Iowa State will be missing one of its top defenders as linebacker Caleb Bacon is out indefinitely following surgery Sunday to repair a lower left leg injury.
Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said there's a chance Bacon could return later in the season but did not put a timetable on when the redshirt junior could see the field. Bacon, a former walk-on who finished second on the team with 60 tackles in 2023, sustained the injury in the first quarter of Saturday's win against North Dakota. He was carted to the ISU locker room.
Campbell said Bacon's prognosis is actually better than what the team's medical staff initially feared.
"I do think he'll be back at some point later this season, or have the opportunity to get back later in the season, based on recovery," Campbell said. "Obviously, that's a tough blow for Caleb, just because he's done such a great job, but the great news is from what it could have been and what it was, there's a lot of positivity around it, too."
Junior Zachary Lovett and sophomore Jack Sadowsky V filled in for Bacon following the injury. The 6-4, 245-pound Bacon had 3 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss last season, and averaged 7.7 tackles during his final three games.
Iowa State will visit No. 21 Iowa on Saturday.