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AMES, Iowa – Filling a need. It’s been a cliché term when head coaches talk about their recruiting classes on National Signing Day, but that’s exactly what Iowa State head football coach Paul Rhoads did today.
Rhoads and Iowa State had 25 players sign National Letters of Intent, as the Cyclones addressed their needs by replenishing positions with future stars on the gridiron.
ISU’s 2014 class, ranked in the top 50 nationally by Scout.com, features seven junior college players – all of whom Rhoads believes can contribute right away – and 18 prep players. It was a perfect balance, and Rhoads is happy with the recruiting efforts of his staff.
“I am very pleased with how the whole process worked out,” Rhoads said. “Our coaching staff did a phenomenal job. In the sport of football, you have to address every position. We did that with this class and we have guys who can make an impact right away.”
The future of ISU football will arrive on campus from 11 states/provinces. Texas is most represented with eight. The Cyclones signed only one Iowan in their class, but he is a big one – perhaps one of the biggest recruits in school history.
Allen Lazard, who was a three-time first-team all-state elite team member at Urbandale (Iowa) High School, shunned offers from some of the nation’s best programs to follow in the footsteps of his father, Kevin, as a Cyclone.
Name the national honor, and chances are Lazard earned it. The four-star receiver was a first-team all-USA All-American, a top-50 national recruit by Rivals.com and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, joining Jake Campos as Cyclones to play in the prestigious bowl game in back-to-back seasons.
Rhoads is thrilled to have Lazard in a Cyclone uniform next season.
“Allen was the first commitment and first member of this class,” Rhoads said. “It marks the second year in a row the top-rated player in the state of Iowa has chosen Iowa State. This is a young man who has gotten phenomenal national attention and was recruited by the traditional historical programs in college football and kept on turning them away to stay true to his word to be an Iowa State Cyclone.”
ISU’s class features six defensive backs, four offensive linemen, four linebackers, three defensive linemen, three wide receivers, two running backs, a quarterback, a tight end and a kicker. Nine different players in the class were ranked in the top 100 nationally by Rivals.com or Scout.com in their respective positions, including a pair of running backs: Mike Warren (No. 35 by Rivals.com) and Martinez Syria (No. 85 by Scout.com).
Three of these Cyclones enrolled in the spring semester at Iowa State and will participate in spring drills: linebacker Jordan Harris, a 5-11, 233-pound junior from Clarksdale, Miss., safety Devron Moore, a 5-11, 185-pound junior from Carthage, Mo., and defensive end Gabe Luna, a 6-1, 245-pound junior from Garden City, Kan.
(ISU Sports Information)
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A highly-touted quarterback and an instate star expected to play receiver highlight Iowa’s latest football recruiting class. Detroit-area quarterback Tyler Wiegers is considered among the nation’s top pro-style passers. He’ll join a crowded position group that also includes underclassmen C.J. Beathard and Nic Shimonek.
La Porte City’s Jay Scheel, who will transition from quarterback to wideout, headlines the list of Iowa-based recruits announced Wednesday. Running back C.J. Hilliard of Cincinnati will help the Hawkeyes replenish their depth in the backfield. Cedar Rapids Xavier defensive end Matt Nelson is perhaps the most notable signee on that side of the ball for Iowa, which finished ninth in scoring defense in 2013.
The Hawkeyes finished 8-5 last season and lost to LSU in the Outback Bowl.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs have signed Canadian Football League star Weston Dressler to a futures contract, hoping he can bolster a relatively weak wide receiver corps.
The 28-year-old Dressler has spent the past six years in the CFL, where he caught 442 passes for 6,531 yards and 43 touchdowns for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He caught 70 passes for more than 1,000 yards and nine TDs in helping the Roughriders win the Grey Cup.
The Chiefs have not announced the signing, which appeared on the NFL’s transaction report.
Dressler was a standout at North Dakota but never generated much interest from the NFL. He is listed at 5-foot-7, 179 pounds.
The Chiefs could be looking at Dressler to replace wide receiver Dexter McCluster, who is due to become a free agent.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Aaron Craft had 17 points with six assists and six steals to help Ohio State upset 17th-ranked Iowa 76-69 on Tuesday night for its third win in four games. LaQuinton Ross added 13 points for the Buckeyes (18-5, 5-5 Big Ten), who moved back to .500 in the league after starting a surprising 2-4.
Craft’s first points of the second half came on a three-point play that put Ohio State ahead 66-59 with 1:17 left. That sealed back-to-back road wins for the surging Buckeyes, who beat Wisconsin 59-58 on Saturday.
Mike Gesell had 16 points for lead Iowa (17-6, 6-4), which shot just 3 of 20 from 3-point range and lost its second straight at home. Hawkeyes stars Devyn Marble and Aaron White combined for just 18 points in Iowa City.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Desmar Jackson scored 24 points and Anthony Beane 20 as Southern Illinois raced past Drake 74-58 on Tuesday night, winning its third straight. The Salukis (9-15, 5-6 Missouri Valley Conference) avenged a three-point loss to Drake in their first conference meeting of the season two weeks ago. Southern Illinois has won three straight in Missouri Valley play for the first time in six years.
Beane was 6 of 12 from the field, and hit 3 of 6 3-pointers, as he scored 20 for the third straight game. Jackson hit 7 of 14 shots, a pair of 3-pointers and had five rebounds, five assists and six steals. The Salukis shot 51 percent for the game, and forced 11 first-half turnovers en route to a 46-29 halftime lead.
Drake (12-11, 3-8) attempted 27 3-pointers but hit just nine. Chris Caird had four of those to score 19 points, Richard Carter added 17 in Des Moines.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A group of 17 Omaha companies is donating another $42,500 to Peyton Manning’s foundation for at-risk youth even though it was hard to hear him shout about Nebraska’s largest city during the Super Bowl. Omaha’s love affair with Manning and his Denver Broncos got started after he yelled the city’s name 44 times during a playoff win over San Diego. Manning’s “Omaha! Omaha!” calls received widespread attention in social media and news stories.
The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce said Monday that each of the participating companies agreed to donate $2,500 to Manning’s “Peyback Foundation” even though his snap counts were difficult to hear Sunday. Earlier in the playoffs, a smaller group of companies agreed to donate $24,800 after Manning yelled “Omaha!” 31 times during the AFC Championship game.
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