by Bill Seals
Iowa State took its best shot at a Virginia high school offensive lineman in the 2019 class, before the prospect ended up at a Power-5 program closer to home. Now, the coaching staff is taking another swing at a big man from the same school.
Daleville Lord Botetourt rising junior Colston Powers picked up an offer from the Cyclones when his path crossed with assistant coach Joel Gordon one month ago.
“Iowa State was one of the first schools to get involved with me,” said Powers. “They offered Jesse Hanson and he’s at (Virginia) Tech right now. He graduated this year and had an early offer from Iowa State.
“I hadn’t talked to Iowa State at all, but I visited (Tennessee for a camp) and saw Coach (Joel) Gordon there for coaches clinic. He heard me tell the people I’m from Lord Botetourt and he’s really good friends with my coach. We talked for about five minutes there. He loved the way I played, had watched film on me and wants to get me on a visit.”
Although ISU lost Hanson to the Hokies, it did have the benefit of hosting the 2019 offensive lineman on an unofficial visit. Another of Powers’ teammates, Gage Bassham, has also visited Ames but has not been offered. Those two have given the Cyclones high marks.
“I heard from Jesse that it was beautiful out there and he loved it,” Powers said. “It was a really nice campus. Also, one of the seniors on the team this year went out and visited Iowa State. He loved it at Iowa State. My dad and I are definitely trying to figure out a time to get out there and get to know the coaches.”
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive tackle is a three-star prospect with a 5.5 Rivals rating. He is considered the 25th-overall player in Virginia for the 2021 class. In addition to I-State’s offer, Powers has P5 ones from Louisville, Virginia and West Virginia.
Powers claims no early favorites out of that list.
“I’m just kind of taking it all in right now,” he said. “The way I’m looking at it, with (seven) offers already, I’m way ahead of what I thought I would be this year. There’s no school yet that I’m saying ‘wow, I want to go there’ yet.”
He said the schools that have offered him are drawn to a number of positives in his game.
“I can definitely move quicker than most big guys can,” Powers said. “I play baseball as well and have played basketball most of my life, so I’ve been into multiple sports. That’s helped me a lot with my quickness on the football field. I can pull quick and be quicker off the ball.”
Iowa State took its best shot at a Virginia high school offensive lineman in the 2019 class, before the prospect ended up at a Power-5 program closer to home. Now, the coaching staff is taking another swing at a big man from the same school.
Daleville Lord Botetourt rising junior Colston Powers picked up an offer from the Cyclones when his path crossed with assistant coach Joel Gordon one month ago.
“Iowa State was one of the first schools to get involved with me,” said Powers. “They offered Jesse Hanson and he’s at (Virginia) Tech right now. He graduated this year and had an early offer from Iowa State.
“I hadn’t talked to Iowa State at all, but I visited (Tennessee for a camp) and saw Coach (Joel) Gordon there for coaches clinic. He heard me tell the people I’m from Lord Botetourt and he’s really good friends with my coach. We talked for about five minutes there. He loved the way I played, had watched film on me and wants to get me on a visit.”
Although ISU lost Hanson to the Hokies, it did have the benefit of hosting the 2019 offensive lineman on an unofficial visit. Another of Powers’ teammates, Gage Bassham, has also visited Ames but has not been offered. Those two have given the Cyclones high marks.
“I heard from Jesse that it was beautiful out there and he loved it,” Powers said. “It was a really nice campus. Also, one of the seniors on the team this year went out and visited Iowa State. He loved it at Iowa State. My dad and I are definitely trying to figure out a time to get out there and get to know the coaches.”
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive tackle is a three-star prospect with a 5.5 Rivals rating. He is considered the 25th-overall player in Virginia for the 2021 class. In addition to I-State’s offer, Powers has P5 ones from Louisville, Virginia and West Virginia.
Powers claims no early favorites out of that list.
“I’m just kind of taking it all in right now,” he said. “The way I’m looking at it, with (seven) offers already, I’m way ahead of what I thought I would be this year. There’s no school yet that I’m saying ‘wow, I want to go there’ yet.”
He said the schools that have offered him are drawn to a number of positives in his game.
“I can definitely move quicker than most big guys can,” Powers said. “I play baseball as well and have played basketball most of my life, so I’ve been into multiple sports. That’s helped me a lot with my quickness on the football field. I can pull quick and be quicker off the ball.”
