Report: Iowa State set to hire Ryan Clanton as offensive line coach

Matt Campbell has made some big changes to his Iowa State staff after the Cyclones finished 4-8 in 2022. He fired offensive coordinator Tom Manning earlier this month and replaced him with Nate Scheelhaase. Around that same time, the program announced Jeff Myers, their offensive line coach who had been in Ames over the last seven years, would be pursuing other opportunities.

That had left Campbell’s staff without a new OL coach the last few weeks but, now, Pete Thamel says they have their guy. Per Thamel, Iowa State is set to hire Ryan Clanton, UNI’s OL coach and OC, to join Campbell’s staff and fill a very key spot.

Sources: Iowa State is expected to hire Ryan Clanton as the school’s next offensive line coach. Clanton was the OL coach and OC at Northern Iowa. He played offensive line at Oregon during Chip Kelly’s coaching tenure there.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 23, 2022

Clanton has been with the Panthers since 2018 primarily working with the offensive line. However, in 2022, he also worked in part as UNI’s offensive coordinator.

Clanton’s coaching tenure began after a successful career as a player for Oregon. Chip Kelly recruited him and he spent three seasons plus a redshirt year in Eugene with the Ducks from 2010-2013. He then worked on NFL practice squads in Tampa Bay and Green Bay.

Losing Myers was unexpected but, considering all things, Clanton is a quality addition to the staff. It’s now on him and his new coworkers to find a way to fix what went wrong for the Cyclones last season as Iowa State looks to bounce back from its first losing campaign since 2016.

Mel Kiper ranks Top 10 outside linebackers ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft

The outside linebacker group is shaping up to be one of the top position groups for the 2023 NFL Draft. Two players from that position are in ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s top 25 players on the board, and he broke down the top 10 outside linebackers, as well.

It’s no surprise Alabama star Will Anderson tops the list of best outside linebackers. He’s widely projected to be a top-five pick in April’s draft after another impressive season with the Crimson Tide. He had 51 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks and an interception one year after leaving his mark on the SEC. In 2021, Anderson totaled 101 tackles, 31.0 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks.

Here’s Kiper’s full top 10 outside linebackers:

1. Will Anderson, Alabama
2. Andre Carter II, Army
3. Mike Morris, Michigan
4. Nolan Smith, Georgia
5. Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame
6. Derick Hall, Auburn
7. BJ Ojulari, LSU
8. Laiatu Latu, UCLA
9. Thomas Incoom, Central Michigan
10. Will McDonald IV, Iowa State

Just missed: Nick Hampton, Appalachian State; Byron Young, Tennessee; Eyabi Okie, Michigan; Jose Ramirez, Eastern Michigan