After 16 straight starts, the Iowa Cyclones will be without the massive presence of offensive tackle Brock Dagel for the rest of the season.
The 6-8, 303-pound left tackle will miss the final seven games of the season after undergoing knee surgery earlier this week, according to The Ames Citizen‘s Bobby La Gesse.
Dagel started the previous five games this season at left tackle after serving as the team’s right tackle last season.
Despite the loss, there is a silver lining for the Cyclones’ 116th-ranked offense. Redshirt freshman Jake Campos should assume the duties on the blindside. The 6-8, 291-pound redshirt freshman was the crown jewel of Iowa State’s 2013 recruiting class. Rivals.com considered Campos a four-star recruit as the nation’s 16th-best offensive tackle.
It wasn’t be an easy transition for Campos, though.
After facing the Toledo Rockets Saturday during Iowa State’s homecoming game, the Cyclones play the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners two of the next three weeks. Texas’ Cedric Reed as well as Oklahoma’s Charles Tapper and Eric Striker are among the Big 12 Conference’s best pass-rushers, and they’ll test Campos regularly.
Dagel, meanwhile, will take the next few months to get healthy, rehab his knee and prepare for his senior campaign.