Jon Heacock, longtime Iowa State defensive coordinator, retires after 40-plus years in coaching
Jon Heacock, the architect of Iowa State’s nationally respected defense for the past decade, has retired after more than 40 seasons in coaching.
Heacock, 72, spent the last 12 seasons working under Matt Campbell at Toledo and Iowa State, including 10 as the Cyclones’ defensive coordinator. He helped transform Iowa State from one of the Big 12’s weakest defensive programs into one of the league’s most consistent and disciplined units.
A finalist for the Broyles Award in 2017, Heacock was also a nominee from 2022 through 2025. During his tenure in Ames, Iowa State won 72 games, the most by any coordinator in school history. Cyclone defensive players earned 80 All-Big 12 recognitions under his guidance, including 28 first- or second-team honors.
“I’m so thankful, grateful and blessed to have worked alongside some of the finest players, support staff members and coaches in America,” Heacock wrote in a post on X announcing his retirement. “Ames, Iowa State, the team, and Cyclone Nation — we all did some special stuff together.”
Heacock introduced Iowa State’s now-famous 3-3-5 defensive scheme in 2017, a system that reshaped defensive strategy across the Big 12 and has since been widely adopted at the college level. In 10 seasons, Iowa State ranked among the conference’s top three in scoring defense seven times and in total defense six times.
The Cyclones led the Big 12 in scoring defense in both 2018 and 2022. The 2022 unit became just the third team in league history to lead the conference in scoring, total, rushing and passing defense in the same season.
Eight former Iowa State defensive players coached by Heacock went on to play in the NFL, including Will McDonald IV, who became the school’s second first-round NFL Draft pick in 2023.
A native of Beloit, Ohio, Heacock began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Toledo in 1983. His résumé includes time on Bo Schembechler’s staff at Michigan and working alongside Jim Tressel. He later served as head coach at Youngstown State from 2001 to 2009, compiling a 60-44 record and reaching the FCS semifinals in 2006. He was named Gateway Conference Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006.
