by Bill Seals
After committing to Iowa State during the second week of March, a 2020 recruit from Minnesota has returned to Ames for a pair of visits since.
Minneapolis Minnehaha Academy safety Craig McDonald said the trips to Ames have only reaffirmed it’s where he will sign this December.
“I was down for the Junior Day and then I went down with my 7-on-7 team to check it out,” said McDonald. “I also went down there on an overnight visit. It still feels like home down there and I still have really good relationships with the coaches and still talk to them. I’m still very comfortable with my decision. It’s good to know where my future home is going to be. They always treat me well when I go there and want me to come back down. It’s been fun.”
McDonald is a three-star recruit with a 5.6 Rivals rating and chose ISU over Power-5 offers from Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin back on March 9th.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound defensive back said his most recent unofficial visit came the weekend of the Cyclones’ first padded scrimmage of the spring.
“We got to check out the dorms and stuff like that,” McDonald said. “I hadn’t really been on a tour, so I checked out mostly everything I already wanted to see. It was cool to go around campus again on one of the first nice days of (spring). We got to eat dinner, stuff like that and go back to the dorms and hang out with the players the day before (the scrimmage).”
Since he will be targeted to play the safety position at I-State, McDonald said he paid particular attention to the work done by the group which has seen former cornerbacks coach D.K. McDonald transition in the offseason.
“I definitely see myself in some of the safety film,” McDonald said. “I’m probably a little taller and bigger, but I definitely see myself fitting into their scheme. I play similar to them in a lot of ways and am physical. Coach McDonald coaches them up a lot and they were really technical. He has them be fast and physical playing in the Big 12, while also focusing on the technicalities.
“Even though they’re not corners, they still have to read their assignments. Even though they’re 15 yards off the ball, they still have to come down and be physical. There’s a lot of things that go into the safety position at Iowa State and Coach McDonald instills all of that in them.”
McDonald is one of three Minnehaha Academy standouts to have earned offers from the Cyclones. Kaden Johnson and Jalen Suggs are the other 2020 prospects. McDonald said he has spent a lot of time working on the four-star Johnson, who visited Ames along with him this spring.
“I’m recruiting Kaden every day at school, doing what I can do, but he’s taking the process slower,” McDonald said.
After committing to Iowa State during the second week of March, a 2020 recruit from Minnesota has returned to Ames for a pair of visits since.
Minneapolis Minnehaha Academy safety Craig McDonald said the trips to Ames have only reaffirmed it’s where he will sign this December.
“I was down for the Junior Day and then I went down with my 7-on-7 team to check it out,” said McDonald. “I also went down there on an overnight visit. It still feels like home down there and I still have really good relationships with the coaches and still talk to them. I’m still very comfortable with my decision. It’s good to know where my future home is going to be. They always treat me well when I go there and want me to come back down. It’s been fun.”
McDonald is a three-star recruit with a 5.6 Rivals rating and chose ISU over Power-5 offers from Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin back on March 9th.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound defensive back said his most recent unofficial visit came the weekend of the Cyclones’ first padded scrimmage of the spring.
“We got to check out the dorms and stuff like that,” McDonald said. “I hadn’t really been on a tour, so I checked out mostly everything I already wanted to see. It was cool to go around campus again on one of the first nice days of (spring). We got to eat dinner, stuff like that and go back to the dorms and hang out with the players the day before (the scrimmage).”
Since he will be targeted to play the safety position at I-State, McDonald said he paid particular attention to the work done by the group which has seen former cornerbacks coach D.K. McDonald transition in the offseason.
“I definitely see myself in some of the safety film,” McDonald said. “I’m probably a little taller and bigger, but I definitely see myself fitting into their scheme. I play similar to them in a lot of ways and am physical. Coach McDonald coaches them up a lot and they were really technical. He has them be fast and physical playing in the Big 12, while also focusing on the technicalities.
“Even though they’re not corners, they still have to read their assignments. Even though they’re 15 yards off the ball, they still have to come down and be physical. There’s a lot of things that go into the safety position at Iowa State and Coach McDonald instills all of that in them.”
McDonald is one of three Minnehaha Academy standouts to have earned offers from the Cyclones. Kaden Johnson and Jalen Suggs are the other 2020 prospects. McDonald said he has spent a lot of time working on the four-star Johnson, who visited Ames along with him this spring.
“I’m recruiting Kaden every day at school, doing what I can do, but he’s taking the process slower,” McDonald said.
