by Bill Seals
A Class of 2017 offensive line prospect from within the state's borders was on campus Sunday for an Iowa State preseason scrimmage.
Denver rising senior Mason Neisen, who is being recruited as an offensive guard or center, said he was particularly impressed with position coach and offensive coordinator Tom Manning and his work with the offensive line.
"We got there and I sat in on an offensive line position meeting. I thought it was really cool to see how Coach Manning interacts with his guys and answers questions. That's not the side of the coaches you always get to see. Then we got to go out on the field where they were having the scrimmage. After that they had a lunch where we got to talk to the coaches some more. They have very nice facilities. The weight room is something else; it's really cool.
"The biggest thing that stood out to me is when they went through some film. When a guy messed up on a play, he didn't get upset with them. It was more of an 'OK something went wrong, why did it go wrong and how can we fix it'."
Neisen, who has one offer from Northern Iowa to go with interest from ISU and Iowa, said he got a little more clarity on his recruiting situation from Manning.
"At this point it's a numbers game," Neisen said. "There are only a certain amount of scholarships every year and they have to figure out where it's going to come from. Coach Manning said his goal is to get me there on a scholarship."
The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Neisen also participated in the Cyclones' Big Man Camp over the summer and turned some heads with his play in front of coaches.
"They know I can run block because of my film," Neisen said. "My high school has a bunch of run plays. But they were surprised at how well I can pass block, too. They really want me to come back down for a game this fall and they'll be coming to one of my games, too."
A Class of 2017 offensive line prospect from within the state's borders was on campus Sunday for an Iowa State preseason scrimmage.
Denver rising senior Mason Neisen, who is being recruited as an offensive guard or center, said he was particularly impressed with position coach and offensive coordinator Tom Manning and his work with the offensive line.
"We got there and I sat in on an offensive line position meeting. I thought it was really cool to see how Coach Manning interacts with his guys and answers questions. That's not the side of the coaches you always get to see. Then we got to go out on the field where they were having the scrimmage. After that they had a lunch where we got to talk to the coaches some more. They have very nice facilities. The weight room is something else; it's really cool.
"The biggest thing that stood out to me is when they went through some film. When a guy messed up on a play, he didn't get upset with them. It was more of an 'OK something went wrong, why did it go wrong and how can we fix it'."
Neisen, who has one offer from Northern Iowa to go with interest from ISU and Iowa, said he got a little more clarity on his recruiting situation from Manning.
"At this point it's a numbers game," Neisen said. "There are only a certain amount of scholarships every year and they have to figure out where it's going to come from. Coach Manning said his goal is to get me there on a scholarship."
The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Neisen also participated in the Cyclones' Big Man Camp over the summer and turned some heads with his play in front of coaches.
"They know I can run block because of my film," Neisen said. "My high school has a bunch of run plays. But they were surprised at how well I can pass block, too. They really want me to come back down for a game this fall and they'll be coming to one of my games, too."
