by Bill Seals
Since head coach Matt Campbell came on board as head coach at Iowa State, he and his staff have focused a lot of efforts on recruiting at a Detroit (Mich.) powerhouse high school. A recent offer that came down the chute was to a 2019 athlete.
Cass Tech junior Ormondell Dingle is now up to eight total offers, a list that includes Power-5 schools ISU, Syracuse and Washington State.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect said his offer came after a discussion with I-State’s area recruiter.
“They had been looking at me since the offseason of my sophomore year,” said Dingle. “They had been coming up to the school, and about a month ago they offered me and started recruiting me even harder.
“Coach McDonald is the one who offered me. He talked a lot about my work ethic and asked how I was doing in the classroom. He started talking about what to expect at Iowa State and showed me how the campus is and where the students live. When he showed me that, he said he liked my film and let me know I had the offer.”
Since the Cyclones upped the ante with an offer, Dingle said he’s gradually building a better relationship with the staff.
“I talk to the coaches every day, so they’re letting me know something new every day,” he said. “The team they had last season was really good. They beat Oklahoma and had a nice season going on for themselves. The offense scored a lot of points, but the defense did a pretty good job of holding other teams down. If I go to Iowa State, I think I could contribute a lot to the defense.”
Dingle said he would most likely be pegged to play in the secondary, although he has the potential of moving closer to the line of scrimmage eventually.
“If I’m not playing safety, it would probably be SAM (linebacker),” he said. “I’m more of a defensive guy, although I play receiver too. Coach McDonald likes how I win and attack the football, that I’m an aggressive player, tackle real hard and bring the boom.”
As a high school junior, Dingle did most of his damage on one side of the ball. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have an impact on the other.
“Defensive-wise, I think I had a real big season,” he said. “I had a bunch of solo tackles, plenty of pass deflections, big hits and key plays on defense. I didn’t play much on offense, but one game I had six receptions for 80 yards and then in another game I had two catches, including one for touchdown.”
ISU has hosted groups of prospects from Cass Tech in recent years, although Dingle hasn’t been along for those visits. He said that should change in the coming weeks.
“I’m looking forward to going down there this spring,” he said. “It will probably be me and a couple players from King and four others from my school. I want to look at the dorms and see them for myself. I want to get into the weight room and see their facilities, as well as the meal plan they have set up for the players.”
Since head coach Matt Campbell came on board as head coach at Iowa State, he and his staff have focused a lot of efforts on recruiting at a Detroit (Mich.) powerhouse high school. A recent offer that came down the chute was to a 2019 athlete.
Cass Tech junior Ormondell Dingle is now up to eight total offers, a list that includes Power-5 schools ISU, Syracuse and Washington State.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect said his offer came after a discussion with I-State’s area recruiter.
“They had been looking at me since the offseason of my sophomore year,” said Dingle. “They had been coming up to the school, and about a month ago they offered me and started recruiting me even harder.
“Coach McDonald is the one who offered me. He talked a lot about my work ethic and asked how I was doing in the classroom. He started talking about what to expect at Iowa State and showed me how the campus is and where the students live. When he showed me that, he said he liked my film and let me know I had the offer.”
Since the Cyclones upped the ante with an offer, Dingle said he’s gradually building a better relationship with the staff.
“I talk to the coaches every day, so they’re letting me know something new every day,” he said. “The team they had last season was really good. They beat Oklahoma and had a nice season going on for themselves. The offense scored a lot of points, but the defense did a pretty good job of holding other teams down. If I go to Iowa State, I think I could contribute a lot to the defense.”
Dingle said he would most likely be pegged to play in the secondary, although he has the potential of moving closer to the line of scrimmage eventually.
“If I’m not playing safety, it would probably be SAM (linebacker),” he said. “I’m more of a defensive guy, although I play receiver too. Coach McDonald likes how I win and attack the football, that I’m an aggressive player, tackle real hard and bring the boom.”
As a high school junior, Dingle did most of his damage on one side of the ball. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have an impact on the other.
“Defensive-wise, I think I had a real big season,” he said. “I had a bunch of solo tackles, plenty of pass deflections, big hits and key plays on defense. I didn’t play much on offense, but one game I had six receptions for 80 yards and then in another game I had two catches, including one for touchdown.”
ISU has hosted groups of prospects from Cass Tech in recent years, although Dingle hasn’t been along for those visits. He said that should change in the coming weeks.
“I’m looking forward to going down there this spring,” he said. “It will probably be me and a couple players from King and four others from my school. I want to look at the dorms and see them for myself. I want to get into the weight room and see their facilities, as well as the meal plan they have set up for the players.”
