Mike Warren

Warren burst onto the scene as a freshman last season, finishing fourth in the conference in rushing yards with 1,339 while averaging a staggering 5.9 yards per carry. He’s solidly built at 6-0, 205, but he’s a threat to break off the big play at any time as he had four games with runs over 40 yards. Warren finished up with a relatively low touchdown total at just five rushing TDs on his 227 carries, but Iowa State’s offense as a whole struggled to punch it in once they got down to the red zone, posting a mediocre 57.5 TD% inside the opponent’s 20 yard line. The Cyclones ought to have an improved offense this season under the direction of a new coaching staff, however, and Warren should be one of the bigger beneficiaries. While Iowa State’s new coaching staff may not want to lean on Warren for such a heavy percentage of the workload again (no other Cyclone had more than 75 carries in 2015), but the quality of his opportunities should improve given that the Cyclone passing game figures to take a step forward as well, which will give them a more balanced look overall.