AMES - Austen Arnaud delayed the game, so to speak, at Monday's press conference, arriving well after his teammates.

Yet, his infraction was forgiven. After all, the Iowa State junior had an important class - plus, the quarterback probably deserves a break after spending his entire spring in the midst of one big cram session, both in the classroom and the Cyclones' film studies.

"We all are trying to learn as much as possible," said Arnaud, in reference to the third different offensive system of his college career.

"I'm a visual learner," he added, "so I've been watching a lot of film."

One lesson, above all else, has already been learned: "It's a quarterback-friendly offense," Arnaud noted, a smile stretching across his face.

Truthfully, Arnaud's off-season objectives are about more than simply learning Iowa State's new spread offense. He also hopes to further take the reins of his team in the locker room, as a leader.

After last season, in which he completed a school-record 247 passes, Arnaud is the unquestioned face of the franchise in Ames.

And, the incumbent quarterback said he can improve by "just leading. Not being afraid of what guys think.

"As a leader," the 20-year-old explained, "sometimes guys are scared of stepping on toes. I can't be like that.

"I need to (lead), regardless - I've gotta be the figurehead for our team."

First-year Cyclone head coach Paul Rhoads strongly indicated that Arnaud will be named a team captain when spring drills conclude with Saturday's 3 p.m. spring game.

The coach said he can discern a player's leadership skills when "you see it and you hear it." And rarely is heard a discouraging word about Arnaud at ISU.

Arnaud is eager to master the Cyclones' new, uptempo offense. And why wouldn't he? The junior passed for a school-record 440 yards in his last game, a narrow loss at Kansas State. And now offensive coordinator Tom Herman's system is expected to allow the Ames native to utilize both his arm and his feet, as well as heave the ball deep downfield.

"That's the scheme," Arnaud said. "We're gonna try to score points."

The quarterback's immediate future, though, calls for him to unify his rebuilding ballclub.

That, he insists, hasn't been a difficult task.

"Guys are just happy to be here, every day," Arnaud noted. "We could start spring practice over right now and it'd be the same intensity.

"It's going well. Guys love Coach Rhoads. And we love the new system."

THE HITS KEEP COMIN': For a rebuilding roster, every practice rep is important.

Rhoads has tried to hammer that point home with a heavy dose of pad-popping this month.

By all accounts, the Cyclones are hitting more this month than most teams do during spring drills. Position battles at areas such as linebacker have much to do with that.

"The training room's busy," middle linebacker Jesse Smith joked recently.

"The toughness, the physical part, comes from how you approach practice," explained Rhoads, a former defensive back at Missouri Southern.

"We've got our pads on for a reason," the coach noted. "We're gonna hit the heck out of each other - everyday."

Rhoads' passion has been evident during tackling drills. He was even fired-up enough to display proper tackling technique to one unenthusiastic kicker last week, aggressively wrapping his arms around the specialist.

"That's why I like (Rhoads)," laughed strength coach Yancy McKnight. "He's high energy."

QUICK HITTERS:

After some persistent campaigning, sophomore Leonard Johnson has worked as a punt-return man this month. Johnson racked up 1,084 total return yards last season - including a record 304 kick-return yards in a Nov. 1 loss at Oklahoma State - but never returned punts.

"The potential to be as good as everyone says is there," said Rhoads. "Leonard has all the gifts."

Center Mike Knapp and receiver Alex Sandvig have seen their careers come to a close, due to nagging knee injuries. Knapp is still recovering from a serious patellar-tendon knee injury endured late last October in a loss to Texas A&M. Sandvig, who, like Knapp is a West Des Moines native, hoped to add depth to ISU's roster this season.

"That's rough. (Knapp) had been rehabbing like a mad man," said defensive lineman Nate Frere.

"It's just unfortunate to see what happened to those guys," Arnaud added.

Considering tight end Carter Bykowski's recent arrest for public intoxication, Rhoads has told his team to be on its best behavior this week, during Iowa State's week-long Veisha celebration. "We talk about it all the time … (and) I don't think any of 'em would refer to me as soft," the coach said, adding that his players have largely displayed good character.

Contact Kelly Beaton at (319) 291-1456 or kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com