by Bill Seals
Iowa State has maintained a steady presence at a Chicagoland high school, getting a signature from one recruit for 2018 and offering others in future classes.
One of those up and coming prospects from LaGrange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy is cornerback Devin Blakley, who took an unofficial to Ames last month.
“I had just gone to Iowa State three or four weeks ago and it was a really good visit,” said Blakley, who is a three-star recruit with a Rivals rating of 5.6. “I stayed overnight, got to see the campus and meet with the academic counselors.
“It was pretty good. I got a feel for how they do things there. Some of the players said how effective the degree is. It’s a big Engineering school and that’s what I’m looking to major in. That looks good to me.”
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Blakley, who saw his defensive line teammate Isaiah Lee sign with the Cyclones in 2018 and his future varsity quarterback J.J. McCarthy get offered last summer, said he’s gotten some good feedback from coaches on what he brings to the table in the secondary.
“They see me playing defense, so that’s good to hear from them,” Blakley said. “They like how athletic I am, that I’m a physical player and know I’m a football player. I have the mindset of hitting people.”
In addition to ISU, Blakley has G5 offers from the likes of Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky, Miami (Ohio) and Toledo.
He said the relationship he’s built with area recruiter Alex Golesh and position coach D.K. McDonald has put the Cyclones in a good place.
“We have a really good connection,” Blakley said. “They like talking to me and I like talking to them. I like the campus and that kind of stuff. I like that the program is rebuilding. I know they have a really good defense. I feel like it’s a good place for me if I decide to go there.
“They want me to come back this spring and see what happens from there. I want to see how physical they are at practice. I want to see things more in-depth. I saw (the game against Iowa) in September, but I want to see how they go about practice and how the coaches are around the players during practice.”
Blakley, also a standout performer on the offensive side of the ball, helped his team to the Class 6A championship game last fall and rushed for 64 yards and one touchdown on nine carries during the game.
Iowa State has maintained a steady presence at a Chicagoland high school, getting a signature from one recruit for 2018 and offering others in future classes.
One of those up and coming prospects from LaGrange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy is cornerback Devin Blakley, who took an unofficial to Ames last month.
“I had just gone to Iowa State three or four weeks ago and it was a really good visit,” said Blakley, who is a three-star recruit with a Rivals rating of 5.6. “I stayed overnight, got to see the campus and meet with the academic counselors.
“It was pretty good. I got a feel for how they do things there. Some of the players said how effective the degree is. It’s a big Engineering school and that’s what I’m looking to major in. That looks good to me.”
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Blakley, who saw his defensive line teammate Isaiah Lee sign with the Cyclones in 2018 and his future varsity quarterback J.J. McCarthy get offered last summer, said he’s gotten some good feedback from coaches on what he brings to the table in the secondary.
“They see me playing defense, so that’s good to hear from them,” Blakley said. “They like how athletic I am, that I’m a physical player and know I’m a football player. I have the mindset of hitting people.”
In addition to ISU, Blakley has G5 offers from the likes of Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky, Miami (Ohio) and Toledo.
He said the relationship he’s built with area recruiter Alex Golesh and position coach D.K. McDonald has put the Cyclones in a good place.
“We have a really good connection,” Blakley said. “They like talking to me and I like talking to them. I like the campus and that kind of stuff. I like that the program is rebuilding. I know they have a really good defense. I feel like it’s a good place for me if I decide to go there.
“They want me to come back this spring and see what happens from there. I want to see how physical they are at practice. I want to see things more in-depth. I saw (the game against Iowa) in September, but I want to see how they go about practice and how the coaches are around the players during practice.”
Blakley, also a standout performer on the offensive side of the ball, helped his team to the Class 6A championship game last fall and rushed for 64 yards and one touchdown on nine carries during the game.
