Anybody going to it?

We've heard that this is likely to be a smaller class. Here's how I think it could go:

QB: 1 - Moberly is it. I guess depending on gambling suspensions, they could grab another or someone in the portal, but it isn't likely.
RB: 1 - Robinson is clearly their top choice. But, the competition is stiff with the in-state Sooners plus ND. ISU has a ton to sell, but man, is that a tall ask. If they miss on Robinson, then I think that they'll look at Dylan Lee and Adam Muhammed.
WR: 2 - Surprisingly, they're still in on VanderZee. Rock Rapids is usually a hok stronghold. We do use WRs more than they do, so maybe we have a legit shot. Other possibilities are Rigby from FL and Gonzales from PA. IMO their top target was Jalen Smith from Mankato, who committed to MN immediately when they offered.
TE: 1-2 - They really seem to like Roskop. I feel like he's kind of an H-Back type who could be a lead blocker but also play attached or even split out. There's a little bit of (shorter) Chase Allen to him. I don't think that they're set on 2 given who they've signed in the last few classes, but if the right guy is there, they will. Cooper Alexander would be that guy, but he's got an in-state Sooner offer and I think his parents went there.
OL: 3-5 - They already have Holt on board, who is going to be a really good OG. They're hard after the Helton twins. Question will be whether the staff can pull them from the west coast. I expect Aisosa to set up an OV soon. You never know on Brix...I don't think that the staff will waste much time on him if he's set on going to hok. Other names are Parrott, Rakers, Burton, Mandell. We'll get a read on how they slot those guys by when/if they have OVs set up. Could be a really good OL class if they get the guys they want.
DE: 2-3 - I feel like Witt Edwards is easily their #1 target at RE. Having McDonald go in the first round can't hurt here. Fallback here would be Ryan Jenkins from GA. At SDE, they have their guy in Gilbert. Although, they could try to bring in a guy like Terrell Spruill as well. I just think that getting Okoli in the portal maybe takes some of the need away from signing 2.
DT/NG: 1 - An important spot, as they lose Lee. Orange has one year left after that and he's going to be an NIL target for a lot of teams IMO. They got Hawk last year and he could well be good, but he wasn't highly recruited. I feel like their #1 target is Leroy Jackson out of GA.
LB: 2-3 - I think that they have two good ones in Miller and Inglis. If they can add Brezina, that is a great LB class...stacked on top of two prior great LB classes. Exactly how you want to do it.
S: 2 - DBs are always so hard to predict since most of the time, these kids are coming from a ways away and haven't been able to visit ISU much. I thought that they did really well in 2022 getting Howard and Cooper and following that up with Davis, Smith, James and Patton in 2023. Not as big of a need in 2024. They already have Quentin Taylor, who was one of their top targets. The other one is probably Sammie Hunter.
CB: 2 - They're going to lose Tampa and Porter after this year and Purchase only has one year after that. Everyone else is unproven, although we've heard good things about Crosby. Assuming Sama stays at RB, they signed zero in 2023. So, this is an important class at CB. No idea where they go here. I guess they have a shot at Austin Alexander from IL. No OVs set up yet, which is maybe a little concerning.

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Cyclones strengthen their position with Oklahoma HS recruit

Johnny's stories never get old.

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Here's one of the prospects I liked out of last week's camp. With a strong senior season, I could see him potentially getting a more serious look from the Cyclones. To what extent, I'm not sure just yet.

Central Iowa rising senior showcases self at prospect camp

At this one….this is not intended to offend anyone.

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Of course this is unprecedented for ISU but maybe for any team in history. Having 4 representatives on this team is amazing!

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2024 Oklahoma TE looks ahead to third ISU trip

I've started a running feature on the front page with comments from the seven recruits that were committed prior to their officials this past weekend. I'll be updating as I get more of these in.

LINK

Iowa State Media Relations

ORLANDO – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the Fiesta Bowl announced Iowa State University (ISU) as the winner of the 2023 Community Service Award today during the 2023 NACDA & Affiliates Convention. Iowa State received the award for its Cyclones Serve initiative.

The Community Service Award will be formally presented to Iowa State on Saturday, Oct. 7 during its Big 12 football matchup against TCU on MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium.

“It is truly an honor for Iowa State Athletics to be recognized for its Cyclones Serve program with the Community Service Award from NACDA and the Fiesta Bowl,” said Iowa State Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard. “We have a group of selfless student-athletes, coaches and staff who are engaged and committed to making our community a better place while impacting the lives of others in a positive way, and it is humbling to see their incredible work recognized with this special honor.”

Now in its seventh year, the Fiesta Bowl Community Service award was designed to recognize NACDA member institutions in Division I honoring exceptional athletics departments that make volunteerism and community service a way of life. A five-person committee consisting of athletics directors across the country and representatives from the Fiesta Bowl and NACDA aided in selecting Iowa State as this year's award winner. The Iowa State athletics department will receive a trophy from the Fiesta Bowl for permanent display on campus.

Iowa State is the first Big 12 school in the award’s seven-year history to be honored by NACDA and the Fiesta Bowl, following Ohio State (2022), Georgia Tech (2021), Vanderbilt (2020), Boston College (2019), Southern Cal (2018) and Maryland (2017).

“Commitment to community service has been embraced by colleges and universities across the nation, including by their athletic departments as a meaningful part of the student-athlete experience. Iowa State’s impressive array of community service activities stood above the rest,” said Erik Moses, Fiesta Bowl Executive Director & CEO. “We know that Jamie Pollard devotes himself to developing an environment that is inclusive, caring and dedicated to mentoring the next generation. Those tenets shine throughout the Cyclones Serve activities which consistently prove that personal development includes selfless actions to help those in need.”

“The Fiesta Bowl Community Service Award has become one of the most inspiring annual recognitions for NACDA member institutions, as it truly captures the positive storytelling aspect of college athletics,” said NACDA Chief Executive Officer Pat Manak. “This is a well-deserved honor for NACDA Past President Jamie Pollard and the Iowa State student-athletes for having a lasting meaningful impact in the lives of so many individuals in the Ames community.”

The Iowa State Student-Athlete Engagement Team oversees the school’s Cyclones Serve program, annually coordinating community outreach activities that stretch throughout central Iowa and touch a multitude of lives. The goal of Cyclones Serve is to encourage student-athletes to volunteer their time while using their platform to build “Community” through sports.

Participation in Cyclones Serve programs includes all 18 Iowa State Athletics sport teams. Teams also compete for the Cyclones Serve Award, which is given annually at the school’s Student-Athlete Awards program (O.S.C.A.R.S.) for the team that volunteers the most hours. Competition is fierce, as the spirit of giving back is vibrant throughout the season. There is also an award for the individual athlete who accrues the most hours of community service work. This past year, Cyclone women’s golfer Ruby Chou set a record by participating in 164 hours of benevolent activities.

This past season, Cyclones Serve was a major success, as Iowa State student-athletes volunteered over 4,500 hours of service work in the community. Cyclone athletes don’t just show up, they also learn WHY they are there to serve. The Iowa State athletics department has made a concerted effort to provide background to the volunteers, so they have a better understanding of the needs of the people they are serving. The true work of service isn’t done to be recognized. The joy comes through the meaningful experience of a service-learning model, which increases engagement levels, confidence, and the overall experience. Iowa State athletes truly make a difference in the lives of others.

About the Fiesta Bowl: The Fiesta Bowl's vision is to be a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans. As a nonprofit organization, it believes in the importance of community outreach and service. Through charitable giving, the organization strives to enhance Arizona nonprofit organizations that contribute to the success of communities through youth, sports and education. Since 1971, the Fiesta Bowl has worked to increase its footprint across the state and work to benefit Arizonans year-round, during and outside of bowl season. For more information about its local impact and how to get involved, visit FiestaBowl.org.

About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 56th year, is the professional and educational Association for more than 22,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,200 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 6,500 athletics administrators annually attend NACDA & Affiliates Convention Week. Additionally, NACDA manages 18 professional associations and four foundations. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.

Our host for Tama just backed out and I’m wondering if anyone would host our team or know of someone willing to host. We are an older group and very low maintenance. Thanks

Over the past 10 days, Fox News has been running with a story on no less than 15 different programs that talks about homeless veterans being kicked out of hotels in the New York area to make room for busloads of illegal immigrants. Imagine their shock and outrage at this injustice! They even said they independently confirmed the story through other sources. Ummm, not so fast there, bubba.

Turns out the story was manufactured and made out of whole cloth. In other words, it never happened. The perpetrators had fake receipts and recruited homeless men to say they were veterans and had been kicked out of the hotel, promising to feed them, provide them booze, and pay them $200, then never paid them anything. You'd think after paying off the huge settlement to Dominion, they would be more careful when they "confirm" their stories, but no. Instead, the fire their investigative department to save money because of the settlement. Irony, anyone?

Does this elevate Kene? Or do they try and find someone else to back up presumed #1 Alexander Mattison?

Is tomorrow the date when all football players should be on hand? Or do some still wait for camp? Same for Basketball.

I saw a posting that the WBB frosh had arrived, which raised my curiosity.

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New Cyclone OC gets first-hand look at 2025 QB

This is one of my favorite reads from Athlon's
annual preseason football magazine-Big 12 coaches commenting anonymously about other Big 12 teams.

Some interesting comments that caught my eye:

Iowa State:
"They have discipline; they get after you, and you have to play a perfect game. They’re hard to beat that way. Obviously, they’re not as athletic as most teams, and they can’t beat you one on one. That’s not a knock because if they were just chasing talent, they wouldn’t be successful AT A PLACE LIKE THIS." (Last phrase purposely capitalized.) I get what he's saying but those words still p**s me off!

Cincinnati:
"They have the least returning talent among Big 12 teams." Bringing [Coach] Sutterfield in doesn’t seem to make a ton of sense...."

West Virginia:
"This might be the worst roster in the league.
The defense is legitimately bad. They look like a MAC team compared to the rest of the league "

BYU:
"They have the most questions of any new team in the league by far."

Okie State:
"Probably the most confusing team in the entire league. They can beat the crap out of you or beat themselves the same way."

More interesting comments are in the article.
Enjoy!

Big rule changes in NCAA wrestling.

Three points awarded for a takedown to encourage more offense and create a larger differential from escapes.
A three point near fall was added, although I don't know any more details. Maybe that means a three second count is worth three points, but I'm just guessing.

One change I would like to see is a better way to deal with stalling. The calls are so inconsistent. It is frustrating to see a weaker wrestler up against a superior opponent and do just enough to avoid stalling, but never initiating any real action. A stall call late in a match does nothing, but one early in a match can be huge.

Big 12 eyeing multi-year agreement for football, basketball games in Mexico as soon as 2024

Big 12 eyeing multi-year agreement for football, basketball games in Mexico as soon as 2024

Here's who I've got coming in this weekend. Pretty much all of the commits will be in town, so I'd imagine those who aren't committed are the legit priority guys that the staff wants to have them around all weekend.

LINK

Got ice cream in Madrid and there was a kid with a Bettendorf t-shirt on. Kid is 6-5 350 tackle and going to be a Sophmore with the last name Shertz sp. What do you know about this kid?

Not much new, but we’re news starved this time of year! At lease the source in the article is credible.

The following is part of an article about Ohio State's Football staff.


Fitch is doing well as an analyst for the Buckeyes.

But Philbin isn't the only one earning a quarter-million to serve as an analyst this year. Eleven Warriors reported that senior advisor and analyst Todd Fitch will also be earning $250,000 this season.

Fitch is heading into his third year with the Buckeyes and has over 30 years of experience on the offensive side of the football.

The past two seasons have seen the Buckeyes fall short against arch-rival Michigan in The Game, costing them spots in both the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff.

Have Ohio State assembled a staff that can beat the Wolverines again?