by Bill Seals
Just being around Iowa State’s new offensive line coach – and coordinator – this weekend was enough to put the program at the forefront for a Missouri high school big man.
Webb City offensive guard Trystan Castillo, a three-star recruit that’s ranked eighth in the state of Missouri and 34th overall at his position nationally, returned home from Ames on Sunday afternoon and had several good things to say about his experience over the weekend.
“I really enjoyed getting around the rest of the coaches and their families and seeing how they interacted with each other, and getting around the players and seeing how they interacted with the coaches,” said Castillo. “The players seem like great people and I had a great time hanging out with all of them, especially Levi (Peters). I also hung out with a lot of the offensive linemen.
“I really liked the facilities. It’s kind of hard to see why Iowa State hasn’t been successful in a while, because they have all the right facilities. They have a great stadium, an amazing football facility and awesome weight room. I already see they have the right coaches in the right places, so I think Iowa State is going to be successful.”
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Castillo further expounded on his time with Manning this weekend.
“I absolutely love Coach Manning,” Castillo said. “He’s an amazing man and amazing coach. Just being around him with his personality, he’s the same every single time. I can talk to him every day of the week, any time of the day and he’s the same every time. I absolutely love that.”
Academics and the campus life at I-State also appear to be a good fit for Castillo.
“The major I’m going to look into is kinesiology or exercise science,” he said. “I really like the dorms and they’ve got about four guys to a room, two showers and a washer and dryer. That was great to see. That really stuck out to me.
“I also really like the fans and atmosphere at Iowa State,” Castillo said. “They were showing me some video tape and some game highlights. The stadium was packed and the fans were really into it.”
The Cyclones made sure to leave a lasting impression on Castillo before he left town, as the offensive lineman met with three coaches prior to heading south.
“(Coach Matt Campbell) and I had a really nice chat before I headed home,” Castillo said. “I also talked to Coach Manning and Coach (Alex) Golesh this morning and they re-emphasized everything that we did. They really want me to come in there and be an anchor on the offensive line.”
With two-plus weeks left until signing day, it appears to be a three-horse race for Castillo, who has been a soft commit to Mizzou after giving the old coaching staff in Columbia a verbal last April.
“Three schools are really interested in me and those are Iowa State, Minnesota and Missouri,” Castillo said. “We decided to move my visit to Missouri from the 29th to the 22nd. I will be making my final decision on the 27th.”
Just being around Iowa State’s new offensive line coach – and coordinator – this weekend was enough to put the program at the forefront for a Missouri high school big man.
Webb City offensive guard Trystan Castillo, a three-star recruit that’s ranked eighth in the state of Missouri and 34th overall at his position nationally, returned home from Ames on Sunday afternoon and had several good things to say about his experience over the weekend.
“I really enjoyed getting around the rest of the coaches and their families and seeing how they interacted with each other, and getting around the players and seeing how they interacted with the coaches,” said Castillo. “The players seem like great people and I had a great time hanging out with all of them, especially Levi (Peters). I also hung out with a lot of the offensive linemen.
“I really liked the facilities. It’s kind of hard to see why Iowa State hasn’t been successful in a while, because they have all the right facilities. They have a great stadium, an amazing football facility and awesome weight room. I already see they have the right coaches in the right places, so I think Iowa State is going to be successful.”
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Castillo further expounded on his time with Manning this weekend.
“I absolutely love Coach Manning,” Castillo said. “He’s an amazing man and amazing coach. Just being around him with his personality, he’s the same every single time. I can talk to him every day of the week, any time of the day and he’s the same every time. I absolutely love that.”
Academics and the campus life at I-State also appear to be a good fit for Castillo.
“The major I’m going to look into is kinesiology or exercise science,” he said. “I really like the dorms and they’ve got about four guys to a room, two showers and a washer and dryer. That was great to see. That really stuck out to me.
“I also really like the fans and atmosphere at Iowa State,” Castillo said. “They were showing me some video tape and some game highlights. The stadium was packed and the fans were really into it.”
The Cyclones made sure to leave a lasting impression on Castillo before he left town, as the offensive lineman met with three coaches prior to heading south.
“(Coach Matt Campbell) and I had a really nice chat before I headed home,” Castillo said. “I also talked to Coach Manning and Coach (Alex) Golesh this morning and they re-emphasized everything that we did. They really want me to come in there and be an anchor on the offensive line.”
With two-plus weeks left until signing day, it appears to be a three-horse race for Castillo, who has been a soft commit to Mizzou after giving the old coaching staff in Columbia a verbal last April.
“Three schools are really interested in me and those are Iowa State, Minnesota and Missouri,” Castillo said. “We decided to move my visit to Missouri from the 29th to the 22nd. I will be making my final decision on the 27th.”
