Who replaces Xavier Hutchinson at Iowa State? Get to know Jayden Higgins the new Cyclones receiver

Wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson was the leading receiver last season for the Iowa State Cyclones.

However, he's no longer with the program after he was selected in the 2023 NFL draft by the Houston Texans. That means there's an opening for guys like Jayden Higgins to step up.

How will the production of the Iowa State Cyclones look without Hutchinson? What will Jayden Higgins do as the apparent top option in the offense now? Let's find out.

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How does the Iowa State offense look without Xavier Hutchinson?

Xavier Hutchinson finished last season with 37.28 percent of receiving yards for the Cyclones.

However, that offense is going to look a lot differentm as they are looking to replace 107 catches for 1,178 yards and six touchdown grabs. They have the same quarterback under center with junior Hunter Dekkers but need to create a connection.

Looking at the wide receiver core, the only change here was replacing Xavier Hutchinson's performance with Jayden Higgins. The Cyclones offense was only able to average 20.2 points per game throughout the 2022 season, so they need to figure out how to get a lot more production.

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Can Jayden Higgins step up and produce like Xavier Hutchison?

Jayden Higgins is heading into his junior season and joined via the NCAA transfer portal. He played with the Eastern Kentucky Colonels for his first two college football seasons and had a decent campaign in 2022.

Higgins had a good season, as he finished with 58 receptions for 757 yards (13.1 yards per catch) with 10 touchdown catches. He's 6-foot-4 and weighs 215 pounds and has shown the ability to be a good wide receiver. However, Higgins is not a top wide receiver to the point that the offense is going to suffer.

Instead, Higgins feels like a good complementary piece, but him being a second wide receiver is not great. Iowa State is not considered to be a great offensive team, and the passing game is going to take a step back.

The Iowa State Cyclones are going to need to improve, as they finished tenth in the Big 12 with a 4-8 (1-8) record. Can Matt Campbell and the Iowa State Cyclones figure out how to replace the production from Xavier Hutchinson? It feels unlikely, but stranger things have happened in college football.