Although Iowa State began competing in intercollegiate football in 1892, the school's official record book considers[1] the "modern era" to have begun in 1943. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since 1943, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
Since 2018, players have been allowed to participate in as many as four games in a redshirt season; previously, playing in even one game "burned" the redshirt.[2] Since 2024, postseason games have not counted against the four-game limit.[3] These changes to redshirt rules have given very recent players several extra games to accumulate statistics.
Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[4] The Cyclones have played in six bowl games since then.
The Big 12 has played a championship game during two different periods—first from 1996 to 2010, and more recently since 2017. The Cyclones have played in this game twice (2020 and 2024), giving players in those seasons an extra game to amass statistics.
Due to COVID-19 issues, the NCAA ruled that the 2020 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any football player, giving everyone who played in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.[5]
Six of the Cyclones' nine highest seasons in total offensive yards have come since 2000.[1]
These lists are updated through the 2025 season. Currently active players are in bold.
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