One current and former former Iowa State football staffers have been penalized by the NCAA rules on gambling, the Associated Press reported Friday. The five collectively placed more than 6,200 online wagers totaling more than $100,000, including routinely betting on Iowa State men's and women's basketball games.
Their names were discovered as part of the state of Iowa's criminal investigation as part of its investigation into underage wagering by athletes at Iowa and Iowa State. The group faced no criminal charges for their gambling habits, but the state turned their names over to Iowa State, who in turn reported them to the NCAA. As part of a negotiated settlement, the group acknowledged they violated NCAA rules and are subject to a 1-year show-cause penalty lasting until April 24, 2026, requiring them to attend the annual NCAA Rules Seminar at their own expense and serve a 2-week suspension.
The five were Jace Heacock, the son of Cyclones defensive coordinator Jon Heacock, former assistant director of football equipment operations Chase Clark, along with Michael Dryer, Kyle Highland and Mason Williams, who worked in the equipment room.
Heacock was the most prolific bettor, placing 787 bets totaling more than $55,000. He's also the only one of the five still at Iowa State. After serving as a GA from 2012-22, Heacock returned to the program last month as Iowa State's director of football analytics. It's not clear where he worked from 2023-24. Highland, who placed 509 bets for more than $6,300, is now Army's assistant director of football operations. Williams, who bet 1,455 times for more than $11,000, is now the head equipment manager at Valparaiso. Clark, the group's second-most prolific bettor at nearly $19,000 played over 2,305 bets, is now an assistant equipment manager for the Detroit Lions. Dryer no longer works in college or professional athletics.