Iowa State Safety Braden Awls Tears ACL, Lost for 2026 College Football Season
Iowa State suffered a major setback during spring practice that just got publicly confirmed Friday. Projected starting safety Braden Awls tore his ACL during a non-contact drill and is expected to miss the entire 2026 season. The Cyclones lose one of the most experienced defenders on their roster and one of the projected leaders of the secondary.
Awls came to Iowa State as a transfer from Toledo this offseason. He brought 24 career starts and over 1,400 defensive snaps with him. He was supposed to be the veteran voice in a young secondary that lost two starters to the NFL last year. That plan is gone.
What Iowa State Loses
Awls was the closest thing the Cyclones had to a plug-and-play defender at safety. He could play either spot. He could line up over the slot and cover. He could come down into the box and play the run. He gave defensive coordinator Jon Heacock the kind of flexibility you build a system around.
Without him, the safety room thins out considerably. The Cyclones will have to rely on a redshirt freshman and a couple of converted corners to fill the snaps. The talent is there, but the experience is not.
Why the Timing Is So Brutal
This is the first year since 2022 that programs do not have a spring transfer portal window to plug holes. The NCAA moved to a single-window cycle this past offseason. That decision was supposed to deter post-spring tampering. It is also leaving programs like Iowa State without a way to address spring injuries.
Awls would have been replaceable if the spring window still existed. Coaches across the country have been quietly furious about the rule change all month, and stories like this are the reason.
What Iowa State Does Now
The Cyclones can shuffle their existing roster, lean harder on their nickel package, and hope a young defender develops fast over the summer. Head coach Matt Campbell has built a program that does not panic, and the defensive staff has been one of the most consistent in the Big 12 for the better part of a decade.
The schedule does not do them any favors. Iowa State opens with a Power 5 non-conference game, and the Big 12 race is going to be a meat grinder this year. Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Utah are all projected top-25 teams. Texas Tech might be the best they have been in 25 years.
The Bigger Picture
Iowa State has spent the last few years trying to climb into the top tier of the Big 12. The Cyclones won the conference title in spirit two years ago even without the trophy, and they have been close enough to taste it ever since. Losing a veteran starter in May is a setback that could prevent another run.
The bright side is that Campbell has built depth at most positions. The safety room is the one spot where it is going to hurt. Other than that, the Cyclones return their quarterback, their running back room, and three of four starting offensive linemen.
Bottom Line
This is a tough break for Iowa State and a tougher break for Awls personally. The transfer landed in Ames hoping to play big snaps for a contender. Now he is staring at a long offseason of rehab.
The Cyclones will need a young defender to step up faster than expected. Big 12 play opens in September. The clock is already running.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
