WILLIAMS: Who is Jared Benko, and why does he make sense for Iowa State’s next era?

Cyclone Fanatic · Oct 16, 2026

Photo courtesy of Mississippi State Athletics

Iowa State’s new athletics director, Jared Benko, helped hire Mike Leach at Mississippi State.

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I’d say he and I are off to a pretty good start.

There’s plenty more to like about Iowa State’s new athletics boss, though, and most of it comes back to a question that has been on my mind throughout this search.

How do you take what Jamie Pollard built over the last 20 years and put Iowa State in a…