New Iowa St coach wipes slate clean for team

Mar 9, 2016 - 7:02 AM AMES, Iowa (AP) Matt Campbell has wiped the board clean for his inexperienced offensive line.

Everyone, the first-year Iowa State coach said, will get a chance to show what he can do, regardless of what might have happened in the past.

''Everybody starts with a clean slate, with no preconceived notions,'' Campbell said Tuesday after overseeing his first spring practice with the Cyclones. ''We've said that from day one -- allow these guys to start from scratch and really allow them to see what they look like over a period of time.''

Campbell actually has no choice in the matter. He must replace players who made 111 career starts and his most experienced returnee, junior Jake Campos, is doing very little this spring after undergoing hip surgery.

That leaves a lot of positions up for grabs among players who have seen little or no time on the field, a group that includes seniors Nick Fett and Patrick Scroggins, junior Shawn Curtis and junior college transfer Karson Green.

Fett started once last year but played mostly on special teams. Scroggins had been expected to contend at center in 2015 but was lost to a knee injury in preseason camp.

''There are some guys that have stood out,'' Campbell said. ''For me to give names right now I think is unfair until we see practice. I think some guys really did some great things in winter conditioning. Offensive line, that's kind of their time. Winter conditioning is really hard. You want to see who can kind of work through the tough times. I think some guys did some great things.''

Campbell, who replaced the fired Paul Rhoads, is so intent on giving everyone a fresh start that he did not release a depth chart.

''I told our guys it was a rep chart, quite honestly,'' he said. ''We'll sort it all out. We'll see what kind of skill sets match what our expectations are for the position. That's really not just the o-line. It's really across the board right now.''

Campos is doing light work this spring. On Tuesday, he jumped rope and did some running. He's expected to be back at full strength in the fall.

''He's another of what I'd call a football junkie,'' Campbell said. ''He's in the film room when we're in the film room. He's around all the time. I appreciate that about him. I've challenged him with his injury. Get your upper body strength to where it needs to be for you to be capable of being the best you can be.

''Right now if you look at him, he's a different guy than what he was eight weeks ago. He looks the part now. He's getting bigger and stronger.''

Campbell said the line will determine how the offense goes, though he has made it clear he wants to run the ball. Sophomore running Mike Warren gives him a good start. Warren ran for 1,339 yards during last fall's 3-9 season, the most ever by an ISU freshman.

''I've said this and I'll continue to say this about Michael: You've gone from the guy that's kind of the hunter to now being the guy that's going to be hunted. And that's a big change,'' Campbell said. ''Expectations rise and that's what's hard about having success early in a career -- do you have the mental capability to get better week in, week out, year in, year out? Mike's certainly under that microscope right now.''