by Bill Seals
Iowa State recently became the first Power-5 offer for a Class of 2018 athlete from Chicago, Illinois.
De La Salle standout Joe Bonds said he found out the news from one of his coaches, that the Cyclones had made an offer after months of evaluating him.
“I’ve known since the middle of the season that Iowa State was interested in me,” said Bonds, who also has an offer from Central Michigan that he received in October.
“My recruiting coach kept telling me that they were probably going to offer me, but nobody knew when. I hadn’t really talked to coach, so the offer came out of nowhere. I was really happy to get the offer. It’s my first Big 12 offer, so that’s kind of cool.”
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Bonds said he heard from his coach that the coaches liked his play in particular at the linebacker position, where he’ll likely end up if he signs with ISU.
“We talked about them liking my technique at linebacker and my athleticism,” Bonds said. “They said I move well and am a faster, more versatile linebacker than most. I really pride myself on making open-field tackles and being one of the best on my team.
“I can also get into coverage. My recovery is really fast. If I see pass and it was a draw, I recover really fast and get upfield to make the tackle. If it was a fake and I was to come up, I can get back into my drop really fast.”
Next up for the prospect is to make his way to Ames for an unofficial visit over the winter months.
“I knew about Iowa State already, but have looked them up and saw the campus and about some of the players. I haven’t really looked into the coaching staff yet, but want to meet them in person. I want to see how they really are. I’m sure I’m going to go visit there when the time is right and I’m looking at Junior Day dates for Iowa State. As of right now I don’t have any visits scheduled.”
Illinois and Northern Illinois have also been by Bonds, school in recent weeks to evaluate the junior.
Iowa State recently became the first Power-5 offer for a Class of 2018 athlete from Chicago, Illinois.
De La Salle standout Joe Bonds said he found out the news from one of his coaches, that the Cyclones had made an offer after months of evaluating him.
“I’ve known since the middle of the season that Iowa State was interested in me,” said Bonds, who also has an offer from Central Michigan that he received in October.
“My recruiting coach kept telling me that they were probably going to offer me, but nobody knew when. I hadn’t really talked to coach, so the offer came out of nowhere. I was really happy to get the offer. It’s my first Big 12 offer, so that’s kind of cool.”
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Bonds said he heard from his coach that the coaches liked his play in particular at the linebacker position, where he’ll likely end up if he signs with ISU.
“We talked about them liking my technique at linebacker and my athleticism,” Bonds said. “They said I move well and am a faster, more versatile linebacker than most. I really pride myself on making open-field tackles and being one of the best on my team.
“I can also get into coverage. My recovery is really fast. If I see pass and it was a draw, I recover really fast and get upfield to make the tackle. If it was a fake and I was to come up, I can get back into my drop really fast.”
Next up for the prospect is to make his way to Ames for an unofficial visit over the winter months.
“I knew about Iowa State already, but have looked them up and saw the campus and about some of the players. I haven’t really looked into the coaching staff yet, but want to meet them in person. I want to see how they really are. I’m sure I’m going to go visit there when the time is right and I’m looking at Junior Day dates for Iowa State. As of right now I don’t have any visits scheduled.”
Illinois and Northern Illinois have also been by Bonds, school in recent weeks to evaluate the junior.
