DALLAS — Tis’ the season.
The Big 12 is hosting its annual two-day media event at the Omni in Dallas this week and with that, Iowa State released its pre-fall camp depth chart on Monday morning.
Below are need-to-know notes along with some analysis.
NOTABLE OMISSIONS
BOBBY LEATH: According to a source, junior college defensive tackle Bobby Leath still hasn’t made it to campus. Leath, who hails from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, is still expected to be at fall camp.
KENDALL WILLIAMS: Why isn’t Kendall Williams on Iowa State’s depth chart at running back? I’ve asked sources this question today and for the most part, they’ve been mostly silent. Is he on campus? Paul Rhoads and Iowa State will arrive in Dallas tomorrow. We shall see.
OFFENSE
TE
Ben Boesen, Sr.
Justin Chandler, Jr.
Cole Anderson, Fr. OR
Scotty Schaffner, Fr.
ANALYSIS: Yikes.
LT
Jake Campos, So.
Jaypee Philbert, Jr.
Shawn Curtis, So.
ANALYSIS: I like Jaypee Philbert’s 6-foot-4, 305-pound frame. Being that he’s a summer JUCO, Philbert probably won’t be “Big 12 ready” until six games into the season, but I am encouraged by what he brings to the table as far as depth goes. Should Jake Campos or Brock Dagel (RT) go down, this is a much better option than a wide-eyed redshirt freshman as we’ve seen ISU have to do in the past.
LG
Oni Omoile, Sr.
Wendell Taiese, Sr.
Will Windham, Fr.
ANALYSIS: My guess is that barring injury, Omoile and Taiese will more a less split reps this season. Omoile’s strengths are all about technique. Taiese, who is currently listed at 354-pounds, is a mauler.
C
Jamison Lalk, Sr.
Patrick Scoggins, Jr.
Nick Severs, So.
ANALYSIS: It’s no surprise to me that Jamison Lalk is listed at No. 1. Technically he’s sharing the spot with junior college transfer Patrick Scoggins but I’ve heard all summer long that Lalk would likely end up being the man who will snap to Sam Richardson on Sept. 5.
RG
Daniel Burton, Jr.
Oni Omoile, Sr.
Jacob Homa, So.
ANALYSIS: Not much to note here, other than Omoile’s versatility. I doubt Jacob Homa will see the field this season.
RT
Brock Dagel, Sr.
Jacob Dunning, Jr.
Kory Kodanko, Fr.
ANALYSIS: When healthy, Dagel is potentially a top 10 tackle in the Big 12. Dunning tore his ACL in the second half of the Iowa game last year. If fully recovered, he’s a capable backup. My pal Ben Bruns talks him up often.
QB
Sam Richardson, Sr.
Grant Rohach, Jr.
Joel Lanning, So.
ANALYSIS: I’ve heard zero chatter of any sort of a quarterback controversy existing at all this summer in Ames.
TB
Tyler Brown, So.
Mike Warren, Fr.
Mitchell Harger, Jr.
ANALYSIS: If the line performs, Iowa State can win with the Brown/Warren combination. If any injuries occur here, why not just go five-wide and pass it on every single down? (I’m being sarcastic here…Kind of.)
WR Z
D’Vario Montgomery, Jr.
Brett Medders, Sr.
Quan West, Jr.
Darius Lee-Campbell, Fr.
ANALYSIS: Montgomery is my pick to lead the Cyclones in receiving yards and touchdowns this season. It sounds like Mark Mangino will use him a lot like he did E.J. Bibbs a year ago.
WR F
Quenton Bundrage, Sr.
Jauan Wesley, So.
Orion Salters, Fr.
ANALYSIS: Wesley is a quality second-string guy. His redshirt got burned last year and he’ll be better for it as a sophomore.
WR X
Allen Lazard, So.
Dondre Daley, Jr.
Brandon Harris, So.
ANALYSIS: I’ve always been high on Dondre Daley’s potential. The fact that he is second string heading into his junior year represents how deep Iowa State actually is at receiver.
DEFENSE
LE
Trent Taylor, Sr.
Gabe Luna, Jr.
J.D.Waggoner, So.
ANALYSIS: Taylor started strong but plateaued halfway through his junior year. He should be vastly improved with a spring and full summer under him.
DT
Pierre Aka, Jr.
Devlyn Cousin, Jr.
Robby Garcia, So.
Terry Ayeni, Jr.
ANALYSIS: I’ll be surprised if Aka starts against UNI. Cousin likely got demoted because of his off-the-field problems this offseason. Remember that third-string Robby Garcia was listed as Iowa State’s starter to begin last season.
NG
Demond Tucker, Jr.
Vernell Trent, So.
ANALYSIS: Tucker is a dude. He went through spring ball too, which is important.
RE
Dale Pierson, Sr.
Darius White, Jr.
Justin Madison, So.
ANALYSIS: Pierson was one of the best players on ISU’s defense to end last season. He was the classic example of a summer JUCO who hit his stride 6-7 games in. Somehow, third-string Justin Madison still only weighs 229 pounds.
SLB/N
Jarnor Jones, Jr.
Reggan Northrup, Fr.
ANALYSIS: The staff seems to be really high on both of these guys. My guess is that this will be a decent fall camp competition and I won’t be surprised if Northrup wins it.
MLB
Jordan Harris, Jr.
Kane Seeley, Jr.
ANALYSIS: This is a change from the spring, where Seeley was listed as the starter.
WLB
Levi Peters, Jr.
Luke Knott, Jr.
Brian Mills, So.
Willie Harvey, Fr.
ANALYSIS: The top three all have their strengths. Knott is a wildcard because he is so injury prone. Mills probably has the highest ceiling.
RCB
Nigel Tribune, Jr.
Brian Peavy, Fr.
ANALYSIS: Tribune didn’t have the sophomore season that anybody expected. Hopefully that motivated him during the offseason.
LCB
Sam E. Richardson, Sr.
Jomal Wiltz, Jr.
ANALYSIS: Wiltz, a spring JUCO, will be used heavily on special teams and is said to be one of the fastest Cyclones on the roster.
SS
Qujuan Floyd, Sr.
Darian Cotton, Sr.
Vic Holmes, Fr.
ANALYSIS: It would be nice to see T.J. Mutcherson’s name here.
FS
Kamari Cotton-Moya, So.
De’Monte Ruth, Fr.
Mike Johnson, Fr.
ANALYSIS: Better hope that Cotton-Moya stays healthy.
