Hey guys! I listened to the CF podcast about the history and growth of Cyclonefanatic (take a listen if you haven't). One of the things Chris mentions was that they don't do a great job covering recruiting. I LOVE RECRUITING, so I thought I would take a crack at bringing those who aren't crootin' junkies up to speed.
Please note that I am not journalist nor that great of a writer, so bear with me. and please please please comment below if I get anything wrong and I will edit the post.
Here goes.
Lead Stories:
Why Two Quarterbacks???: There are a few reasons to this. First, the Purdy effect. ISU had a good (maybe even really good) long-time commit in Aidan Bouman. But then in the spring, Hunter Dekkers started to make his name known. He even beat out Bouman in the Regional Elite 11 camp. Like Purdy's recruitment, Campbell recognized Dekkers's talent and ponced before the big dogs could.
Also, they are two different dudes which could allow Campbell to be "multiple". Bouman is going to stand in the pocket with his 6'5" frame. Dekkers's nickname might as well be "Cornfed Tebow". He's physical and very athletic for his 6'2" 225lbs frame. Not only that, He's very accurate and has a CANNON for an arm (had the second longest throw in the deep ball competition at the Elite 11 finals (67.5 yards)).
Talent at the O-Line: I'm going to keep this one brief. We have some DUDES at the Offensive Line. Yes, most will need their redshirt year to fill out their frame and refine their technique, but these dudes are nasty (i'll talk about Rengert in a bit).
Size: Good bye to the days of the 5'6" corners and 250 pound O-lineman. Campbell is recruiting guys who have advantages before the ball is snapped. Our receivers are both 6'3". Our Oline stands as follows: 6'4" (Hayden Pauls), 6'5" (Brady Petersen), 6'7" (Sam Rengert), and 6'9" (Tyler Miller). Those are some big dudes. Miyan Williams, the running back, is 210 lbs and has room to put on more weight. Our linebacker commits are both 6'3".
This class is full of "off the bus" guys. For those unfamiliar with that term, an "off the bus" guy is someone the other team knows is going to give them headaches the moments they get "off the bus."
Needs:
Receiver: We have one JUCO commit (Xavier Hutchinson; Speedster) and one HS (Aidan Bitter; Possession). We are still looking for one or two more guys to finish up the class.
Tight End: Right now, the cyclone do not have any tight ends committed in the class. One would be a nice addition to the class; however, if we don't have one, we aren't in trouble.
Cornerback: On paper, we only lose Bickham this year, but we can't count on no one transferring. Need at least one, probably two corners this class. As of now, we don't have any.
Defensive Line: This is our most critical group right now. We lose a lot of defensive linemen this year and we need to fill the gaps. We have already missed out on a few guys and need to lock down at least one more DE and two DTs to solidify that unit.
The Big Remaining Targets:
DE Noah Arinze: 6'6", 240lbs, Athletic freak at Defensive end. Being looked at by Oklahoma and ASU, but the staff will turn to him to make up for missing out on Gunnerson and Witt. He's a BEAST.
WR Daniel X. Jackson: Visited with Jordyn Morgan. About 6'2" receiver and gets separation through his route running as opposed to pure speed. He's a high 3 star guy who could push 4 stars. It's between us, USC, and ASU. BTW, this is the Daniel Jackson from Texas.
S Mason Chambers: Also visited with Morgan and Jackson. 6'1" safety. He fits the mold very well to the safeties that Campbell has recruited. Physical at the point of attack and ball hawking with the ball in the air.
DT Willis Singleton: He's a guy that we might need. He's a DT out of Illinois that is high on the cyclone's. ISU made his top four, but since then, Michigan State extended an offer. It's between us, Illinois and MichSt and I have no idea where he leans.
DT Quay Mays: JUCO DT. Came on his Official not to long ago. It's probably between us and West Virginia.
Guys Who Are College Ready:
RB Miyan Williams: Our running back for the class is already a grown man. He runs very similarly to David Montgomery. He rushed for 2,800 yards against top competition in Ohio (in comparison, Breece Hall rushed for about 2,000 yards with one more game). He's not going to wow you speed (in fact, his track numbers kinda suck), but like David, his vision and ability to fall forward why he's so coveted. (Good job Campbell, you found another bruising running back from Cincinnati)
DE Johnny Wilson: If this guy was from Florida, every one would be saying "Campbell found a Jaquan Bailey Clone." He's a 6'3" 250lbs DE from Missouri and Campbell offered him EARLY. He's a monster. Just think of Jaquan Bailey. Not the fastest step, but brings a relentless pass rush. I'd say Wilson is a bit more athletic than Bailey, though.
Under The Radar Guys:
LB Hunter Zenzen: No, I'm not going to bring up that he's a Mike Rose clone, cause he's not. He is 6'3" 215lbs at linebacker, but he's not Mike Rose. He has a similar body type, though. He is under the radar because he plays in rural Northern Minnesota near Fargo, ND. I really like him, but it's tough to tell how he would fair against tougher competition.
S Jordyn Morgan: Lowly rated 3 star safety out of Texas. He recently committed and I like him alot.
Potential Risers:
QB Dekkers: When you go from a "nobody" to performing well at the Elite 11 finals (which by the recruiting services he did, the players vote for the actual Elite 11), people will start to pay attention. If he wins another state title this year (making that three), he could possibly rise to a 4 star.
OT Sam Rengert: I think that he could be the lineman with the most upside in this class. Take a look at his hudl if you have the chance. MMMM, I love me some pancakes. Allen Trieu mentions that Rengert has been super impressive in his camps and THE ohio state was interested in him (however, they got 3 guys at tackle they LOVE before they could offer Rengert).
OG Brady Petersen: Also a "who's that" guy in the eyes of the national recruiting services. He's a lineman from Ankeny Centennial. Rivals ranks him as a two star. That's dumb. This guy will be able to rise to a high 3 star with a solid senior season.
Big Misses:
RB Gavin Williams: Let's start out by saying, I like Miyan Williams better. But this one hurt at the time. He played at Southeast Polk and transferred to Dowling Catholic for his senior year. He's going to play at TOE and Wilson is going to rip his face off.
OG Josh Volk: Rumor is that this was a TOUGH decision for Volk. I don't blame him for choosing TOE for their history with the lines, but like Williams, when it happened, I worried if we would find sufficient replacements. We did.
DE Blaise Gunnerson: Sorry to open the wound again, but this one hurt BADLY. His WHOLE family are cyclones; his brother is on the freakin' team. He's a beast and man, I wanted him so bad. However.... I still have hope for a change of heart. Not counting on it, but hoping for it.
S Teagan Wilk: I think this one hurt almost as much as Gunnerson. He's seriously an Eisworth clone. I LOVE his tape. The staff loved him. He really liked ISU. and then.... he chose ECU!?!?!?! This is when I wish I was a journalist, I need this scoop.
Doubtful:
LB Kaden Johnson: Rumor is it's between Minnesota and Wisconsin. He's a 4 star guy who goes to the same High School as Craig MacDonald (ISU Safety Commit). He's visited ISU a bunch of times. It's not over yet, but like Gunnerson, if he wanted to be a Cyclone, he probably would have pulled the trigger by now.
ATH Jace Andregg: I've seen the thread. He's an athletic freak. No question. But, I don't think it's likely that he will get an offer. TOE hasn't given him one, and he would probably commit the day he got it. If he comes out and WOWs his first few games, the offers will flood in, but don't hold your breath. You can tell me this guy can throw a ball 40' , jump 41" and shuttle 3.88s, that's all dandy. Go do crossfit. Those numbers matter IF the fundamentals are there. I don't know much about Andregg's game, but I think ISU's class will be full before he gets the opportunity to win that offer.
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