On how the receiving corps has performed in the first few practices:
We’ve got a really good group of guys this year. And certainly having some leadership like Allen Lazard and Trever Ryen, some guys that have kind of been staples in the offense the last couple of years, helps. And then guys like Marchie Murdock, who’s emerged tremendously through this off-season and really found a great niche in what we’re doing. And then guys like Matt Eaton and Hakeem Butler. Hakeem obviously we saw a little bit last season in some flashes of greatness out of him. And I think certainly he’s continued to elevate his game.
And then Deshaunte (Jones) kind of in the mix there still with Trever Ryen. So certainly got a lot of depth and even some young guys that are starting to step up. Jalen Martin and Landen Akers who both redshirted for us last year are competing and really giving us some quality reps. And even Tarique Milton who came in this fall and this summer is going out there and making some big plays down the field for us.
On Eaton’s progress and recovery from injury:
He was limited throughout the spring; was limited for most of the summer. I would say probably midway point of June Matt was cleared and back to a hundred percent and really hasn’t missed a beat all fall camp. He’s been in every rep, not even in treatment situations. So he’s a guy that’s going out there and is repping quite a bit with us and making some big plays. Had a couple of really big plays today out at practice. It’s fun watching him ‘cause he’s got some of the size and length like we have with Allen and Hakeem, but he’s got great take off, too. He’s a guy that can really stretch the field and run. Those guys are fun to play with when you talk about their size and take off ability.
On expectations for Milton right away as a true freshman:
Tarique’s a young guy, got here this summer, hasn’t fully immersed himself yet in the playbook. But has really had a great first five or six practices, has gone out and made a bunch of plays. He’s a guy that’s a little bit different than the rest of the room because his strength is his ability to take off and stretch the field. He can make some plays down the field. Obviously a guy that we still want to get a little bit stronger and maybe put a little bit of weight on him going into the season. But we’ll see. Might be a guy that can help us in the return game, kick return, punt return. And certainly a guy that if you are looking for big plays, can do that for you.
On Iowa State’s effort to recruit bigger receivers:
I like having a good balance. At the end of the day you need guys that can be playmakers. And what we do offensively, we’re going to play fast, we’re going to play with tempo. We’re going to try to stretch the field and be explosive. And so you need to have guys that can do that for us. Guys that you may throw a quick screen to but they can get you 15, 20 or take it all the way the distance. So I think having a good blend of that is good and certainly if you can have guys that have size that are loose enough to get in and out of routes and that have a great burst and take off and quickness, that they can separate and stretch the field – I think all those things playing in together work well. But I think we’ve got a good blend of it right now.
On Matt Campbell’s statement that Butler might be most talented WR:
Hakeem’s very unique in the sense that he’s a 6-6 guy, he’s very long, but he’s very loose. He’s very wiry. He can create some separation with that and he also is really good getting in and out of breaks. He’s got some suddenness to him. He’s got the ability. When you watch him, if you probably looked at 40 times, maybe isn’t that great. But he’s a guy that can get on top of defenders in a hurry ‘cause he eats up so much ground.
I bet if you ran running 40s where you weren’t necessarily starting from a starting position, he’d be up there with the rest of them. So once he gets going and gets those first couple of steps in the ground, he does have take off ability and he can get on top of the coverage. He’s a guy that has matured tremendously off the field this off-season and has certainly now gotten comfortable in our system. Again, a year ago, kind of his first year like the rest of them in our offense. Now having a year under his belt, you’ll see Hakeem doing things other than just being the outside receiver this year for us.
On higher expectations for Murdock this season:
I think he showed up the day before report date last year. You’ve got to understand, he spent the entire off-season prior to arriving in Ames, he spent it finishing up his undergraduate degree. Wasn’t necessarily in a strength and conditioning program, kind of doing it on his own. So he got here and we were trying to figure out where he was going to fit. Was he going to play inside; was he going to play outside? So I think last year was kind of a learning experience for both him and us in terms of what he could do.
But, I’ll tell ya, if you talk about guys that have had great off-seasons, his has been incredible. Even you talk about spring ball, he was hot in March. We were calling it March madness, not because of the tournament, but because of what you were seeing him do in practice. We were hoping there wasn’t April sadness that followed but he came out and finished really, really strong. Was probably, offensively, I would say the MVP of what we did in the spring. And then has really developed that leadership role. He’s not only a great teammate but he’s a guy that works really hard. He’s always got a smile on his face. He’s competitive; he strains in everything that he does. I think every day you see a little bit more and a little bit more. He’s a guy that’s going to be fun to watch this year. I’ve got a lot of expectations for him and I think he’s got a chance to really help this team.
On if Murdock’s role will change because of all that:
Oh, a great deal. You’re seeing him rep with the ones right now and he’s going to see a ton of time for us. And again, he’s a guy that I think can also help us on special teams and do some things there. He’s great when you have him involved because he brings so much positive energy. He brings great toughness with him. He’s what you want out of that type of player.
On Jones taking the next steps in helping the Cyclones on game days:
Deshaunte, I think, has a pretty good grasp of what we do. And I think for him, he’s a guy that when you can get the ball in his hands – he’s still only played receiver, was a high school quarterback – getting the ball in his hands is where he’s comfortable. He’s still learning and developing as a route runner. He’s still learning and developing as you attack coverages and techniques and leverages of defenders. But is a very intelligent player. He picks up on things really quickly. And a guy that’s had a great feel for what we’re trying to do and accomplish. So I certainly think you’ll see a lot out of Deshaunte again this fall just like you did last year.
On Lazard’s progression to an elite level receiver:
Allen has found, through his first couple of years here, found himself in a position where he had a lot of success, everybody knew who he was. And [there is] certainly a lot of pressure going into his senior year where now there’s even higher expectations for a guy like him. And I think he’s handled it really well.
I think he got healthy through the off-season. I know a year ago when you talk about the fall, didn’t play at a hundred percent throughout the season and still put up great numbers, still had a bunch of success. I think priority number one for both him and us as a staff was, how do we get Allen as healthy as we possibly can? We did some different things in terms of the training room and with the strength and conditioning staff to try to help him feel great again. And I think we’ve gotten him to that point.
He did a lot of extra things this off-season, too. Got around some NFL guys on his own and got a chance to kind of see how those guys work. And did a lot of film study and got a chance to sit down and watch what he did last year and what our opponents that we’re going to be playing this upcoming season do well. So I think he’s challenged himself mentally as well as physically and athletically to be able to go out there and have the senior season that I think we all know he is capable of having.
We’ve got a really good group of guys this year. And certainly having some leadership like Allen Lazard and Trever Ryen, some guys that have kind of been staples in the offense the last couple of years, helps. And then guys like Marchie Murdock, who’s emerged tremendously through this off-season and really found a great niche in what we’re doing. And then guys like Matt Eaton and Hakeem Butler. Hakeem obviously we saw a little bit last season in some flashes of greatness out of him. And I think certainly he’s continued to elevate his game.
And then Deshaunte (Jones) kind of in the mix there still with Trever Ryen. So certainly got a lot of depth and even some young guys that are starting to step up. Jalen Martin and Landen Akers who both redshirted for us last year are competing and really giving us some quality reps. And even Tarique Milton who came in this fall and this summer is going out there and making some big plays down the field for us.
On Eaton’s progress and recovery from injury:
He was limited throughout the spring; was limited for most of the summer. I would say probably midway point of June Matt was cleared and back to a hundred percent and really hasn’t missed a beat all fall camp. He’s been in every rep, not even in treatment situations. So he’s a guy that’s going out there and is repping quite a bit with us and making some big plays. Had a couple of really big plays today out at practice. It’s fun watching him ‘cause he’s got some of the size and length like we have with Allen and Hakeem, but he’s got great take off, too. He’s a guy that can really stretch the field and run. Those guys are fun to play with when you talk about their size and take off ability.
On expectations for Milton right away as a true freshman:
Tarique’s a young guy, got here this summer, hasn’t fully immersed himself yet in the playbook. But has really had a great first five or six practices, has gone out and made a bunch of plays. He’s a guy that’s a little bit different than the rest of the room because his strength is his ability to take off and stretch the field. He can make some plays down the field. Obviously a guy that we still want to get a little bit stronger and maybe put a little bit of weight on him going into the season. But we’ll see. Might be a guy that can help us in the return game, kick return, punt return. And certainly a guy that if you are looking for big plays, can do that for you.
On Iowa State’s effort to recruit bigger receivers:
I like having a good balance. At the end of the day you need guys that can be playmakers. And what we do offensively, we’re going to play fast, we’re going to play with tempo. We’re going to try to stretch the field and be explosive. And so you need to have guys that can do that for us. Guys that you may throw a quick screen to but they can get you 15, 20 or take it all the way the distance. So I think having a good blend of that is good and certainly if you can have guys that have size that are loose enough to get in and out of routes and that have a great burst and take off and quickness, that they can separate and stretch the field – I think all those things playing in together work well. But I think we’ve got a good blend of it right now.
On Matt Campbell’s statement that Butler might be most talented WR:
Hakeem’s very unique in the sense that he’s a 6-6 guy, he’s very long, but he’s very loose. He’s very wiry. He can create some separation with that and he also is really good getting in and out of breaks. He’s got some suddenness to him. He’s got the ability. When you watch him, if you probably looked at 40 times, maybe isn’t that great. But he’s a guy that can get on top of defenders in a hurry ‘cause he eats up so much ground.
I bet if you ran running 40s where you weren’t necessarily starting from a starting position, he’d be up there with the rest of them. So once he gets going and gets those first couple of steps in the ground, he does have take off ability and he can get on top of the coverage. He’s a guy that has matured tremendously off the field this off-season and has certainly now gotten comfortable in our system. Again, a year ago, kind of his first year like the rest of them in our offense. Now having a year under his belt, you’ll see Hakeem doing things other than just being the outside receiver this year for us.
On higher expectations for Murdock this season:
I think he showed up the day before report date last year. You’ve got to understand, he spent the entire off-season prior to arriving in Ames, he spent it finishing up his undergraduate degree. Wasn’t necessarily in a strength and conditioning program, kind of doing it on his own. So he got here and we were trying to figure out where he was going to fit. Was he going to play inside; was he going to play outside? So I think last year was kind of a learning experience for both him and us in terms of what he could do.
But, I’ll tell ya, if you talk about guys that have had great off-seasons, his has been incredible. Even you talk about spring ball, he was hot in March. We were calling it March madness, not because of the tournament, but because of what you were seeing him do in practice. We were hoping there wasn’t April sadness that followed but he came out and finished really, really strong. Was probably, offensively, I would say the MVP of what we did in the spring. And then has really developed that leadership role. He’s not only a great teammate but he’s a guy that works really hard. He’s always got a smile on his face. He’s competitive; he strains in everything that he does. I think every day you see a little bit more and a little bit more. He’s a guy that’s going to be fun to watch this year. I’ve got a lot of expectations for him and I think he’s got a chance to really help this team.
On if Murdock’s role will change because of all that:
Oh, a great deal. You’re seeing him rep with the ones right now and he’s going to see a ton of time for us. And again, he’s a guy that I think can also help us on special teams and do some things there. He’s great when you have him involved because he brings so much positive energy. He brings great toughness with him. He’s what you want out of that type of player.
On Jones taking the next steps in helping the Cyclones on game days:
Deshaunte, I think, has a pretty good grasp of what we do. And I think for him, he’s a guy that when you can get the ball in his hands – he’s still only played receiver, was a high school quarterback – getting the ball in his hands is where he’s comfortable. He’s still learning and developing as a route runner. He’s still learning and developing as you attack coverages and techniques and leverages of defenders. But is a very intelligent player. He picks up on things really quickly. And a guy that’s had a great feel for what we’re trying to do and accomplish. So I certainly think you’ll see a lot out of Deshaunte again this fall just like you did last year.
On Lazard’s progression to an elite level receiver:
Allen has found, through his first couple of years here, found himself in a position where he had a lot of success, everybody knew who he was. And [there is] certainly a lot of pressure going into his senior year where now there’s even higher expectations for a guy like him. And I think he’s handled it really well.
I think he got healthy through the off-season. I know a year ago when you talk about the fall, didn’t play at a hundred percent throughout the season and still put up great numbers, still had a bunch of success. I think priority number one for both him and us as a staff was, how do we get Allen as healthy as we possibly can? We did some different things in terms of the training room and with the strength and conditioning staff to try to help him feel great again. And I think we’ve gotten him to that point.
He did a lot of extra things this off-season, too. Got around some NFL guys on his own and got a chance to kind of see how those guys work. And did a lot of film study and got a chance to sit down and watch what he did last year and what our opponents that we’re going to be playing this upcoming season do well. So I think he’s challenged himself mentally as well as physically and athletically to be able to go out there and have the senior season that I think we all know he is capable of having.
