by Bill Seals
Although he committed to an FCS-level school last month, an Iowa high school prospect in the Class of 2017 did so with the caveat of potentially opening things up if he gets a higher-level offer.
Manchester West Delaware tight end John Nagel was on campus for Iowa State's Sunday scrimmage and says the new coaching staff made an even greater impression.
"I thought it was a great day being down there," said Nagel, who committed to Northern Iowa in early July. "It's always a blast going down to the campus at Iowa State. I met up with a lot of the coaches, which is great because I really like all of them. In the scrimmage, the Cyclones looked pretty good. About as good as you can judge when a team goes against their own team."
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound rising senior was also being recruited by the previous coaching staff and says he's noticed a difference during the preseason.
"To me it would probably be the atmosphere," Nagel said. "There's just something about it when you're down there. It's different than it was. I'd been to Iowa State with the previous coaching staff and the coaching staff now is different. It's an electric atmosphere."
Although Nagel has yet to collect a scholarship offer from I-State, it's clear that Matt Campbell and his staff think highly of the northeast Iowa native.
"Instead of sitting in on the (offensive line) meeting, I had a meeting with Coach Campbell which was good," Nagel said. "He's an upbeat guy and explained to me the numbers situation, what they have going on with the scholarship situation. He told me what they're doing at Iowa State trying to get the program turned around.
"He'd like to offer me a scholarship, but right now they just have to get all of the numbers figured out. They have a small senior class, so they have to figure some things out. They did say to keep an official visit open for them."
Nagel also laid out where he is with UNI and what the contingency plans would be if his recruitment picks up in the fall.
"It's one of those things where UNI was a great fit and I wanted to protect myself coming into my senior year," he said. "I found a place where I felt really good. Just like anybody else, my goal is to play football at the highest level I can. If the opportunity comes along (at Iowa State) or any other high-major Division I school, I will look at it and explore my options."
Nagel picked the Panthers over offers from Army, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Illinois State. I-State and Iowa have been recruiting him the hardest among Power-5 schools. He is planning on attending at least one Cyclone game this fall, but is unsure when he'll take an official visit.
Although he committed to an FCS-level school last month, an Iowa high school prospect in the Class of 2017 did so with the caveat of potentially opening things up if he gets a higher-level offer.
Manchester West Delaware tight end John Nagel was on campus for Iowa State's Sunday scrimmage and says the new coaching staff made an even greater impression.
"I thought it was a great day being down there," said Nagel, who committed to Northern Iowa in early July. "It's always a blast going down to the campus at Iowa State. I met up with a lot of the coaches, which is great because I really like all of them. In the scrimmage, the Cyclones looked pretty good. About as good as you can judge when a team goes against their own team."
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound rising senior was also being recruited by the previous coaching staff and says he's noticed a difference during the preseason.
"To me it would probably be the atmosphere," Nagel said. "There's just something about it when you're down there. It's different than it was. I'd been to Iowa State with the previous coaching staff and the coaching staff now is different. It's an electric atmosphere."
Although Nagel has yet to collect a scholarship offer from I-State, it's clear that Matt Campbell and his staff think highly of the northeast Iowa native.
"Instead of sitting in on the (offensive line) meeting, I had a meeting with Coach Campbell which was good," Nagel said. "He's an upbeat guy and explained to me the numbers situation, what they have going on with the scholarship situation. He told me what they're doing at Iowa State trying to get the program turned around.
"He'd like to offer me a scholarship, but right now they just have to get all of the numbers figured out. They have a small senior class, so they have to figure some things out. They did say to keep an official visit open for them."
Nagel also laid out where he is with UNI and what the contingency plans would be if his recruitment picks up in the fall.
"It's one of those things where UNI was a great fit and I wanted to protect myself coming into my senior year," he said. "I found a place where I felt really good. Just like anybody else, my goal is to play football at the highest level I can. If the opportunity comes along (at Iowa State) or any other high-major Division I school, I will look at it and explore my options."
Nagel picked the Panthers over offers from Army, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Illinois State. I-State and Iowa have been recruiting him the hardest among Power-5 schools. He is planning on attending at least one Cyclone game this fall, but is unsure when he'll take an official visit.
