by Bill Seals
An Iowa Western redshirt sophomore offensive lineman looking for an opportunity to play Power-5 level football during his final two seasons in college put himself in good position to do just that during an unofficial visit to Ames last month.
Murray State bounce-back big man Noah Banks, who will play this fall in Council Bluffs, made the short trip over to Ames a short time after arriving.
“After I announced I was leaving Murray and I was talking to Iowa Western over the summer, they put me in contact with Iowa State,” said Banks. “I talked to them and we discussed me coming up there for an unofficial visit whenever I got to Iowa Western.
“A couple weeks after I got here, I drove over there and got to tour the campus. They ended up offering me. I met the staff and put some faces to names. I really like the staff up there and the facilities are unbelievable. Me coming from Murray State now to JUCO, I’d never really been around this stuff. It was an eye-opening experience and unbelievable some of the stuff they have like equipment.”
The 6-foot-7, 305-pound Banks earned an offer from the Cyclones during his visit and says his recruitment has picked up ever since.
“I talk to the coaches about every other day, just checking in to see how they’re doing and how I’m doing,” Banks said. “I ask them how camp is going and they ask how I’m doing. They’ve really started recruiting me hard these past couple weeks ever since I got on campus here at Iowa Western.”
One of I-State’s coaches that made a huge impression is offensive line guru Tom Manning.
“Coach Manning is the real deal and probably one of the smartest guys I’ve ever met,” Banks said. “Sitting down with him for an hour and watching film of me at Murray State, I probably learned more than I did in two years at Murray. It was just an unbelievable thing. The things he was saying made a lot of sense, about how 80 percent of my problems would be fixed by fixing my stance.”
Banks is being recruited to make an immediate impact on the exterior of the Cyclones’ line.
“They want me to play tackle,” he said. “They talked about the big left tackle (Jake) Campos leaving after this year. If I were to go there, they would see me as a right tackle and I’d have the opportunity to play left. They like my athleticism, knowledge and experience. Overall, they just like my game.”
Banks’ visit took place just prior to ISU opening fall camp. He is already planning another stop in Ames, which would be an official visit and could come in conjunction with the Texas game on Thursday night, September 30th, as Iowa Western is on a bye week.
The JUCO big man is coming off of a two-year stint at Murray State. Banks started nine of 12 games last fall as a redshirt freshman at the school. He redshirted the 2015 season after suffering a broken hand on the second day of fall camp. Banks is on pace to graduate in December and would have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
In addition to receiving his first and only offer from the Cyclones, he is talking to Oklahoma, Auburn, Mississippi State, West Virginia, TCU and Pittsburgh.
An Iowa Western redshirt sophomore offensive lineman looking for an opportunity to play Power-5 level football during his final two seasons in college put himself in good position to do just that during an unofficial visit to Ames last month.
Murray State bounce-back big man Noah Banks, who will play this fall in Council Bluffs, made the short trip over to Ames a short time after arriving.
“After I announced I was leaving Murray and I was talking to Iowa Western over the summer, they put me in contact with Iowa State,” said Banks. “I talked to them and we discussed me coming up there for an unofficial visit whenever I got to Iowa Western.
“A couple weeks after I got here, I drove over there and got to tour the campus. They ended up offering me. I met the staff and put some faces to names. I really like the staff up there and the facilities are unbelievable. Me coming from Murray State now to JUCO, I’d never really been around this stuff. It was an eye-opening experience and unbelievable some of the stuff they have like equipment.”
The 6-foot-7, 305-pound Banks earned an offer from the Cyclones during his visit and says his recruitment has picked up ever since.
“I talk to the coaches about every other day, just checking in to see how they’re doing and how I’m doing,” Banks said. “I ask them how camp is going and they ask how I’m doing. They’ve really started recruiting me hard these past couple weeks ever since I got on campus here at Iowa Western.”
One of I-State’s coaches that made a huge impression is offensive line guru Tom Manning.
“Coach Manning is the real deal and probably one of the smartest guys I’ve ever met,” Banks said. “Sitting down with him for an hour and watching film of me at Murray State, I probably learned more than I did in two years at Murray. It was just an unbelievable thing. The things he was saying made a lot of sense, about how 80 percent of my problems would be fixed by fixing my stance.”
Banks is being recruited to make an immediate impact on the exterior of the Cyclones’ line.
“They want me to play tackle,” he said. “They talked about the big left tackle (Jake) Campos leaving after this year. If I were to go there, they would see me as a right tackle and I’d have the opportunity to play left. They like my athleticism, knowledge and experience. Overall, they just like my game.”
Banks’ visit took place just prior to ISU opening fall camp. He is already planning another stop in Ames, which would be an official visit and could come in conjunction with the Texas game on Thursday night, September 30th, as Iowa Western is on a bye week.
The JUCO big man is coming off of a two-year stint at Murray State. Banks started nine of 12 games last fall as a redshirt freshman at the school. He redshirted the 2015 season after suffering a broken hand on the second day of fall camp. Banks is on pace to graduate in December and would have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
In addition to receiving his first and only offer from the Cyclones, he is talking to Oklahoma, Auburn, Mississippi State, West Virginia, TCU and Pittsburgh.
