AMES – Iowa State head football coach Jimmy Rogers has announced the full-time offensive and defensive assistants for his first season leading the Cyclone program.
Rogers previously announced that Tyler Roehl, a former Cyclone assistant and current tight ends coach for the NFL’s Detroit Lions, will return as offensive coordinator.
Working alongside Roehl will be a staff that has a proven track record of success in college football.
“I’m excited about the offensive staff that we have put together,” Rogers said. “I think we’ve got a group that brings a lot of experience and are outstanding at coaching their position groups, but as important a group of coaches that will build a strong culture that will allow us to compete at a high level.”
The following coaches have agreed to join Rogers’ staff as preparation begins for the 135th season in program history:
Keith Heckendorf – Quarterbacks – Full Bio
Heckendorf most recently served as offensive coordinator at Arkansas State for seven seasons, helping rewrite the Red Wolves record books. Fifteen of his offensive players have earned all-conference honors, while a pair of his quarterbacks were named Sun Belt Conference freshmen of the year and wide receiver Omar Bayless was the league’s player of the year. Prior to his time in Jonesboro, the Mosinee, Wisconsin native coached at North Carolina, tutoring Mitchell Trubisky from backup QB to the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Seth Hestness – Tight Ends – Full Bio
Hestness, a Mason City native and Wartburg graduate, joins Iowa State after spending the 2025 season in the same role at Army West Point. He coached alongside Cyclone offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl at North Dakota State in 2022 and 2023 when the Bison reached the FCS championship game and semifinals, respectively. While at NDSU, Hestness worked with the offensive line, as well as tight ends and fullbacks. Among the players he worked with included NFL Draft picks Cody Mauch and Grey Zabel.
John Johnson – Running Backs – Full Bio
Johnson, an El Dorado, Arkansas native who coached alongside Rogers at South Dakota State in 2017-18 and 2020, spent the 2025 season helping revitalize a New Mexico team that improved from 5-7 in 2024 to 9-3 last season, earning a bowl berth for the first time since 2016. Among his players, Pierre Strong Jr. was a back-to-back FCS All-American at South Dakota State and has spent four seasons on NFL rosters. Another Jackrabbit running back, Isaiah Davis, also earned All-America honors. Johnson started his playing career at Oklahoma State (2005-07).
Derrick Sherman – Wide Receivers – Full Bio
Sherman, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, arrives in Ames after spending the last four seasons working under Willie Fritz at Tulane and Houston. He helped tutor Houston wide receiver Amare Thomas as the playmaker earned First Team All-Big 12 honors in 2025. He coached running backs during Tulane’s 2022 season in which it finished 12-2 and defeated USC in the Cotton Bowl. His star pupil that season was Tyjae Spears, who was named an Honorable Mention All-American, American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-AAC and Cotton Bowl Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Spears was later selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Jake Thornton – Offensive Line – Full Bio
Thornton, a Toccoa, Georgia native, comes to Iowa State after spending the previous five seasons coaching the offensive line at SEC schools Auburn (2023-25) and Ole Miss (2021-22). Thornton was an offensive line graduate assistant at Alabama during the school’s 2017 National Championship season, working with future NFL Draft picks Jonah Williams and Ross Pierschbacher.
Rogers has announced the position coach assistants for his first season with the program.
Rogers previously announced that Jesse Bobbit, his defensive coordinator at Washington State and South Dakota State, will join the Cyclones in the same role.
Bobbit’s group includes three other defensive staffers from Washington State as well as former Toledo Co-Defensive Coordinator Ross Watson.
“I’m thrilled to be able to keep our defensive group together and add Ross Watson to the mix,” Rogers said. “I know what this group is about and have no doubt that their attention to detail, intensity and culture setting will allow us to be competitive from the start.”
More coaches have agreed to join Rogers’ staff as preparation begins for the 135th season in program history:
Mike Banks – Cornerbacks – Full Bio
Banks played a key role in helping Washington State’s defense rank among the nation’s Top 15 teams in passing defense, allowing just 174.4 passing yards per game. The University Park, Illinois native also worked with Rogers at South Dakota State in a similar capacity with the 2024 Jackrabbit defense finishing fifth in FCS in total defense and registering 14 interceptions. He helped develop First Team All-American Dalys Beanum in 2024, while on the other side Colby Humphrey was a second team all-conference pick. He also spent time at his alma mater, Illinois State, and produced another All-American while the Redbirds made the FCS Playoffs twice, including the quarterfinals in 2019.
Jalon Bibbs – Defensive Line – Full Bio
Bibbs has worked alongside Rogers at both Washington State and South Dakota State and helped form those defenses into two of the best nationally at their respective levels. His defensive linemen helped Washington State compile 31 sacks last season, while being outstanding in specialty situations. The Cougars ranked seventh nationally in fourth down conversion defense (.333) and 11th in red zone defense (.727). Defensive end Isaac Terrell had seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss and was the nation’s 19th-ranked edge defender by PFF during the regular season. The Phoenix, Arizona native was on SDSU’s staff in 2023 during the Jacks’ FCS National Championship run. In his two seasons at SDSU, seven of eight starting defensive linemen earned all-conference accolades, while one was an All-American and another a freshman All-American.
Pete Menage – Safeties – Full Bio
Menage joins the Cyclone coaching staff after being on Rogers’ staff at both Washington State and South Dakota State as safeties coach. The 2025 Washington State squad allowed just 20.2 points per game, including just 12.7 points over the course of the season’s final eight regular season games. He was in charge of the same position group at SDSU when the team won the 2023 FCS National Championship and reached the semifinals in 2024. The Rock Rapids, Iowa native’s safety group intercepted 14 passes in his two-year stint with the Jackrabbits.
Ross Watson – SAM Linebackers/Nickelbacks/Defensive Pass Game Coordinator – Full Bio
Watson, a Youngstown, Ohio native, spent the last 10 seasons at Toledo, serving as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Rockets since 2020. His 2025 defense had nine players honored as All-MAC selections, including his two starting safeties Braden Awls and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, both first-team picks. The 2025 Rockets ranked third nationally in total defense (247.8 ypg), while also finishing top five in passing efficiency, tackles for loss and red zone defense. In 10 seasons at UT, the team reached nine bowl games and won the MAC in 2017.