But 3-9 won't cut it at anywhere.

Rhoads and the Cyclones began the process of erasing the worst season of his five-year tenure on Monday with the start of spring practice.

Iowa State has plenty of questions to answer, most notably at quarterback, and a revamped coaching staff will get its first chance to work with the Cyclones outside of the film room.

The Cyclones, who finished 3-9 in 2013 despite closing with a two-game winning streak, hold their annual spring game on April 12.

"I think this team is very hungry," Rhoads said. "There isn't anything about the gains we've made that's disappointing."

Much of the offseason buzz surrounding the Cyclones will be about their latest quarterback competition.

Incoming sophomore Grant Rohach appears to be the favorite after closing 2013 with a relative flourish. Rohach started in late wins over Kansas and West Virginia, and he threw for 331 yards and four touchdowns in rallying the Cyclones from a 24-point deficit at West Virginia in poor weather.

Richardson, who will be a junior next season, entered 2013 as a likely three-year starter. But Richardson's season unraveled in the opener, as thumb, ankle and leg injuries and a shaky offensive line derailed his first extended shot at the starting job.

With Courtney Messingham out and former Kansas coach Mark Mangino in as the new offensive coordinator, Rohach and Richardson will each get a shot to prove themselves all over again. Rohach opened the spring atop the depth chart, followed by Richardson and redshirt freshmen Joel Lanning and Trevor Hodge.

The decision on who earns the job will fall to Mangino, the biggest name in the program's massive staff overhaul.


COWBOYS SAFETY OFF TEAM


Oklahoma State is expected to be good — possibly real good — in 2014.

But the Cowboys will be doing it without one of their top returning defensive players.

The Tulsa World reported Monday that senior safety Lyndell Johnson is no longer with the team. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told reporters later Monday before the team’s first spring practice that Johnson left the team for “personal reasons.”

Johnson was fifth on the team last season with 54 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss. He broke up three passes and recovered two fumbles.

A former linebacker with the Cowboys, Johnson moved to safety prior to the 2013 season. He started three games last season and was expected to start this season, according to the report.


MAJORS: ‘I FEEL VERY GOOD’


Former Tennessee star player and coach Johnny Majors says "under the circumstances, I feel very good," four days after undergoing a heart valve procedure.

The 78-year-old Majors issued a statement Monday through the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where he remains in stable condition. Majors said he was "extremely pleased" with the care he'd received and that he appreciated "the support of friends and family and also of supporters of mine from Tennessee and other parts of the country."

Majors played at Tennessee from 1954-56, finishing second in Heisman Trophy voting as a senior. He went 185-137-10 as a coach at Iowa State (1968-72), Pittsburgh (1973-76, 1993-96) and Tennessee (1977-92), leading Pittsburgh to the 1976 national title. He entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.


EX-TIDE OL SUED


A fraternity brother has sued former Alabama defensive lineman Wilson Love for alleged assault.

Online court records show that Connor McKenna's suit filed Sunday in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court says Love knocked him unconscious during a spring break trip in March 2012.

He's seeking $100,000 plus unspecified punitive damages. Love signed with Alabama in 2011 but didn't see action. He graduated in December.

McKenna's suit says they had returned to their Los Angeles hotel room after a night out when Love assaulted him "without any provocation", knocking him out and breaking his nose, among other injuries.

The suit says hotel staff called an ambulance and McKenna was treated for injuries at Marina Del Rey Hospital, later requiring surgery. A message left at Love's Birmingham home was not immediately returned Monday.

Contributors: Ken Bradley, The Associated Press