by Bill Seals
Although he was on the Iowa State campus in the spring for a relatively intensive unofficial visit, an Arizona athlete in the 2019 class returned last weekend for an official tour so that his mom could see one of his four Power-5 offer schools.
Glendale Deer Valley rising senior Dez Melton said both of his recent trips to Ames have been great and served their respective purposes.
“I was already on campus earlier this year over the spring for an unofficial,” said Melton. “I got to visit the campus and stuff. My feelings towards Iowa State are really strong. I wanted my mom to see the campus herself before I make a move. I wanted her to see it with her own eyes. She talked to the coaches, met all of them, got a feel for how it is there and what type of environment it is.”
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Melton, who also has P5 offers from Arizona, Arizona State and Nebraska, was hosted during his most recent visit by former high school teammate Joey Ramos.
A three-star prospect with a 5.6 Rivals rating, Melton said his two full days in Ames covered a lot of bases.
“We landed around 1:30 (on Friday) and afterwards we went to lunch some place,” he said. “We got to have a meeting with Coach (Matt) Campbell and all of them. We walked around the campus and stadium. We had dinner and then went and played some games and bowled. I hung out with Joey Ramos and Brock Purdy.
“We had breakfast in the morning and then afterwards we visited the facility and saw the weight room. We went to the academic center and they talked about what’s required. We went to lunch and then did a photo shoot. We went paintballing later on and that was really cool. For dinner, we went to Coach Campbell’s house and got to hang out with his family, a bunch of other coaches and their families and players.
“On Sunday morning, we talked to Coach Golesh and Coach Mouser for a little while. We went into Coach (Alex) Golesh’s office and talked about academics. Then I went home.”
Listed as an athlete in the Rivals database, Melton has some clarity on where he would be ticketed to play if he signs with the Cyclones.
“When I went up there over the spring, Coach Golesh told me I would play a hybrid running back, tight end and slot receiver,” Melton said. “I would kind of be doing what Chase Allen is doing.”
Returning from his first official visit of the process, Melton assessed where his recruitment is heading into the month of July.
“I plan on trying to commit before my senior season,” he said. “My goal is to try to do it next month. Iowa State has been there for a long time. The first offer I got was from (Arizona) and then it was Iowa State and (Arizona State).
“I’ve built a strong relationship with Iowa State. (Arizona) would have been a good school and up there too, because I have family tradition there. All the coaches there before, I didn’t really build relationships with. But I am with the new coaching staff, so we’ll see.”
Melton, who had taken an unofficial visit to Arizona in late-spring, said he has no more officials scheduled at this time.
Although he was on the Iowa State campus in the spring for a relatively intensive unofficial visit, an Arizona athlete in the 2019 class returned last weekend for an official tour so that his mom could see one of his four Power-5 offer schools.
Glendale Deer Valley rising senior Dez Melton said both of his recent trips to Ames have been great and served their respective purposes.
“I was already on campus earlier this year over the spring for an unofficial,” said Melton. “I got to visit the campus and stuff. My feelings towards Iowa State are really strong. I wanted my mom to see the campus herself before I make a move. I wanted her to see it with her own eyes. She talked to the coaches, met all of them, got a feel for how it is there and what type of environment it is.”
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Melton, who also has P5 offers from Arizona, Arizona State and Nebraska, was hosted during his most recent visit by former high school teammate Joey Ramos.
A three-star prospect with a 5.6 Rivals rating, Melton said his two full days in Ames covered a lot of bases.
“We landed around 1:30 (on Friday) and afterwards we went to lunch some place,” he said. “We got to have a meeting with Coach (Matt) Campbell and all of them. We walked around the campus and stadium. We had dinner and then went and played some games and bowled. I hung out with Joey Ramos and Brock Purdy.
“We had breakfast in the morning and then afterwards we visited the facility and saw the weight room. We went to the academic center and they talked about what’s required. We went to lunch and then did a photo shoot. We went paintballing later on and that was really cool. For dinner, we went to Coach Campbell’s house and got to hang out with his family, a bunch of other coaches and their families and players.
“On Sunday morning, we talked to Coach Golesh and Coach Mouser for a little while. We went into Coach (Alex) Golesh’s office and talked about academics. Then I went home.”
Listed as an athlete in the Rivals database, Melton has some clarity on where he would be ticketed to play if he signs with the Cyclones.
“When I went up there over the spring, Coach Golesh told me I would play a hybrid running back, tight end and slot receiver,” Melton said. “I would kind of be doing what Chase Allen is doing.”
Returning from his first official visit of the process, Melton assessed where his recruitment is heading into the month of July.
“I plan on trying to commit before my senior season,” he said. “My goal is to try to do it next month. Iowa State has been there for a long time. The first offer I got was from (Arizona) and then it was Iowa State and (Arizona State).
“I’ve built a strong relationship with Iowa State. (Arizona) would have been a good school and up there too, because I have family tradition there. All the coaches there before, I didn’t really build relationships with. But I am with the new coaching staff, so we’ll see.”
Melton, who had taken an unofficial visit to Arizona in late-spring, said he has no more officials scheduled at this time.
