by Bill Seals
Although he hasn’t made an unofficial visit to Ames since last September, an outside linebacker in the 2019 class says Iowa State is still a school he’s considering strongly and that the staff is just as serious about him.
Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Conception junior Khali Saunders, who said the Cyclones have maintained a steady presence in his recruitment since the spring of 2017, says his communication with head coach Matt Campbell’s staff has remained steady.
“We’ve built a great relationship,” said Saunders. “Last year at this time was when they offered me. As the year has gone by, they’ve shown they’re very interested in me. They talk about how I’ll be a good fit into the program. I like everything they’re about.
“I’m getting to know them a lot better, the program and what they’re built off of. It relates back to my high school program. The coaches are young and on the rise. They had a great 2017 season and it was a good sign for the future. They’re laying down a platform. It’s a great feeling to have a program like that showing as much interest as they have. I like everything Iowa State has to offer.”
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Saunders, who has a 5.6 Rivals rating, is the ninth overall prospect in his state and 27th ranked outside linebacker nationally by Rivals. In addition to ISU, he has MAC school offers from Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan.
Saunders says he hasn’t been at I-State as much as he’s wanted to over the past year but is targeting what would be his second trip in the coming weeks.
“The last time I was on campus was for the Iowa State/Iowa game,” he said. “I haven’t been able to make it up there since then. I wasn’t able to make it up during the spring because I had other stuff. Whenever a chance comes up in the future, I’m going to take it and return the favor.
“They’ve come out to see me, so I want to get up there to Ames and see everything, talk with the coaches and meet the players. I want to talk to the players and get an idea for how it is from a player perspective.”
Area recruiter Alex Golesh and linebacker coach Tyson Veidt visited Saunders last Friday during spring evaluations.
“I had prom the week before and had the Nike Opening the week before that,” he said. “These were all dates I was originally was supposed to go out to Iowa State. Every weekend, I had something. This weekend, I have my sister’s graduation. They’re trying to get me down there. They also just talked to me about closing out the school year strong over the next three weeks.”
In addition to talking with the current student-athletes in the ISU program, Saunders said he also looks forward to a position meeting to get some more clarity on where he’d be used in the defense.
“They like me at linebacker,” he said. “We’ve talked a little bit about their scheme. I’d probably be a SAM backer. That’s all going to come with me getting down there on campus, because we haven’t had a chance to go into specifics. It shouldn’t be too far different position-wise from where I’m at right now.”
Although he hasn’t made an unofficial visit to Ames since last September, an outside linebacker in the 2019 class says Iowa State is still a school he’s considering strongly and that the staff is just as serious about him.
Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Conception junior Khali Saunders, who said the Cyclones have maintained a steady presence in his recruitment since the spring of 2017, says his communication with head coach Matt Campbell’s staff has remained steady.
“We’ve built a great relationship,” said Saunders. “Last year at this time was when they offered me. As the year has gone by, they’ve shown they’re very interested in me. They talk about how I’ll be a good fit into the program. I like everything they’re about.
“I’m getting to know them a lot better, the program and what they’re built off of. It relates back to my high school program. The coaches are young and on the rise. They had a great 2017 season and it was a good sign for the future. They’re laying down a platform. It’s a great feeling to have a program like that showing as much interest as they have. I like everything Iowa State has to offer.”
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Saunders, who has a 5.6 Rivals rating, is the ninth overall prospect in his state and 27th ranked outside linebacker nationally by Rivals. In addition to ISU, he has MAC school offers from Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan.
Saunders says he hasn’t been at I-State as much as he’s wanted to over the past year but is targeting what would be his second trip in the coming weeks.
“The last time I was on campus was for the Iowa State/Iowa game,” he said. “I haven’t been able to make it up there since then. I wasn’t able to make it up during the spring because I had other stuff. Whenever a chance comes up in the future, I’m going to take it and return the favor.
“They’ve come out to see me, so I want to get up there to Ames and see everything, talk with the coaches and meet the players. I want to talk to the players and get an idea for how it is from a player perspective.”
Area recruiter Alex Golesh and linebacker coach Tyson Veidt visited Saunders last Friday during spring evaluations.
“I had prom the week before and had the Nike Opening the week before that,” he said. “These were all dates I was originally was supposed to go out to Iowa State. Every weekend, I had something. This weekend, I have my sister’s graduation. They’re trying to get me down there. They also just talked to me about closing out the school year strong over the next three weeks.”
In addition to talking with the current student-athletes in the ISU program, Saunders said he also looks forward to a position meeting to get some more clarity on where he’d be used in the defense.
“They like me at linebacker,” he said. “We’ve talked a little bit about their scheme. I’d probably be a SAM backer. That’s all going to come with me getting down there on campus, because we haven’t had a chance to go into specifics. It shouldn’t be too far different position-wise from where I’m at right now.”
