Oct 18, 2014; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Malcolm Brown (90) is defended by Iowa State Cyclones offensive tackle Jake Campos (67) during the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas beat Iowa State 48-45. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
Iowa State offensive lineman Jake Campos is making progress on his return to the field, according to head coach Matt Campbell. The redshirt junior is out for the season after suffering a broken leg during fall camp.
Despite missing reps on the field, Campos has been working to make himself better.
“Jake is doing really well. Jake is, matter of fact, out of the boot in normal shoes,” Campbell said during his press conference on Monday. “Moving around a little bit right now, which is really great to see. I think one of the best things, and I know I said this last year when Jake didn’t get to go through the spring, is how valuable those months were for him to get bigger and stronger. I don’t know if you could ever say there’s a silver lining losing a guy like Jake Campos, but I’ll tell you Jake looks really good right now. Definitely as strong as he’s ever been. Has really used this time, both in terms of coaching those young offensive linemen, but also really helping himself. Bigger and stronger than he’s ever been. We’re all really excited to get him back. He’s really done a great job leading our football team and really leading that offensive line. Nobody really talks about it, but he’s done a really good job.”
Campos missed last spring while recovering from offseason hip surgery. The 6-foot-7-inch West Des Moines native has started 23 games during his Iowa State career. He was one of only five players to start all 12 games for the Cyclones in 2015.
Campbell says he’ll likely be ready to go in the spring.
“I think Jake will have an opportunity to be there in the spring,” Campbell said. “With as much time as he’s missed, it will be invaluable for him to get those reps.”
