In transfer portal season, it’s always easy to get wrapped up in the biggest-name players available. Sometimes, that even leads to teams looking past proven players because analysts give them a bad rating.
That’s not the case for Jimmy Rogers and Iowa State, who added one of the best players in Division-II football on Saturday. That player is Tristan Exline, a two-time All-American linebacker from UT-Permian Basin.
The list of honors for Exline is a long one, to say the least. A Harlon Hill Award nominee, Exline earned league defensive player of the year honors and recorded 143 tackles, including 19.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, one interception, and four quarterback hurries in 2025.
While his offer list was a bit tricky to hammer down, Exline shared on social media that both Houston and Iowa State had offered him, and he had also scheduled official visits to Florida State and West Virginia prior to his Iowa State commitment. The China Spring, Texas, native currently checks in as a three-star portal prospect on 247Sports, as well as the 1016th-ranked player overall in the portal, and the 77th-ranked player at his position.
With the addition, Jimmy Rogers has his first addition through the transfer portal, a needed one, to say the least. The Cyclones have been one of the most hurt teams in the country this offseason with a massive number of portal departures.
For both parties, this is a great move. Tristan Exline, one of the best players at the Division-II level, gets an opportunity to play Power Four football, and Jimmy Rogers gets an explosive player in the middle of the defense.
