Iowa State coaches on adapting to changes in college sports

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - The Cyclone Tailgate Tour took a stop in Cedar Rapids, where candid Iowa State coaches said their jobs are changing.

“We got a lot of hats,” said head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser “We’ve got the recruiting hat, we’ve got the coaching hat, we’ve got the fundraising hat, and those are three pretty time-consuming big hats.”

But they also say they have to adapt to the changing, not just reject them.

“I think what you learn quickly or try to learn is you’re not building a program over years you’re building it for next year,” said head women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly. “So it literally is a one year adventure.”

Iowa State director of athletics Jamie Pollard said he doesn’t foresee changes in the near future.

“There’s always gonna be changes in life and we don’t always like some of it, some of it is good some of it is bad,” Pollard said. “I understand how and why we got to this spot, so we have to evolve.”

Head men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger, says new circumstances in college sports, Like the transfer portal and NIL need to be taken into account. But his core principles are just as important

“We have (NIL) opportunities that student athletes are able to get if they come to Iowa State,” Otzelberg said. “At the same time, it’s important to us they want to be at Iowa State for the development the team success as well, and the relationships, and to play at Hilton Coliseum.”

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