by Bill Seals
A three-star offensive lineman from St. Louis (Mo.) spent a Saturday last month in Ames for a Junior Day, and says the Cyclones made a solid impression on him.
DeSmet junior Marquise Simmons said he’s remained in touch with coaches since the trip.
“I’ve been keeping in touch with them the last few months,” said Simmons. “We’re building relationships. They talk about how much they like me, how much of a good fit I am and how much of an impact I can make. They say I have good feet for my size, can move pretty well and am physical at the point of attack as a run blocker.”
In addition to I-State, the 6-foot-2, 319-pound Simmons has an offer from Texas State as well as interest from Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri and Purdue.
The Class of 2019 prospect said he was surprised by what he saw during his recent ISU stop.
“It was nicer than I expected,” Simmons said. “They’re planning on getting a new locker room, which is going to be really exciting. The weight room is really large and the indoor field covers 120 yards. Their training rooms seem to be pretty nice. The coaches seem to be very friendly and great people to deal with. I felt like they really paid attention to me and wanted me up there.”
One of the other highlights during the day was a conversation with a member of the ISU staff.
“I had a one-on-one meeting with one of the coaches up there, talking about what they see in me and what I can do better to make that jump to the next level,” Simmons said. “They said what freshmen start to do more of is watch a lot of film, learn a lot more about the game and how they can take over a game.”
Simmons said he is planning to make a return visit to Ames for a spring practice.
A three-star offensive lineman from St. Louis (Mo.) spent a Saturday last month in Ames for a Junior Day, and says the Cyclones made a solid impression on him.
DeSmet junior Marquise Simmons said he’s remained in touch with coaches since the trip.
“I’ve been keeping in touch with them the last few months,” said Simmons. “We’re building relationships. They talk about how much they like me, how much of a good fit I am and how much of an impact I can make. They say I have good feet for my size, can move pretty well and am physical at the point of attack as a run blocker.”
In addition to I-State, the 6-foot-2, 319-pound Simmons has an offer from Texas State as well as interest from Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri and Purdue.
The Class of 2019 prospect said he was surprised by what he saw during his recent ISU stop.
“It was nicer than I expected,” Simmons said. “They’re planning on getting a new locker room, which is going to be really exciting. The weight room is really large and the indoor field covers 120 yards. Their training rooms seem to be pretty nice. The coaches seem to be very friendly and great people to deal with. I felt like they really paid attention to me and wanted me up there.”
One of the other highlights during the day was a conversation with a member of the ISU staff.
“I had a one-on-one meeting with one of the coaches up there, talking about what they see in me and what I can do better to make that jump to the next level,” Simmons said. “They said what freshmen start to do more of is watch a lot of film, learn a lot more about the game and how they can take over a game.”
Simmons said he is planning to make a return visit to Ames for a spring practice.
