by Bill Seals
With an offer list approaching 30, a Class of 2019 defensive back has several high-level schools to choose from.
Iowa State made its play for four-star safety Moses Douglass, of Springfield (Ohio) over the weekend, hosting the heralded prospect on an unofficial visit, and making up a lot of ground in the process.
“When I visited, they had a lot of interest in me,” said Douglass. “They want me to be there in this class. I enjoyed watching them practice and the experience in general. I liked getting to talk to Coach (Jon) Heacock. He talked to me a lot about the team and the defense. We made some small talk. He and my dad have a good a relationship. My dad is the head coach at my school and knows a bunch of college coaches, because he used to take his players to satellite camps.”
According to the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Douglass, the Cyclones think he can fill a big need in the secondary.
“(Heacock) says I could play all positions in the secondary and feels like I’m versatile player,” Douglass said. “He likes that I’ve got some size coming with me, and that a lot of safeties aren’t as big as me.”
Watching an ISU practice on Saturday, Douglass said he liked what he saw out of the secondary’s abilities.
“(Practice) was fast-paced,” he said. “That Big 12 tempo offense is tough to stop. They play a whole bunch of passing teams, so you’re going to get tested. If you’re a DB there, you’re going to get a bunch of opportunities to make plays. They had a whole bunch of opportunities to make plays at practice the other day. I like that.”
Iowa State faces a tough battle for a signature from Douglass, as he currently has Power-5 offers from the likes of Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The unofficial visit was a nice start to that pursuit, says Douglass.
“It changed a lot,” he said. “Me not talking to them a whole lot at the beginning (of my recruitment) brought them down some, but the visit boosted them up higher. I’ll be talking to them a lot more now and be back there again sometime in the future.
“I like their facilities and the stadium is big. There are only two teams in the state of Iowa and no professional teams, so you’re going to have a big fanbase and a lot of support while you’re up there.”
With an offer list approaching 30, a Class of 2019 defensive back has several high-level schools to choose from.
Iowa State made its play for four-star safety Moses Douglass, of Springfield (Ohio) over the weekend, hosting the heralded prospect on an unofficial visit, and making up a lot of ground in the process.
“When I visited, they had a lot of interest in me,” said Douglass. “They want me to be there in this class. I enjoyed watching them practice and the experience in general. I liked getting to talk to Coach (Jon) Heacock. He talked to me a lot about the team and the defense. We made some small talk. He and my dad have a good a relationship. My dad is the head coach at my school and knows a bunch of college coaches, because he used to take his players to satellite camps.”
According to the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Douglass, the Cyclones think he can fill a big need in the secondary.
“(Heacock) says I could play all positions in the secondary and feels like I’m versatile player,” Douglass said. “He likes that I’ve got some size coming with me, and that a lot of safeties aren’t as big as me.”
Watching an ISU practice on Saturday, Douglass said he liked what he saw out of the secondary’s abilities.
“(Practice) was fast-paced,” he said. “That Big 12 tempo offense is tough to stop. They play a whole bunch of passing teams, so you’re going to get tested. If you’re a DB there, you’re going to get a bunch of opportunities to make plays. They had a whole bunch of opportunities to make plays at practice the other day. I like that.”
Iowa State faces a tough battle for a signature from Douglass, as he currently has Power-5 offers from the likes of Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The unofficial visit was a nice start to that pursuit, says Douglass.
“It changed a lot,” he said. “Me not talking to them a whole lot at the beginning (of my recruitment) brought them down some, but the visit boosted them up higher. I’ll be talking to them a lot more now and be back there again sometime in the future.
“I like their facilities and the stadium is big. There are only two teams in the state of Iowa and no professional teams, so you’re going to have a big fanbase and a lot of support while you’re up there.”
