by Bill Seals
Since putting his recruitment in the rearview mirror in early July, an Iowa State running back commit has focused on having a banner senior year before heading to Ames.
It is mission accomplished so far for Quincy (Ill.) standout Jirehl Brock, who has been the spark plug during his team’s 4-1 start to the season.
“I think I’ve done pretty well and have 81 carries on the season,” said Brock, who will lead his team into a rivalry game on Friday against 3-2 Rock Island. “I’m pretty sure I have 965 yards and 20 touchdowns. This is by far my best year at the beginning and I think that’s because I’m a senior and I’m getting the ball more in better positions. I’m scoring the ball a lot more. I’m a little bit more mature with how I run the ball.”
Brock is coming off one of his best prep performances, having rushed 19 times for 304 yards and four touchdowns this past Friday against Galesburg.
The Cyclones’ lone four-star commitment in what is now a class of 21 members, Brock is living up to his billing as the marquee addition for 2019. At various points throughout the recruiting process, he had Power-5 offers from a list of schools including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Purdue.
The 6-foot-0, 200-pound Brock has already taken one unofficial visit to Ames this fall, but that didn’t quite work out as well as planned.
“I was up at the first game that got rained out and haven’t been to the other two games,” he said. “I think the next time I’m going is for the West Virginia game.”
That still hasn’t prevented Brock from following along closely as the Cyclones have opened the 2018 season.
“The game against Iowa was a good defensive game and it so happened that they scored towards the end,” he said. “I felt like Iowa State could have scored at the beginning of the game when they got all the way to the one-yard line and stalled. They’re learning.
“Not having Kyle (Kempt) right now has been a little bit of a difference, but Zeb (Noland) has really stepped up and started to be a leader. I can really tell the difference from the first time he played to now. The schedule is really tough for them and there’s no denying that. They’ve played Oklahoma and have TCU this weekend. I feel like they can definitely come out with a win this Saturday.”
Brock says the ISU offense continues to look like a system he can thrive in once he arrives in Ames.
“I’m very encouraged,” he said. “Passing the ball is great just to open things up a little bit, but they know that David (Montgomery) is one of their biggest keys on offense. They’ve been using him pretty effectively. His season is going great and I feel like as the season goes on he’ll continue to do great things.
“When I get to Iowa State next season, I hope I could possibly bring the same results. It would be different if David were to move onto the next level not having him in the backfield. I’m hoping either Breece (Hall) or I, or both of us, could bring that same mentality and leadership that he brings to the table.”
With their respective seasons underway, the communication has lessened between the four-star rusher and the Cyclone coaching staff, but he says that’s not a bad thing.
“I talk to them pretty much every week,” Brock said. “Usually once you commit, you don’t hear from teams as much because they know that they’ve got you. I’m totally fine with that. Go get other players to join the program.
“I still hear from them frequently. I talked to Coach (Nate) Scheelhaase (on Monday) and I talked to Coach (Matt) Campbell last week. The communication is still there but it’s not as much as it was when they were trying to get me.”
After visiting for the West Virginia game, Brock said he’s planning to return to ISU for an unofficial visit in early December when many other commits will be in town for their officials.
Since putting his recruitment in the rearview mirror in early July, an Iowa State running back commit has focused on having a banner senior year before heading to Ames.
It is mission accomplished so far for Quincy (Ill.) standout Jirehl Brock, who has been the spark plug during his team’s 4-1 start to the season.
“I think I’ve done pretty well and have 81 carries on the season,” said Brock, who will lead his team into a rivalry game on Friday against 3-2 Rock Island. “I’m pretty sure I have 965 yards and 20 touchdowns. This is by far my best year at the beginning and I think that’s because I’m a senior and I’m getting the ball more in better positions. I’m scoring the ball a lot more. I’m a little bit more mature with how I run the ball.”
Brock is coming off one of his best prep performances, having rushed 19 times for 304 yards and four touchdowns this past Friday against Galesburg.
The Cyclones’ lone four-star commitment in what is now a class of 21 members, Brock is living up to his billing as the marquee addition for 2019. At various points throughout the recruiting process, he had Power-5 offers from a list of schools including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Purdue.
The 6-foot-0, 200-pound Brock has already taken one unofficial visit to Ames this fall, but that didn’t quite work out as well as planned.
“I was up at the first game that got rained out and haven’t been to the other two games,” he said. “I think the next time I’m going is for the West Virginia game.”
That still hasn’t prevented Brock from following along closely as the Cyclones have opened the 2018 season.
“The game against Iowa was a good defensive game and it so happened that they scored towards the end,” he said. “I felt like Iowa State could have scored at the beginning of the game when they got all the way to the one-yard line and stalled. They’re learning.
“Not having Kyle (Kempt) right now has been a little bit of a difference, but Zeb (Noland) has really stepped up and started to be a leader. I can really tell the difference from the first time he played to now. The schedule is really tough for them and there’s no denying that. They’ve played Oklahoma and have TCU this weekend. I feel like they can definitely come out with a win this Saturday.”
Brock says the ISU offense continues to look like a system he can thrive in once he arrives in Ames.
“I’m very encouraged,” he said. “Passing the ball is great just to open things up a little bit, but they know that David (Montgomery) is one of their biggest keys on offense. They’ve been using him pretty effectively. His season is going great and I feel like as the season goes on he’ll continue to do great things.
“When I get to Iowa State next season, I hope I could possibly bring the same results. It would be different if David were to move onto the next level not having him in the backfield. I’m hoping either Breece (Hall) or I, or both of us, could bring that same mentality and leadership that he brings to the table.”
With their respective seasons underway, the communication has lessened between the four-star rusher and the Cyclone coaching staff, but he says that’s not a bad thing.
“I talk to them pretty much every week,” Brock said. “Usually once you commit, you don’t hear from teams as much because they know that they’ve got you. I’m totally fine with that. Go get other players to join the program.
“I still hear from them frequently. I talked to Coach (Nate) Scheelhaase (on Monday) and I talked to Coach (Matt) Campbell last week. The communication is still there but it’s not as much as it was when they were trying to get me.”
After visiting for the West Virginia game, Brock said he’s planning to return to ISU for an unofficial visit in early December when many other commits will be in town for their officials.
