by Bill Seals
Iowa State got its interior defensive lineman in the high school ranks a month and a half ago and has continued building a solid relationship in the weeks that have followed.
Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township senior Willis Singleton said he’s remained in close contact with a pair of coaches, including Matt Campbell, and has strengthened his bond with others in the program as well.
“Everything is going great,” said Singleton, who committed to the Cyclones on July 15th. “My relationship with Coach Campbell and Coach (Eli) Rasheed continues to be strong. One thing that’s really impressed me after I committed…the players and I have gotten really close. I have great relationships with Ray Lima and Isaiah Lee. I’m really excited to get back to Iowa State. Every time I’ve been there, it’s been a great experience.”
The 6-foot-2, 285-pound Singleton is a three-star recruit with a 5.5 Rivals rating and one of 20 known commitments for ISU’s 2020 class. He picked the Cyclones over Power-5 offers such as Illinois, Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri and Washington State. Singleton also took an official visit to Cincinnati.
“Being committed has cut the stress out,” he said. “I don’t have to travel anymore and can focus on being in Gurnee, Illinois, for the last time.”
Singleton said he’s also forged a strong bond with one of the other 20 commits in I-State’s class.
“I’ve also gotten really close with Johnny Wilson,” he said. “The connection we’ve created is great. We have the same vision and want to change the world. We also aspire for great things on the field. We talk about a lot of things. Guys like JaQuan Bailey at Iowa State have set the tone and we just want to raise that bar a little higher when we get there.”
The Illinois recruit, who was last in Ames during the month of June, said he had originally planned to take a game day visit for the Cy-Hawk clash, but said other plans arose and he’ll be shooting for a trip later in the season.
“I’ve actually never been to an Iowa State game,” he said. “I’ve seen it on TV. Coach Rasheed is telling me how it will be an out-of-body experience. He said the players are all excited to have me there. He says I’m a high character guy. He said word has gotten around and a lot of people are talking about me. He said they’ve seen me working out and are excited about me in this class. There’s a lot of buzz.”
With his commitment out of the way, Singleton said he zeroed in on the necessary changes to his game.
“I’ve focused on getting bigger, faster and stronger,” he said. “It’s on me to keep working harder and bring the same energy every time. I’m working on my leadership aspect, too. Now that I’ve been around at this level for a while, I’ve learned all the formations and the game is slowing down for me.”
Iowa State got its interior defensive lineman in the high school ranks a month and a half ago and has continued building a solid relationship in the weeks that have followed.
Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township senior Willis Singleton said he’s remained in close contact with a pair of coaches, including Matt Campbell, and has strengthened his bond with others in the program as well.
“Everything is going great,” said Singleton, who committed to the Cyclones on July 15th. “My relationship with Coach Campbell and Coach (Eli) Rasheed continues to be strong. One thing that’s really impressed me after I committed…the players and I have gotten really close. I have great relationships with Ray Lima and Isaiah Lee. I’m really excited to get back to Iowa State. Every time I’ve been there, it’s been a great experience.”
The 6-foot-2, 285-pound Singleton is a three-star recruit with a 5.5 Rivals rating and one of 20 known commitments for ISU’s 2020 class. He picked the Cyclones over Power-5 offers such as Illinois, Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri and Washington State. Singleton also took an official visit to Cincinnati.
“Being committed has cut the stress out,” he said. “I don’t have to travel anymore and can focus on being in Gurnee, Illinois, for the last time.”
Singleton said he’s also forged a strong bond with one of the other 20 commits in I-State’s class.
“I’ve also gotten really close with Johnny Wilson,” he said. “The connection we’ve created is great. We have the same vision and want to change the world. We also aspire for great things on the field. We talk about a lot of things. Guys like JaQuan Bailey at Iowa State have set the tone and we just want to raise that bar a little higher when we get there.”
The Illinois recruit, who was last in Ames during the month of June, said he had originally planned to take a game day visit for the Cy-Hawk clash, but said other plans arose and he’ll be shooting for a trip later in the season.
“I’ve actually never been to an Iowa State game,” he said. “I’ve seen it on TV. Coach Rasheed is telling me how it will be an out-of-body experience. He said the players are all excited to have me there. He says I’m a high character guy. He said word has gotten around and a lot of people are talking about me. He said they’ve seen me working out and are excited about me in this class. There’s a lot of buzz.”
With his commitment out of the way, Singleton said he zeroed in on the necessary changes to his game.
“I’ve focused on getting bigger, faster and stronger,” he said. “It’s on me to keep working harder and bring the same energy every time. I’m working on my leadership aspect, too. Now that I’ve been around at this level for a while, I’ve learned all the formations and the game is slowing down for me.”
