Iowa State is currently undergoing the blow of losing Linebacker Caleb Bacon in the midseason. The cherished defense contributor of the Cyclones has been on the shelf since he carted off Grindon with an acute left leg injury during an ISU Punt. Reports suggested he won’t lace up the shoes for several weeks. But coach Campbell is hopeful that the 26-year-old phenom will be back soon to revive the history that saw the red-shirt junior leave a quintessential mark in the Cyclones’ defense, finishing second on the team with 60 tackles in 13 games.

That said, in a parallel reality, the picture was entirely different a few years back when a novice high school footballer was dying to find a spot in any varsity program. Did it just sound like a joke? Well, then get ready for your instinct to be crushed by a story of rags to riches instead.

What was the biggest blockade in Caleb Bacon’s Iowa State rise?

It’s not the typical story of Caleb Bacon being financially unsound and accumulating vast wealth afterward. Rather, he had a whirlwind ride to the team. Byrnes Derek Hoodjer, Iowa State’s assistant athletics director, talked highly of his senior season in the film after his former coach, Bill Byrnes, busted a gut. He told Byrnes that he needed a linebacker but couldn’t promise a spot for Bacon. While it might look like Hoodjer failed to spot a diamond at first glance, the real culprit was the global pandemic. As Iowa State’s numbers were poor due to COVID-19 isolation, they weren’t sure about who would come back and when.

Before Hoodzer, Byrnes reached out to almost every notable coach, and recruiting person on social media, including Jay Niemann, Iowa’s assistant defensive line coach and defensive recruiting coordinator. But any of them weren’t ready to take him in. ”If this kid can’t play Division I football, then I don’t know who can,’ an upset Byrnes said to the other coaches. But little did he know it was all part of the plan that destiny has in store for the future breakout star.

The plan started to unfold when Hoodjer called back Byrnes after an initial rejection. Taking a second thought, Hoodjer couldn’t let Caleb Bacon go totally by handing him a walk-on offer. They say the card turns over if you believe it. And Caleb believed, ‘If I walk on here, they’re definitely going to give me a chance,’. The rest is a sublime history.

But the process was still not a cakewalk for Bacon. He needed to work like a trojan to get all of his bucket list ticked.

Caleb Bacon earned every bit of his success in Iowa State

Caleb Bacon was initially unable to even participate in the team’s fall camp for COVID-19 restrictions. He didn’t get to that level as well. The newbie was highly amateur in lifting weights. He didn’t even get to suit up on the sideline when the game was on. He had to just sit back and watch the game with his parents using his passes. But that was not where he was supposed to be. The kid was dead and persistent in getting rid of all the snags. Grinding his body for hours in the workout session in Ames, he gained around 229 pounds as a red-shirt freshman, which was a huge confidence boost. Despite scarce playing time, the walk-on talent started to leave his mark. He showed up in the special teams and tallied three tackles in 10 games.

Gradually, Bacon started to take over the locker room and emerged as a star for the team by the spring of 2023. After he finished the season at second with a remarkable 60 tackles, coach Cambell gave him a surprise during a team meeting. He offered the prodigy a scholarship, the long-awaited prize, and caught him off guard.

You might argue that all these goals were very attainable for Caleb Bacon, as he already got everything that needed to be a prolific athlete right from the start. From occupying the offense’s center stage, being a linebacker on defense, and being an occasional contributor to the special teams, the 6 ft 4 has already been a fan favorite as a north-central Iowa high school player. But to his parents, who had closely seen him strive every day, it was a surreal tale.

”It’s kind of like a dream. You can’t believe it.” Father Angie Bacon said. But we better believe that Caleb Bacon will only flourish as a standout Line Backer of the Cyclones going forward.

If you want to know about other nitty-gritty of college football, you can refer to our ES Think Tank interview with Doug Sanders, founder of Sanders Sports and Entertainment.