by Bill Seals
A move last season to the defensive side of the ball has helped land a Michigan Class of 2019 prospect an offer from Iowa State.
Defensive back Ahmad Gardner, who competes at the same Detroit Martin Luther King program that produced future Cyclone Jaeveyon Morton in the 2018 class, said his teammate helped get him in the door with the ISU.
“Since Jaeveyon Morton had committed to Iowa State, he was telling Coach (D.K.) McDonald some good things when he was asking about me,” said Gardner. “He took a look at my film and came up to my school for about a week looking for me. We were talking. On January 26th, he sent me a text saying you have an offer from Iowa State. We got to clicking and have a good relationship. We talk every day and things are going smoothly.”
The 5-foot-10, 150-pound junior said he received some positive feedback from McDonald on the staff’s decision to offer.
“He said he sees good ball skills, good technique and he likes that,” Gardner said. “He sees me coming up with good speed. He said he sees everything he needs out of a corner and I’m one of his guys.”
Gardner transitioned to more of a two-way threat as a junior, even after getting interest from a MAC school for his work catching passes. If he ends up in Ames with Morton, he would be as a cornerback.
“I played wide receiver my ninth and 10th grade years and got offered from Toledo as a receiver,” Gardner said. “I made the transition and played defensive back also, and that’s what my highlight tape was made of. I still talk to their receiver coach, but the corner coach previously came to my school. They’re looking at me as both. Iowa State is looking at me as a defensive back.”
The fact Gardner and Morton starred in the same secondary in 2017 begs the question: how does one compare to the other?
“Me and Jaeveyon are pretty similar and have similar aspects when being on defense,” Gardner said. “He is faster than me, but I think I have better technique. We both have good technique. I bring a lot of stuff to the table when it comes to technique, ball skills, coming up tackling and breaking on the ball. We both compete with each other and are lock-down DBs.”
In addition to being recruited by his teammate, Gardner said he’s also developed a solid rapport with I-State’s area recruiter.
“Coach McDonald has been texting me and sending me videos of them,” he said. “Jaeveyon told me they have a good demeanor, want to win and they’re going to put the best 11 on the field. I’ve done my research and like what I’m seeing. I like the atmosphere, stadium, school, academics and football. I like everything about it.”
The next step is for Gardner to make it to Ames for an unofficial, which he says he could be doing twice in the coming months.
“(McDonald) said he can’t wait for me to get there on a visit,” Gardner said. “They want to get me down on February 23rd, but I’m not sure if I’ll be there for that. Me and Jaeveyon are for sure going down there in April for the spring game.”
A move last season to the defensive side of the ball has helped land a Michigan Class of 2019 prospect an offer from Iowa State.
Defensive back Ahmad Gardner, who competes at the same Detroit Martin Luther King program that produced future Cyclone Jaeveyon Morton in the 2018 class, said his teammate helped get him in the door with the ISU.
“Since Jaeveyon Morton had committed to Iowa State, he was telling Coach (D.K.) McDonald some good things when he was asking about me,” said Gardner. “He took a look at my film and came up to my school for about a week looking for me. We were talking. On January 26th, he sent me a text saying you have an offer from Iowa State. We got to clicking and have a good relationship. We talk every day and things are going smoothly.”
The 5-foot-10, 150-pound junior said he received some positive feedback from McDonald on the staff’s decision to offer.
“He said he sees good ball skills, good technique and he likes that,” Gardner said. “He sees me coming up with good speed. He said he sees everything he needs out of a corner and I’m one of his guys.”
Gardner transitioned to more of a two-way threat as a junior, even after getting interest from a MAC school for his work catching passes. If he ends up in Ames with Morton, he would be as a cornerback.
“I played wide receiver my ninth and 10th grade years and got offered from Toledo as a receiver,” Gardner said. “I made the transition and played defensive back also, and that’s what my highlight tape was made of. I still talk to their receiver coach, but the corner coach previously came to my school. They’re looking at me as both. Iowa State is looking at me as a defensive back.”
The fact Gardner and Morton starred in the same secondary in 2017 begs the question: how does one compare to the other?
“Me and Jaeveyon are pretty similar and have similar aspects when being on defense,” Gardner said. “He is faster than me, but I think I have better technique. We both have good technique. I bring a lot of stuff to the table when it comes to technique, ball skills, coming up tackling and breaking on the ball. We both compete with each other and are lock-down DBs.”
In addition to being recruited by his teammate, Gardner said he’s also developed a solid rapport with I-State’s area recruiter.
“Coach McDonald has been texting me and sending me videos of them,” he said. “Jaeveyon told me they have a good demeanor, want to win and they’re going to put the best 11 on the field. I’ve done my research and like what I’m seeing. I like the atmosphere, stadium, school, academics and football. I like everything about it.”
The next step is for Gardner to make it to Ames for an unofficial, which he says he could be doing twice in the coming months.
“(McDonald) said he can’t wait for me to get there on a visit,” Gardner said. “They want to get me down on February 23rd, but I’m not sure if I’ll be there for that. Me and Jaeveyon are for sure going down there in April for the spring game.”
