by Bill Seals
Taking in an Iowa State home game for the first time, a Kansas City (Mo.) area prospect was surprised at what happened at the end of his visit.
Raytown junior defensive back Dontae Manning said he picked up his first offer of the recruiting process during a visit with head coach Matt Campbell. It was quite the capper to Manning’s trip to Ames.
“I got up there and they took my weight, wing span and everything like that,” said Manning. “We ate and watched the players practice. That’s when a lot of the coaches were coming up to me, asking how I was doing and how I liked the experience. I watched the game. Four of the staffers said the head coach wanted to talk to me after the game. I thought that was legit. After the game, I got taken to the locker room after the big win and Coach (Matt) Campbell gave a powerful speech. I talked to D’Andre Payne about how good of a game he played.
“My brother and I toured the whole facility, weight room, training room and where the coordinators are and the DB’s room. We sat in the office for a minute just talking about football and where I wanted to go in life. After a while, Coach Campbell came in and talked to me. He said he loved the way I played, thought I’d be a great asset to the program and wanted to offer me.”
Cyclone coaches had been recruiting Manning for several months, according to the recruit but he hadn’t been able to make it to campus until last weekend.
“Coach Nate Scheelhaase was trying to recruit me last year and saying he wanted me to come up for a camp or a game, but I could never make it,” Manning said. “I saw him a week or two before my visit. He said he loved how I play and would be happy if I could come up there to watch a game. I was finally able to schedule a visit up there on Saturday.
One aspect to Manning’s game that stood out to I-State coaches was his perseverance on the field.
“Coach Nate and Coach (Derek) Hoodjer said they could tell on film that if I made a mistake one play I’d get them back the next play,” Manning said. “I showed them athleticism and that I could learn from the mistakes. They saw something in me, basically.”
As for the game itself, Manning said he saw a lot of positives in the system he’s being recruited to play in.
“Iowa State is pretty beautiful,” he said. “The fans and the atmosphere you’re in at Jack Trice Stadium is just crazy. Watching the defense, you can tell how they communicate and the correlation. There’s so much time spent on it. I loved that. There are so many parts of the defense, the way they move around is beautiful.”
The current student-athletes in the program, as well as the coaches, also made positive impressions on him.
“The whole staff and players are just awesome,” Manning said. “People say that the coaches act one way when they offer you and act another way when you commit, but I was talking to the players and coaching staff and I think I’d benefit from being coached by them.”
In addition to picking up his first offer, Manning said he continues to hear from Iowa, Kentucky, Kansas State, Missouri and Miami (Ohio). He said ISU coaches will be down to visit him again in December and that he anticipates another trip to Ames over the winter.
Taking in an Iowa State home game for the first time, a Kansas City (Mo.) area prospect was surprised at what happened at the end of his visit.
Raytown junior defensive back Dontae Manning said he picked up his first offer of the recruiting process during a visit with head coach Matt Campbell. It was quite the capper to Manning’s trip to Ames.
“I got up there and they took my weight, wing span and everything like that,” said Manning. “We ate and watched the players practice. That’s when a lot of the coaches were coming up to me, asking how I was doing and how I liked the experience. I watched the game. Four of the staffers said the head coach wanted to talk to me after the game. I thought that was legit. After the game, I got taken to the locker room after the big win and Coach (Matt) Campbell gave a powerful speech. I talked to D’Andre Payne about how good of a game he played.
“My brother and I toured the whole facility, weight room, training room and where the coordinators are and the DB’s room. We sat in the office for a minute just talking about football and where I wanted to go in life. After a while, Coach Campbell came in and talked to me. He said he loved the way I played, thought I’d be a great asset to the program and wanted to offer me.”
Cyclone coaches had been recruiting Manning for several months, according to the recruit but he hadn’t been able to make it to campus until last weekend.
“Coach Nate Scheelhaase was trying to recruit me last year and saying he wanted me to come up for a camp or a game, but I could never make it,” Manning said. “I saw him a week or two before my visit. He said he loved how I play and would be happy if I could come up there to watch a game. I was finally able to schedule a visit up there on Saturday.
One aspect to Manning’s game that stood out to I-State coaches was his perseverance on the field.
“Coach Nate and Coach (Derek) Hoodjer said they could tell on film that if I made a mistake one play I’d get them back the next play,” Manning said. “I showed them athleticism and that I could learn from the mistakes. They saw something in me, basically.”
As for the game itself, Manning said he saw a lot of positives in the system he’s being recruited to play in.
“Iowa State is pretty beautiful,” he said. “The fans and the atmosphere you’re in at Jack Trice Stadium is just crazy. Watching the defense, you can tell how they communicate and the correlation. There’s so much time spent on it. I loved that. There are so many parts of the defense, the way they move around is beautiful.”
The current student-athletes in the program, as well as the coaches, also made positive impressions on him.
“The whole staff and players are just awesome,” Manning said. “People say that the coaches act one way when they offer you and act another way when you commit, but I was talking to the players and coaching staff and I think I’d benefit from being coached by them.”
In addition to picking up his first offer, Manning said he continues to hear from Iowa, Kentucky, Kansas State, Missouri and Miami (Ohio). He said ISU coaches will be down to visit him again in December and that he anticipates another trip to Ames over the winter.
