by Bill Seals
Since he’s being looked at to play on the defensive side of the ball – safety, to be exact – a Class of 2019 prospect took a liking to what the Cyclones showed over the weekend against TCU.
Southfield (Mich.) junior Marcus Fuqua got his first glimpse of Iowa State during a game-day visit Saturday and liked everything that was covered during his trip.
“First, they took me to the weight room and I really liked it,” said Fuqua. "We got to watch the spirit walk, where all the players walk through and go to the locker room. That was a nice experience. Then we sat in the team room and Coach Campbell came up and spoke to the group. Other coaches on the staff came in and talked to us. I was able to speak to Coach (D.K.) McDonald, Coach (Joe) Schaefer, Coach (Jon) Heacock, Coach (Tyson) Veidt and Coach (Derek) Hoodjer. I had good conversation with all of them.
“We went out to watch the pre-game and how they warm up. It wasn’t like any other visit. The atmosphere was different. Maybe it was just Homecoming, but it was different. The fan base was fantastic, electrifying. The stadium was literally full from the top to the bottom.”
Fuqua also said he got some feedback from the coaches about where he’d be targeted to play in Ames.
“They like that I’m versatile and that I can either come up and make a hit, or cover anyone on the field in the pass game,” he said. “I can play in and out of the box. They love my physical play, too.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Fuqua picked up an offer from I-State last month after getting in touch with coaches to help get his recruitment started. He also has a Power-5 offer from Syracuse, to go with G5 schools Akron, Army, Ball State, Buffalo, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Temple, Toledo and Western Michigan.
Not surprisingly, the highlight for Fuqua was the Cyclones’ 14-7 victory over the Horned Frogs.
“Everyone stayed calm the whole time, even when TCU came down and scored early in the second half,” he said. “Going into the next drive, they were still calm and no one really panicked. Everyone stayed with the system and listened to the coaches. Even the coaches didn’t veer off from what they planned to do. (Brian Peavy's) interception was probably the best part, other than when everyone stormed the field.”
The day sold Fuqua even further that ISU is going to be a football team to contend with now and in future seasons.
“Most people didn’t see the vision last year, but I’m pretty sure everyone can see it now,” he said. “I can see it, most definitely. Something special is going down in Ames, Iowa, right now.”
Now that he has his first visit out of the way, Fuqua said he is already planning at least one more in the coming months. He said that would likely be for a Junior Day early next year.
Since he’s being looked at to play on the defensive side of the ball – safety, to be exact – a Class of 2019 prospect took a liking to what the Cyclones showed over the weekend against TCU.
Southfield (Mich.) junior Marcus Fuqua got his first glimpse of Iowa State during a game-day visit Saturday and liked everything that was covered during his trip.
“First, they took me to the weight room and I really liked it,” said Fuqua. "We got to watch the spirit walk, where all the players walk through and go to the locker room. That was a nice experience. Then we sat in the team room and Coach Campbell came up and spoke to the group. Other coaches on the staff came in and talked to us. I was able to speak to Coach (D.K.) McDonald, Coach (Joe) Schaefer, Coach (Jon) Heacock, Coach (Tyson) Veidt and Coach (Derek) Hoodjer. I had good conversation with all of them.
“We went out to watch the pre-game and how they warm up. It wasn’t like any other visit. The atmosphere was different. Maybe it was just Homecoming, but it was different. The fan base was fantastic, electrifying. The stadium was literally full from the top to the bottom.”
Fuqua also said he got some feedback from the coaches about where he’d be targeted to play in Ames.
“They like that I’m versatile and that I can either come up and make a hit, or cover anyone on the field in the pass game,” he said. “I can play in and out of the box. They love my physical play, too.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Fuqua picked up an offer from I-State last month after getting in touch with coaches to help get his recruitment started. He also has a Power-5 offer from Syracuse, to go with G5 schools Akron, Army, Ball State, Buffalo, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Temple, Toledo and Western Michigan.
Not surprisingly, the highlight for Fuqua was the Cyclones’ 14-7 victory over the Horned Frogs.
“Everyone stayed calm the whole time, even when TCU came down and scored early in the second half,” he said. “Going into the next drive, they were still calm and no one really panicked. Everyone stayed with the system and listened to the coaches. Even the coaches didn’t veer off from what they planned to do. (Brian Peavy's) interception was probably the best part, other than when everyone stormed the field.”
The day sold Fuqua even further that ISU is going to be a football team to contend with now and in future seasons.
“Most people didn’t see the vision last year, but I’m pretty sure everyone can see it now,” he said. “I can see it, most definitely. Something special is going down in Ames, Iowa, right now.”
Now that he has his first visit out of the way, Fuqua said he is already planning at least one more in the coming months. He said that would likely be for a Junior Day early next year.
