by Bill Seals
An offensive tackle from southeast Iowa visited for a spring practice late last month and is planning to return again next weekend as the Cyclones wind things up with a scrimmage.
Mount Pleasant Class of 2021 standout Henry Lutovsky picked up his second offer of the process during his last trip to Ames, saying he had a feeling that good things were in store when he made the trek north.
“It started last fall when they started telling me they wanted me to come up to their camps, wanted to see me and wanted to see me work,” said Lutovsky. “We sent a lot of film to them last fall. Time went on where nothing really happened. We got to the point where Mizzou offered me and then I got home and tweeted that out. Within 45 minutes, they texted my coach and said they wanted to get me up there, pick a date that works and we’ll welcome you any day.
“On my visit, after practice, I had a meeting with Coach (Matt) Campbell and Coach (Jeff) Myers. I was there for 30-45 minutes and the first thing Coach Campbell said was he wanted to offer me. He talked about what it meant to be a Cyclone, like doing good things in the society, being good all-around people and being good athletes. The whole conversation really wasn’t about the program, though. They wanted to get to know me, which I really like because they seem personable. We talked about my home life, how things are going and who I am as a person.”
The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Lutovsky said the entire staff made quite an impression on him throughout the day.
“The hospitality was amazing and all the coaches really want to get to know me,” he said. “I met with a lot of them. They seem like they really care about me as a person, as opposed to how it can be at other programs.”
An in-state kid who was already aware of the emergent Cyclones, Lutovsky said he watched a presentation that showed the upward trajectory.
“They played a video at the beginning and it was a timeline of Matt Campbell from when he first started at Iowa State to now,” Lutovsky said. “He goes through a season with three wins his first season and then his wins keep gaining until this year and he’s leading a top-25 program. The Iowa State football program is definitely going in the right direction.”
A relatively new prospect on the in-state radar, Lutovsky competed on the Mount Pleasant varsity team for the first time as a sophomore, saying things clicked for him relatively early in 2018.
“My first couple games against Clear Creek and Pella were kind of rough,” he said. “I didn’t perform the best. I went into Central Lee in the third game and they have a big line. I wasn’t expecting to be the best, but once I got out there, I realized that I could play at that level and be dominant. This was the first season I had played (varsity). From then on out, everything just clicked and turned on.”
The high school sophomore certainly has the work ethic to continue his improvement in future seasons.
“Last summer, I feel like I had worked hard enough to get me to this position,” he said. “I lifted weights for two hours and then would do footwork and explosiveness stuff in the weight room for 30 minutes. Then I went out to the football field and did more stuff for an hour and a half. I had four hours of practice while some kids aren’t even awake yet.”
An offensive tackle from southeast Iowa visited for a spring practice late last month and is planning to return again next weekend as the Cyclones wind things up with a scrimmage.
Mount Pleasant Class of 2021 standout Henry Lutovsky picked up his second offer of the process during his last trip to Ames, saying he had a feeling that good things were in store when he made the trek north.
“It started last fall when they started telling me they wanted me to come up to their camps, wanted to see me and wanted to see me work,” said Lutovsky. “We sent a lot of film to them last fall. Time went on where nothing really happened. We got to the point where Mizzou offered me and then I got home and tweeted that out. Within 45 minutes, they texted my coach and said they wanted to get me up there, pick a date that works and we’ll welcome you any day.
“On my visit, after practice, I had a meeting with Coach (Matt) Campbell and Coach (Jeff) Myers. I was there for 30-45 minutes and the first thing Coach Campbell said was he wanted to offer me. He talked about what it meant to be a Cyclone, like doing good things in the society, being good all-around people and being good athletes. The whole conversation really wasn’t about the program, though. They wanted to get to know me, which I really like because they seem personable. We talked about my home life, how things are going and who I am as a person.”
The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Lutovsky said the entire staff made quite an impression on him throughout the day.
“The hospitality was amazing and all the coaches really want to get to know me,” he said. “I met with a lot of them. They seem like they really care about me as a person, as opposed to how it can be at other programs.”
An in-state kid who was already aware of the emergent Cyclones, Lutovsky said he watched a presentation that showed the upward trajectory.
“They played a video at the beginning and it was a timeline of Matt Campbell from when he first started at Iowa State to now,” Lutovsky said. “He goes through a season with three wins his first season and then his wins keep gaining until this year and he’s leading a top-25 program. The Iowa State football program is definitely going in the right direction.”
A relatively new prospect on the in-state radar, Lutovsky competed on the Mount Pleasant varsity team for the first time as a sophomore, saying things clicked for him relatively early in 2018.
“My first couple games against Clear Creek and Pella were kind of rough,” he said. “I didn’t perform the best. I went into Central Lee in the third game and they have a big line. I wasn’t expecting to be the best, but once I got out there, I realized that I could play at that level and be dominant. This was the first season I had played (varsity). From then on out, everything just clicked and turned on.”
The high school sophomore certainly has the work ethic to continue his improvement in future seasons.
“Last summer, I feel like I had worked hard enough to get me to this position,” he said. “I lifted weights for two hours and then would do footwork and explosiveness stuff in the weight room for 30 minutes. Then I went out to the football field and did more stuff for an hour and a half. I had four hours of practice while some kids aren’t even awake yet.”
