Completed Event: Football versus Iowa on September 6, 2025 , Win , 16, to, 13
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Iowa State University Athletics
Football
Payton Shafer
- Title:
- Quality Control/Defense
- Phone:
- 515-294-6721
Payton Shafer is in his first season as a defensive quality control coach for the Iowa State football program.
Shafer played linebacker for Cyclone head coach Jimmy Rogers at South Dakota State before entering the coaching ranks.
The Cottage Grove, Minnesota, native played for the Jackrabbits from 2019-22 before serving as a student assistant for the program during Rogers’ first two seasons as a head coach.
He won a national championship as a player in 2022 and then again as a coach in 2023, where he coached the linebackers and assisted on special teams.
Shafer followed Rogers and his staff to Washington State in 2025 and helped a Cougar squad with 75 newcomers finish the season with a winning record (7-6) that was capped off with a victory in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Washington State allowed just 20.2 points per game, including 12.7 points during the final eight games of the regular season as the defense began to take shape.
As a player at South Dakota State, Shafer was a key contributor at linebacker and on special teams as the team went 51-12 during his career.
Shafer earned his bachelor's degree in sport and recreation with a minor in management from South Dakota State in 2024.
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