by Bill Seals
The Iowa State coaching staff had been keeping tabs on a Minnesota prep offensive tackle in the 2020 class, and after seeing the progress they needed during the off-season decided to offer the prospect a scholarship earlier this spring.
Minneapolis De La Salle junior Jalen Travis said the Cyclones have ramped up their pursuit of him after offensive line coach Jeff Myers evaluated him in person recently.
“I’m in constant contact with them,” said Travis. “Coach Myers was just up talking to me and watching me work out. He’s just focused on building the relationship with me going forward. I’m heading down there the second week in June for a visit. It will be an unofficial, since I can’t make any of the camp dates. They want to get me on campus to show me around. Everything is going well with them so far.”
The 6-foot-7, 285-pound Travis visited last fall when Iowa State hosted West Virginia, but the staff took a wait-and-see approach with him. He’s also been in Ames for basketball tournaments in recent years. As Travis’ skillset has improved to match up with an impressive frame, he has started getting more attention from bigger schools. One of those has been ISU.
“Coach (Colby) Kratch, my recruiting coach, had been in contact with me beforehand and he said they really liked my film and wanted to see me in person and how much I’d grown from last year when they saw my film to this year,” Travis said.
“(Myers) came up and watched me work out and said he loved it. He was very confident that they were going to offer me. Two days later, I got on the phone with Coach (Matt) Campbell and he offered me a scholarship.
Travis said Campbell expressed to him how happy he and the offensive staff were with his development.
“He was impressed with the way I grew over the season and the way I made the adjustments to make myself better,” Travis said. “He liked my ability to grow and my athletic ability, plus the intangibles that aren’t athletic. They like my ability to move and my first step off the ball. I’m doing a good job of reading defenses.”
Travis, who also has a Power-5 offer from Minnesota, to go along with Indiana State, UNI and Yale, said he has added 20 pounds to his frame since the end of his junior season.
Since he visited last season on the day the Cyclones scored a big win over West Virginia, Travis has been following the program’s ascent.
“The atmosphere down at Iowa State is second to none, especially when you have a big rival or conference game,” he said. “I haven’t experienced something like that, as far as a fan base goes, so I thought that was great. The community support and student support are great to me. Everything else is great.
“I’ve been following them from last season when they were in the top 25 for a good majority of the season. I feel like things are going great down there. With them coming in over the last four years, they’re implementing their culture at Iowa State. I could see myself being a part of that. Right now, for me, I just need to get down there and see everything that they’re doing so I can see if it’s the best fit for me.”
One of the staff’s recruiting pitches with Travis has been his ability to impact the depth chart right away, which is something that’s caught his attention.
“They’ve told me that next year they’re going to have two tackles that are seniors and graduating my year, so I’d have an opportunity to earn a starting spot coming in as a freshman,” he said. “Everything has to be earned, but they said if I come there, I’d have a chance to earn a spot as a freshman.”
Travis certainly comes from good bloodlines. His older brother Reid was a multi-sport standout at De La Salle and was recruited by Iowa State to play basketball. Reid ended up signing with Stanford and was a graduate transfer contributor at Kentucky last season.
The Iowa State coaching staff had been keeping tabs on a Minnesota prep offensive tackle in the 2020 class, and after seeing the progress they needed during the off-season decided to offer the prospect a scholarship earlier this spring.
Minneapolis De La Salle junior Jalen Travis said the Cyclones have ramped up their pursuit of him after offensive line coach Jeff Myers evaluated him in person recently.
“I’m in constant contact with them,” said Travis. “Coach Myers was just up talking to me and watching me work out. He’s just focused on building the relationship with me going forward. I’m heading down there the second week in June for a visit. It will be an unofficial, since I can’t make any of the camp dates. They want to get me on campus to show me around. Everything is going well with them so far.”
The 6-foot-7, 285-pound Travis visited last fall when Iowa State hosted West Virginia, but the staff took a wait-and-see approach with him. He’s also been in Ames for basketball tournaments in recent years. As Travis’ skillset has improved to match up with an impressive frame, he has started getting more attention from bigger schools. One of those has been ISU.
“Coach (Colby) Kratch, my recruiting coach, had been in contact with me beforehand and he said they really liked my film and wanted to see me in person and how much I’d grown from last year when they saw my film to this year,” Travis said.
“(Myers) came up and watched me work out and said he loved it. He was very confident that they were going to offer me. Two days later, I got on the phone with Coach (Matt) Campbell and he offered me a scholarship.
Travis said Campbell expressed to him how happy he and the offensive staff were with his development.
“He was impressed with the way I grew over the season and the way I made the adjustments to make myself better,” Travis said. “He liked my ability to grow and my athletic ability, plus the intangibles that aren’t athletic. They like my ability to move and my first step off the ball. I’m doing a good job of reading defenses.”
Travis, who also has a Power-5 offer from Minnesota, to go along with Indiana State, UNI and Yale, said he has added 20 pounds to his frame since the end of his junior season.
Since he visited last season on the day the Cyclones scored a big win over West Virginia, Travis has been following the program’s ascent.
“The atmosphere down at Iowa State is second to none, especially when you have a big rival or conference game,” he said. “I haven’t experienced something like that, as far as a fan base goes, so I thought that was great. The community support and student support are great to me. Everything else is great.
“I’ve been following them from last season when they were in the top 25 for a good majority of the season. I feel like things are going great down there. With them coming in over the last four years, they’re implementing their culture at Iowa State. I could see myself being a part of that. Right now, for me, I just need to get down there and see everything that they’re doing so I can see if it’s the best fit for me.”
One of the staff’s recruiting pitches with Travis has been his ability to impact the depth chart right away, which is something that’s caught his attention.
“They’ve told me that next year they’re going to have two tackles that are seniors and graduating my year, so I’d have an opportunity to earn a starting spot coming in as a freshman,” he said. “Everything has to be earned, but they said if I come there, I’d have a chance to earn a spot as a freshman.”
Travis certainly comes from good bloodlines. His older brother Reid was a multi-sport standout at De La Salle and was recruited by Iowa State to play basketball. Reid ended up signing with Stanford and was a graduate transfer contributor at Kentucky last season.
