COMING UP BIG: Jalen Travis (No. 72) heads upfield this fall for the Iowa State football team. Former Princeton University football standout offensive lineman Travis starred at left tackle for the Cyclones this fall as a grad transfer. He helped Iowa State, now 10-3, reach the Big 12 Championship game for the second time in program history and earn a spot in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla. on December 28 against Miami. (Photo provided courtesy of Iowa State Athletic Communications)

By Justin Feil

Never in 132 years had the Iowa State football team won more than nine games in a season.

Then offensive lineman Jalen Travis joined the Cyclones.

The 2024 graduate of Princeton University used his final season of NCAA eligibility at Iowa State, and started at left tackle in a 10-3 campaign that saw the Cyclones reach the Big 12 Championship game for the second time in program history and will conclude against Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on December 28.

“This season has been everything and more, one of the best situations I could ask for, especially coming in as a grad transfer and helping the team reach our first 10-win season in school history, setting records day in and day out and playing for something I think much bigger than ourselves, was truly selfishly a dream come true,” said Travis. “And I think the cherry on top of that was I got better at football and I think performed very well towards that mission.”

The mammoth 6’7, 340-pound Travis was a two-time All-Ivy League player for Princeton, but missed half of his final season in 2023 with the Tigers due to injury. The injury raised some questions about his ability to play at the next level, and opened the possibility of taking another year of college at a Power 4 school.

“I knew that if I went somewhere and performed and helped the team and did everything I needed to do, I’d give myself a better chance than what I potentially had coming out of Princeton, especially after being hurt for more than half the season,” said Travis.

Travis finished a certificate in education at Iowa State this fall semester. He will gear up for the NFL draft following the bowl game that he expects to play in to culminate his college career. Some NFL prospects nowadays elect not to play in bowl games for fear of being injured.

“My plan as of now is to play in it,” said Travis. “And Miami is a pretty good team with some NFL-type defensive ends. It’s only going to help me improve.”

Travis had options for using his final year of eligibility, but liked the approach of Iowa State under 13-year coach Matt Campbell, who has promoted an all-around approach of developing both the player and person.

“The culture here is different than any culture I’ve been around as far as football teams and one that’s like family-centered and personal growth-centered first and foremost, and then you know everything on the field follows that,” said Travis. “So it was definitely that pitch by the head coach and his coaching staff here that I think really resonated with me after obviously spending four years at Princeton and being pushed so hard in the classroom. I wanted to be at a program that embraced that and takes it just as seriously as we did at Princeton and was able to obviously compete at a very high level on the football field.”

Travis got a new experience on a lot of levels at his latest stop. The crowds were bigger and the competition was stronger. There were adjustments to both that he handled fine.

“At least through my first couple games, it took me a little bit getting used to, and I also think obviously walking into an opposing stadium is a lot different too, where we’re playing at Iowa second game of the year and people just hate you for wearing a name across your chest,” said Travis. “On top of that, the talent level I think was a lot more consistent that I was facing week in and week out obviously compared to the Ivy League where I’d probably face a handful of really good D ends who had the chance to play at the next level. But here it’s every single week you are facing someone who’s going to be a draft pick one day.”

His preparation extended into practices as well. Going to Iowa State made the weekdays valuable as well because of who he practiced against daily.

“Similar to what we had at Princeton, we have one of the best defenses in the league and one of the best in the country, and to practice against them I think only allowed my skill to sharpen and become a lot better,” said Travis. “So it’s definitely pretty different.”

Travis hopes his improvements and attributes will enable him to be an NFL draft pick this year. He is currently ranked as the 51st offensive lineman by nfldraftbuzz.com.

“I do think that based off the way I played this season, having conversations of being able to play at the next level and, hopefully not even as a one- or two-year guy, but someone that can come in and contribute right away and for me, that’s something that I’ve been working my butt off for and something I obviously want to do, given the opportunity where hopefully I end up come this spring,” said Travis.

He enjoyed this year while also raising his level of play. There was a different atmosphere for the Big 12 games than he has been accustomed to, and he embraced the chance to show his abilities each week against the toughest competition in the country.

Travis will pour his energy into training in Dallas after the bowl game. He will be looking to get stronger and more mobile as he looks to impress NFL teams. They now have film on him against other potential NFL players.

“I always felt I could compete with the best of them, so I do think in part I had to prove it to myself that I could and take this next step in terms of competition that you’re playing week in and week out,” said Travis. “And I think another part of that is obviously proving and answering the questions that the coaches still had or the scouts still had about if I could compete at that level. So the expectations, at least that I put on myself, were pretty high coming into this year and believing in myself and the ability that I do have.”

Outside of his football and school studies, Travis found time to remain committed to public service and social justice. Last year’s Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup winner, given to outstanding role models among college athletes, he found an opportunity to help near his new school. He visited a juvenile detention center with his Iowa State teammates last June, and they would play basketball or throw football together with the detainees, though Travis often found himself gravitating to the kids who were isolating themselves so he could hear their stories.

“I made that a point of organizing guys to go back a couple more times throughout the summer, knowing the impact and kind of example that we can set for a lot of these people who maybe didn’t get dealt the right hand in life,” said Travis, who was awarded Princeton’s Truman Scholarship in 2023, which provides recipients with up to $30,000 toward graduate school and his plan at that time was to attend Columbia Law School. “They’re working the hardest to make the best of it. It was cool to be around a lot of individuals who are my peers who are 16 to 20 years old that I can just help through my presence or even just sharing a few bits of life advice with them especially during the hard times they are going through.”

Travis also stayed connected to his former Princeton team and appreciated the brotherhood’s support of him too. He watched when they played on off days from Iowa State, and he focused on players that he mentored and friends as the Tigers battled through and up-and-down 3-7 season.

“I was proud of those guys, especially that they were able to continue to show up week in and week out and fight,” said Travis.

“And you saw that in the last game of the year versus Penn. It was definitely awesome and I stayed in contact with some of those guys throughout the season, just to give them encouragement when needed.”

Travis thought that Princeton would be his last stop for college football, but when a setback hit in his senior season, he looked for another opportunity. Iowa State reaped the rewards of his arrival in a record-setting season that also helped him excel under new challenges.

“It’s been for me partly a culture shock,” said Travis. “But it’s a journey that I’m thankful I took just because I think of how many things that I’ve learned that maybe I wasn’t exposed to during my undergrad years. The environment obviously is a lot different. So I think that part of it has been a huge blessing for me in terms of allowing me to grow and develop through that, especially given an opportunity that most people that graduate from Princeton maybe don’t take advantage of.”