I’m back with a brand new Iowa State football recruiting hot board before fall camp gets underway on Aug. 4. There’s only a little bit of movement on the board since I last updated it almost exactly a month ago.
Here was the last hot board to refresh your memory:
1. Bobby Roundtree – Defensive End – Largo, Fla.
2. Kam White – Athlete/Safety – Clinton, Miss.
3. Marquis Hayes – Offensive Line – Maryland Heights, Mo. – Committed to Oklahoma
4. Wiley Lester – Defensive Tackle – NE Oklahoma A&M
5. Deven Lamp – Defensive End – Cedar Hill, Texas – Committed to Iowa State
6. Keonte Jones – Safety – Cincinnati, Ohio
7. Reese Leitao – Tight End – Jenks, Okla.
8. KJ Hamler – Wide Receiver – Farmington, Mich.
9. Ray Lima – Defensive Tackle – El Camino College
10. Cedrick Dort – Cornerback – Dwyer, Fla.
One other note, Caleb Chandler’s decommitment from Iowa State was another piece of movement that played a factor in putting this board together.
I plan to have the next update in two weeks. Here’s the goods.
1. Caleb Chandler – Offensive Line – Jefferson, Ga.
Chandler takes back the top spot on the Hot Board after his decommitment for the Cyclones earlier this month. The 6-foot-5-inch, 295-pound offensive guard was No. 1 on the first Hot Board back at the beginning of June, but his commitment following a mid-month visit bumped him off the second.
The Cyclones are still within Chandler’s top six heading into the fall and are almost a lock to receive one of his five official visits. The question then becomes who are the other four?
Georgia seems like a very likely possibility, as does Florida. I think Louisville and Mississippi State are both going to make a big push too. Miami (FL) and West Virginia both offered him on the day he decommited from ISU, so those are some others to keep an eye on.
I feel like Iowa State is still in a good spot for the No. 31 offensive tackle in the class, according to 247, but we’re still a long ways from seeing this resolved.
2. Wiley Lester – Defensive Tackle – NE Oklahoma A&M
Iowa State loses a lot at in the interior of their defensive line after the 2016 season, and adding a couple JUCO defensive tackles will likely be a huge key for the coaching staff before signing day.
Lester visited Ames during the Cyclones’ big recruiting weekend in mid-June. The 6-foot-6-inch, 285-pound, prospect also holds offers from Baylor, Syracuse, Houston, Colorado State and West Virginia.
Rated as the No. 7 JUCO defensive tackle in the class, Lester has the potential to come in and fill a big role right away for whichever school he chooses.
3. Bobby Roundtree – Defensive End – Largo, Fla.
Defensive end is a position that Iowa State hasn’t be exactly successful at recruiting from the high school ranks. Landing Roundtree could go a long way in helping to reverse that sentiment.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 215-pound, prospect is rated as the No. 62 strong side defensive end in the class by 247. Iowa State also made the cut for his top 10 when he tweeted it out a couple weeks ago.
He’s going to need to add strength and weight before he can be successful at the college level, but he has the physical tools and the frame to be a very solid pass rusher at the next level. He could maybe even fit in at the Leo position.
It might be tough to pull this guy out of SEC-country with Mississippi State and Vanderbilt already offering, plus home-state school Florida coming to snoop around a little bit.
4. Thayer Munford – Offensive Line – Massillon, Ohio
Another big fish along the offensive line, Munford visited Ames the same weekend as Lester, Chandler and a host of other top ISU recruits. The 6-foot-5-inch, 340-pound, offensive tackle has been a hot name on the trail as of late.
He holds offers from Alabama, Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh and a lot of other schools. His performance at an Ohio State camp this weekend also opened some eyes, and he’s started to receive some interest from the home-state Buckeyes.
This is another recruitment with a long ways to go, but Iowa State already got a visit and I think they’re on solid footing here. A lot of it will come down to who else offers between now and signing day, in my opinion.
5. Ray Lima – Defensive Tackle – El Camino College
Lima is another JUCO defensive tackle that I think would have the ability to make an immediate impact for Iowa State if he chose to sign here. His 247 profile lists his only other offer coming from Arizona, but the crystal ball has him 100 percent to Oregon State, so I’m not really sure what’s up with his recruitment.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 310-pound, prospect is a very big body in the middle of the line, and could be very effective as a run-stopper at the next level.
This is a recruitment that I’m interested to see play out.
6. Dimitri Moore – Outside Linebacker – Cedar Hill, Texas
Moore is a slightly newer name on Iowa State’s board, and the Cyclones got a visit from the 6-foot-2-inch, 195-pound, linebacker two weekends ago. Rated as the No. 34 outside linebacker in the class by 247, he also holds offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri and a host of others.
That hasn’t kept Texas A&M and Baylor from being the front-runners. Moore’s brother plays for the Aggies, and a big senior season would likely put him in position to earn an offer.
The Cyclones could definitely use another linebacker in this class, and Moore would be a very nice fish to catch.
7. Kam White – Athlete/Safety – Clinton, Miss.
White burst on to the Iowa State recruiting scene after an unofficial visit to the spring game back in April, and while his name has maybe lost a little steam among fans, he’s still a top priority. Offers from Alabama and Ole Miss sparked a lot of people’s interest, then once they saw the 6-foot-2-inch, 203-pound, athlete on film, it was clear he was a must-get for ISU.
White’s been back to Ames a couple times since that initial visit, and I’d assume the Cyclones are a lock to earn one of his five official visits.
Safety isn’t as big of a need for ISU after the coaches’ moves to pick up transfers, but White is still a name that is going to raise some eyebrows across the country if he picks ISU.
8. KJ Hamler – Wide Receiver – Farmington, Mich.
I asked someone last month how you can tell if someone in eighth grade will be able to play college football. They essentially told me it is easy to tell if someone is head and shoulders above the rest of their age-group.
Apparently, that was KJ Hamler when Matt Campbell saw him as an eighth grader and offered him a scholarship, now almost five years ago. Hamler would be the perfect player for the M-position in the Iowa State offense with good speed, great shiftiness and very solid hands.
Landing him could be tough with Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State and a host of others already offering, but the Cyclones did get a visit in June. It also helps that he’s a former high school teammate of Cyclone commit Richard Bowens III.
Don’t let Hamler’s 5-foot-9-inch, 155-pound, frame fool you, he’s the real deal once he steps in between the lines.
9. Keonte Jones – Safety – Cincinnati, Ohio
Iowa State seemed to be the front-runner for Jones back in April, but I think it is Indiana that has been able to distance themselves from the pack during the summer months. Jones is the brother of ISU freshman DeShaunte Jones, but that won’t make an impact in Keonte’s decision.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 175-pound, safety was one of my favorite prospects to watch early on the process due to his downhill style of play and ability to attack the football. He’s a heavy hitter with very good speed that will be helpful to any secondary that picks him up.
10. Cedrick Dort – Cornerback – Dwyer, Fla.
The Cyclones made the cut for Dwyer’s top 10 when he released it last week on Twitter. The 6-foot-1-inch, 165-pound, defensive back seems likely bound for Kentucky when he makes his college announcement on Monday.
That doesn’t mean the Cyclones are out of it, and I wouldn’t be one bit surprised to see him make his commitment to Iowa State, but I don’t find it likely. Dort has good speed and good ball-skills, but cornerback isn’t as immediate of a need for the Cyclones in 2016.
Adding Dort would be nice, but by no means is he an absolute must-get. We’ll know a lot more about this situation on Monday.
