by Bill Seals
The third and most likely final official visit of the recruiting process for a four-star running back was to Iowa State over the weekend as the prospect is still eyeing a decision next month.
Quincy (Ill.) rising senior Jirehl Brock, who has also visited Minnesota and Northwestern over the past five weeks, recapped what was a busy few days at ISU.
“When I got there on Friday, I checked into the hotel and we went and ate lunch,” said Brock. “I had a position meeting with Coach (Nate) Scheelhaase at the complex. I talked to Coach (Matt) Campbell and all the other coaches for a little bit. We did the campus tour. Since we ate dinner at the field, we walked on the field going up there. Then the recruits and players went bowling and did laser tag. We had the whole night to ourselves with the players.
“On Saturday, we had breakfast at the field again and (the President of the Iowa State University Alumni Association) Jeff Johnson spoke to us and gave us the background of himself and the club. I met with the Player Development Coach (Aaron Hillmann) and talked to him for a while. We did the photo shoot and went paint-balling after that. And then we had dinner at Coach Campbell’s house that night.”
The 6-foot-0, 200-pound Brock said he went into his third official visit with a somewhat revised finalist list from the one he released earlier this year, and he left Ames with that same mindset.
“My plan initially was to have my decision be at the beginning of July and it’s still looking like that,” he said. “I’m still talking to Northwestern and Minnesota. It will probably be out of Iowa State, Northwestern and Minnesota.”
Brock’s recruitment has gotten interesting over the past couple weeks with the addition of a Notre Dame offer and the canceling of his official visit to Iowa City. He said the Fighting Irish interest never proceeded beyond the offer phase.
“I wanted to have a decision done in July and for me to get to a visit there, it would have had to be in the fall,” Brock said. “I wasn’t really wanting to do that and they respected that as well.”
Brock has maintained his four-star prospect status for much of the recruiting process. He has a 5.8 Rivals rating, is the 10th overall running back prospect nationally and 194th player regardless of position. In addition to his three finalists and Iowa and Notre Dame, he has collected Power-5 offers from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Missouri and Purdue.
As he evaluated the Cyclones’ chances, Brock said the football program has been really bolstered by Campbell’s presence and the upward trajectory in the coach’s first two seasons.
“Coach Campbell has changed the culture at Iowa State and is turning it into a winning culture,” Brock said. “When he came in, they were not very good and he’s starting to turn them into a team that will possibly be able to play for a Big 12 championship in the next couple years. That’s what their goal is right now, and I feel like with Coach Campbell at the head of the pack they’ll be able to do that.”
That player/head coach connection also extends to the rest of the staff, including running back coach Nate Scheelhaase who had recruited Brock while at Illinois.
“How I get along with the players and how I fit in their culture…I feel that will benefit them in a way,” Brock said. “Just being around the coaches, players and people I’d be around if I go there, that’s something that opened my eyes up to. I really get along with them. Iowa State has been the same with me throughout the entire process.
“I feel like Coach Scheelhaase and I have a really good relationship built. You have that with a lot of coaches when they recruit you. Recruiting is about building relationships and if you don’t have a good relationship with the coaches that are recruiting you then there’s a pretty good chance you won’t go to that school. I have a good relationship with Coach Scheelhaase and a bunch of other coaches on the Iowa State staff.”
The third and most likely final official visit of the recruiting process for a four-star running back was to Iowa State over the weekend as the prospect is still eyeing a decision next month.
Quincy (Ill.) rising senior Jirehl Brock, who has also visited Minnesota and Northwestern over the past five weeks, recapped what was a busy few days at ISU.
“When I got there on Friday, I checked into the hotel and we went and ate lunch,” said Brock. “I had a position meeting with Coach (Nate) Scheelhaase at the complex. I talked to Coach (Matt) Campbell and all the other coaches for a little bit. We did the campus tour. Since we ate dinner at the field, we walked on the field going up there. Then the recruits and players went bowling and did laser tag. We had the whole night to ourselves with the players.
“On Saturday, we had breakfast at the field again and (the President of the Iowa State University Alumni Association) Jeff Johnson spoke to us and gave us the background of himself and the club. I met with the Player Development Coach (Aaron Hillmann) and talked to him for a while. We did the photo shoot and went paint-balling after that. And then we had dinner at Coach Campbell’s house that night.”
The 6-foot-0, 200-pound Brock said he went into his third official visit with a somewhat revised finalist list from the one he released earlier this year, and he left Ames with that same mindset.
“My plan initially was to have my decision be at the beginning of July and it’s still looking like that,” he said. “I’m still talking to Northwestern and Minnesota. It will probably be out of Iowa State, Northwestern and Minnesota.”
Brock’s recruitment has gotten interesting over the past couple weeks with the addition of a Notre Dame offer and the canceling of his official visit to Iowa City. He said the Fighting Irish interest never proceeded beyond the offer phase.
“I wanted to have a decision done in July and for me to get to a visit there, it would have had to be in the fall,” Brock said. “I wasn’t really wanting to do that and they respected that as well.”
Brock has maintained his four-star prospect status for much of the recruiting process. He has a 5.8 Rivals rating, is the 10th overall running back prospect nationally and 194th player regardless of position. In addition to his three finalists and Iowa and Notre Dame, he has collected Power-5 offers from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Missouri and Purdue.
As he evaluated the Cyclones’ chances, Brock said the football program has been really bolstered by Campbell’s presence and the upward trajectory in the coach’s first two seasons.
“Coach Campbell has changed the culture at Iowa State and is turning it into a winning culture,” Brock said. “When he came in, they were not very good and he’s starting to turn them into a team that will possibly be able to play for a Big 12 championship in the next couple years. That’s what their goal is right now, and I feel like with Coach Campbell at the head of the pack they’ll be able to do that.”
That player/head coach connection also extends to the rest of the staff, including running back coach Nate Scheelhaase who had recruited Brock while at Illinois.
“How I get along with the players and how I fit in their culture…I feel that will benefit them in a way,” Brock said. “Just being around the coaches, players and people I’d be around if I go there, that’s something that opened my eyes up to. I really get along with them. Iowa State has been the same with me throughout the entire process.
“I feel like Coach Scheelhaase and I have a really good relationship built. You have that with a lot of coaches when they recruit you. Recruiting is about building relationships and if you don’t have a good relationship with the coaches that are recruiting you then there’s a pretty good chance you won’t go to that school. I have a good relationship with Coach Scheelhaase and a bunch of other coaches on the Iowa State staff.”
