by Bill Seals
A former Iowa State offensive line commit for the Class of 2017 is still getting plenty of love from the staff, especially coordinator and position coach Tom Manning.
Jefferson (Ga.) senior Caleb Chandler had originally committed to the Cyclones over the summer, but re-opened his recruitment prior to the start of the season. That hasn’t stopped Manning from recruiting the 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive lineman hard.
“I just got off the phone with Coach Manning (Monday night),” said Chandler. “We talked this past Friday, too, about how everything is going. Me, Coach Manning and Iowa State are all good. They’re still at the top of the list.
“He did come down to watch our game and he stayed from (the kickoff) to the end of the game. That meant a lot to me. He got to meet my family and said he had the best time at our stadium and in my hometown.”
Chandler’s squad prevailed over Oconee County 31-7 last Friday to win the Region 8-4A championship. Oconee County features defensive lineman Abe Noland, who took an official visit to ISU earlier this fall and is the younger brother of freshman quarterback Zeb Noland.
The three-star recruit Chandler has kept in frequent contact with both Noland brothers.
“The last time I talked to Zeb, we talked about his injury, how he’s doing and how he’s progressing,” Chandler said. “I talked to his brother Abe after the game Friday and he told me how he’s doing. He asked me if I was going to join him up there. Me and him both know great things are about to start happening at Iowa State and the team is going to start winning more games. I’m just going to see what happens.”
Chandler has kept close tabs on the Cyclones this season under first-year head coach Matt Campbell, and likes the vibe he’s getting. He also knows there are opportunities to play early in his career if he heads to Ames.
“It’s showing on TV at games that the team is really close,” he said. “They’re going to be good very soon. (Coach Manning) feels like I can start from day one up there once I join their offense. He honestly feels like I can come in and play as a true freshman and that’s one thing I would love to do. I’d come into camp in great shape, learning the playbook, do well and hopefully I could earn a spot as a true freshman.”
A return trip to I-State is in the offing for Chandler, who took an unofficial visit during the summer prior to committing, but will likely be once his team has wrapped up the 2016 season.
“We were going to try to do November 26th, but we have a really good chance at still being in the playoffs then,” Chandler said. “Coach Manning told me that it would probably be best to plan something after we’re done playing.”
Even with additional Power-5 teams jumping into the fray, Chandler still says the Cyclones are still leading the way.
“Louisville and Florida are still up there on my list,” Chandler said. “TCU has jumped in and I’ve been talking to one of their coaches for a while. Ole Miss is hitting me up a lot. I do know Iowa State will get one of my official visits and they are still at the top of my schools.”
Chandler took an official visit to Miami (Fla.) the weekend of October 14th, and also has P5 offers from the likes of Florida State, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, NC State, Purdue, TCU, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
A former Iowa State offensive line commit for the Class of 2017 is still getting plenty of love from the staff, especially coordinator and position coach Tom Manning.
Jefferson (Ga.) senior Caleb Chandler had originally committed to the Cyclones over the summer, but re-opened his recruitment prior to the start of the season. That hasn’t stopped Manning from recruiting the 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive lineman hard.
“I just got off the phone with Coach Manning (Monday night),” said Chandler. “We talked this past Friday, too, about how everything is going. Me, Coach Manning and Iowa State are all good. They’re still at the top of the list.
“He did come down to watch our game and he stayed from (the kickoff) to the end of the game. That meant a lot to me. He got to meet my family and said he had the best time at our stadium and in my hometown.”
Chandler’s squad prevailed over Oconee County 31-7 last Friday to win the Region 8-4A championship. Oconee County features defensive lineman Abe Noland, who took an official visit to ISU earlier this fall and is the younger brother of freshman quarterback Zeb Noland.
The three-star recruit Chandler has kept in frequent contact with both Noland brothers.
“The last time I talked to Zeb, we talked about his injury, how he’s doing and how he’s progressing,” Chandler said. “I talked to his brother Abe after the game Friday and he told me how he’s doing. He asked me if I was going to join him up there. Me and him both know great things are about to start happening at Iowa State and the team is going to start winning more games. I’m just going to see what happens.”
Chandler has kept close tabs on the Cyclones this season under first-year head coach Matt Campbell, and likes the vibe he’s getting. He also knows there are opportunities to play early in his career if he heads to Ames.
“It’s showing on TV at games that the team is really close,” he said. “They’re going to be good very soon. (Coach Manning) feels like I can start from day one up there once I join their offense. He honestly feels like I can come in and play as a true freshman and that’s one thing I would love to do. I’d come into camp in great shape, learning the playbook, do well and hopefully I could earn a spot as a true freshman.”
A return trip to I-State is in the offing for Chandler, who took an unofficial visit during the summer prior to committing, but will likely be once his team has wrapped up the 2016 season.
“We were going to try to do November 26th, but we have a really good chance at still being in the playoffs then,” Chandler said. “Coach Manning told me that it would probably be best to plan something after we’re done playing.”
Even with additional Power-5 teams jumping into the fray, Chandler still says the Cyclones are still leading the way.
“Louisville and Florida are still up there on my list,” Chandler said. “TCU has jumped in and I’ve been talking to one of their coaches for a while. Ole Miss is hitting me up a lot. I do know Iowa State will get one of my official visits and they are still at the top of my schools.”
Chandler took an official visit to Miami (Fla.) the weekend of October 14th, and also has P5 offers from the likes of Florida State, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, NC State, Purdue, TCU, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
