has the ability to take control of games and move the sticks with his legs. You watch the majority of games when they failed, he carried them with his legs, and he’s not afraid to take contact. As a coach, I admire that. I think it’s great, there’s no slippage in there. I told one of the (defensive backs) today, ‘You better get ready to put your towels on him, because he’s going to go right through your face.’
Rogers continued: “It’s going to be a physical game. It’s also the style of how they play throughout the team. You can see the physicality on their D-line and their defense, their middle linebacker (Cade Uluave), I think he’s one of the best in the country, certainly in the Big 12.
“From side to side, their whole team is just physical, has great length. I think when you look at the quarterback position, you don’t think that, but Bear really looks like the way they’ve played so far.”
Iowa State’s offense has been powered by running back Aiden Flora, whose 594 rushing yards this year rank second in the Big 12 and seventh nationally.
Against West Virginia last weekend, Flora exploded for 212 yards on 22 carries, averaging 9.6 yards per touch and scoring three touchdowns.
“I think Aiden is who he is because of the way he believes in himself and the way he handles things,” Rogers said. “So, is he going to play like (he did against West Virginia) every week? I mean, that’s wishful thinking. I hope he does, right? But he felt it, and we put him in a position to have success, and he was able to play and capitalize on the calls that came his way.
“Proud of him, obviously. He’s grown a lot. We’re going to need him to play at a high level (against BYU), very similar to that, because he’s one of our most explosive players.”
While BYU’s 17-10 win at TCU last weekend was closer than initially expected and the Cougars continue to deal with injuries to LJ Martin and other key contributors, Rogers doesn’t view BYU as a shaken or declining team, instead calling the Cougars “awesome” and possessing “a lot of skill.”
“I really take (TCU’s performance) with a grain of salt because of the conditions they were playing in. High humidity with a wet ball, you could see how hard the ball was landing on the grass. It was a tough game to play and they found a way to win, which is the most important part,” Rogers said.
“I don’t know if they have too many problems. But we have to prepare to play our best football in a short week, like them. Anything can happen.”
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