by Bill Seals
A canceled game against South Dakota State didn’t put a damper on the first Ames visit for a Class of 2020 offensive lineman from the Midwest.
Beech Grove (Ind.) junior Josh Fryar said he was blown away by how big the Cyclones’ season opener was set up to be prior to the weather setting in.
“It was a great atmosphere and couldn’t get any better,” said Fryar. “In regular college games I’ve been to there are patches in the stands because it’s not a conference game, but it was all full at Iowa State against a smaller college. Everybody showed out, which was amazing. I was more than happy to go there. It exceeded my expectations of what it was. Coach (Matt) Campbell is doing a great thing there and turning around the program. It’s definitely a program of high interest to me.”
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound offensive lineman is a three-star prospect with a 5.6 Rivals rating. He’s considered the 50th-ranked offensive tackle nationally and third overall prospect in the state of Indiana for 2020.
Fryar has Power-5 offers from Indiana and Purdue, to go along with one MAC school in Toledo. He said he currently has no favorites out of that mix.
Getting said he enjoyed getting his first extended look at a P5 school from out of state.
“I arrived there and me, my mom and dad drove around campus and it was beautiful,” Fryar said. “We went to the football complex and it was really nice. We walked around there and saw the coach’s offices. I got to see the indoor facility, meeting rooms and weight room. Then we walked through the tunnel. We ate at a complex on the field and I got to talk to Coach Rasheed, which was a great talk. We watched the game for about five minutes, which kind of sucked because I wanted to watch the whole game.”
In addition to now having taking a visit to I-State, Fryar also has a connection with his primary contact Eli Rasheed.
“He is my recruiter and the one who gave me the offer this summer,” Fryar said. “He played at Indiana around the same time as my dad under Coach (Bill) Mallory.”
According to Fryar, the coaches at ISU liked a number of aspects of his sophomore tape.
“(Rasheed) said I’m versatile on the offensive line and can play center, guard or tackle,” he said. “I’m athletic on my film and a blue-collar guy who just likes to hit somebody and get off the ball. He said my pass blocking technique was not perfect and needs a little bit of work, but not too much.”
Fryar admits to being surprised initially when he received the I-State interest in mid-June.
“Iowa State was my fourth offer and popped up out of nowhere,” he said. “The recruiting coordinator followed me and Coach Rasheed followed me, then texted my dad asking for me to give him a call. He offered me there and said my film was great. He also talked to my dad, which was great because they have connections. It was a huge offer for me.”
In order to watch an entire game at Iowa State, Fryar said he is targeting another trip for either October or November.
A canceled game against South Dakota State didn’t put a damper on the first Ames visit for a Class of 2020 offensive lineman from the Midwest.
Beech Grove (Ind.) junior Josh Fryar said he was blown away by how big the Cyclones’ season opener was set up to be prior to the weather setting in.
“It was a great atmosphere and couldn’t get any better,” said Fryar. “In regular college games I’ve been to there are patches in the stands because it’s not a conference game, but it was all full at Iowa State against a smaller college. Everybody showed out, which was amazing. I was more than happy to go there. It exceeded my expectations of what it was. Coach (Matt) Campbell is doing a great thing there and turning around the program. It’s definitely a program of high interest to me.”
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound offensive lineman is a three-star prospect with a 5.6 Rivals rating. He’s considered the 50th-ranked offensive tackle nationally and third overall prospect in the state of Indiana for 2020.
Fryar has Power-5 offers from Indiana and Purdue, to go along with one MAC school in Toledo. He said he currently has no favorites out of that mix.
Getting said he enjoyed getting his first extended look at a P5 school from out of state.
“I arrived there and me, my mom and dad drove around campus and it was beautiful,” Fryar said. “We went to the football complex and it was really nice. We walked around there and saw the coach’s offices. I got to see the indoor facility, meeting rooms and weight room. Then we walked through the tunnel. We ate at a complex on the field and I got to talk to Coach Rasheed, which was a great talk. We watched the game for about five minutes, which kind of sucked because I wanted to watch the whole game.”
In addition to now having taking a visit to I-State, Fryar also has a connection with his primary contact Eli Rasheed.
“He is my recruiter and the one who gave me the offer this summer,” Fryar said. “He played at Indiana around the same time as my dad under Coach (Bill) Mallory.”
According to Fryar, the coaches at ISU liked a number of aspects of his sophomore tape.
“(Rasheed) said I’m versatile on the offensive line and can play center, guard or tackle,” he said. “I’m athletic on my film and a blue-collar guy who just likes to hit somebody and get off the ball. He said my pass blocking technique was not perfect and needs a little bit of work, but not too much.”
Fryar admits to being surprised initially when he received the I-State interest in mid-June.
“Iowa State was my fourth offer and popped up out of nowhere,” he said. “The recruiting coordinator followed me and Coach Rasheed followed me, then texted my dad asking for me to give him a call. He offered me there and said my film was great. He also talked to my dad, which was great because they have connections. It was a huge offer for me.”
In order to watch an entire game at Iowa State, Fryar said he is targeting another trip for either October or November.
