Iowa State goes to neighboring Nebraska to win recruiting battles

When Iowa State meets Kansas State this weekend in Dublin to kick off the college football season, a lot of top prospects will be watching.

Many of them will be in Nebraska.

The Cyclones have recruited that state incredibly well this recruiting cycle, with six commitments from Nebraska as the Huskers passed on many of the elite players at home.

Iowa State jumped at the chance to go in and get them. Whether that was the right call or the Huskers were savvy in looking elsewhere will only be determined years from now but the Cyclones have put down strong roots in that state that could pay off in the coming years, too.

“Iowa State stood out to me because they offered me early and kept in constant touch,” three-star linebacker Keian Kaiser said. “They came out to my small town a few times, watched my basketball game, just showed a ton of interest compared to other schools. Nebraska’s linebacker coach texted me a few times but not a whole lot.”

The Sidney, Neb., standout has joined three-star North Star safety Tyrell Chatman, three-star athlete Amarion Jackson from Millard South, three-star Omaha Central safety Kaprice Keith, three-star Elkhorn North linebacker Barry Fries and three-star safety Bryson Williams from Westside in the Cyclones’ recruiting class.

It would have been bolstered even more if four-star quarterback Jett Thomalla from Millard South would have stuck with his Iowa State commitment instead of flipping to Alabama.

“Iowa State did a great job recruiting me and building a great relationship with me,” Chatman said. “I have gotten the opportunity to meet and talk to most of the defensive staff and me and coach (Hank) Poteat have built a great relationship.

“What stood out to me the most throughout the recruiting journey was that Iowa State has a great community with a great culture surrounding football and academics. Those things made Iowa State feel like home and the right choice for me. The Huskers have not reached out or recruited me.”

Jackson said: “Iowa State’s coaching staff is great at developing players on both sides of the ball. They also see me as a playmaker on both sides and they made it clear they would trust me to come in wherever and elevate my game on whichever side. I talked to Nebraska a little bit my freshman and sophomore year just about camps and game days.”

Of Iowa State’s 19 commitments, nearly one-third of the class is from Nebraska. The Cyclones only have one in-state commitment – three-star Dowling Catholic’s Jeffrey Roberts. They also have only one player from Kansas in three-star tight end Drake DeBaun. The only in-state commitment Nebraska has is from three-star linebacker Jase Reynolds from Elkhorn North.

Even Williams, a legacy since his father, Jamel, won two national championships with the Huskers before being a fifth-round NFL Draft pick, was not recruited hard by Nebraska.

He’s chosen to take his talents to Iowa State and is excited for his future in Ames along with a lot of other players from his home state.

“What stood out about the Cyclones was that they took a chance on me,” Williams said. 

“They were the first Power Four team to take a chance on me so I’ll take a chance on them. They have the best secondary in the Big 12 and run a great scheme. They know how to develop players like me. Nebraska never contacted me. Never came to my school or invited me to a game but invited some of my teammates despite my dad being a two-time national champ for them and also getting drafted.”