He Iowa State has a big game on the field this weekend when Iowa visits Jack Trice Stadium (11 a.m. on ESPN2), but the weekend is pretty big off the field as well with a pair commits taking official visits and some key unofficials.
Here’s the list of players Cyclone Fanatic has confirmed will be on hand for the annual in-state rivalry game. First for the officials.
Re-al Mitchell, Quarterback, Bellflower, Calif.
Mitchell has become a household name in Iowa State circles since announcing his commitment to Matt Campbell’s program on May 1. The No. 21 dual-threat signal caller in the country, per 247Composite, is set to take his official visit this weekend and return to Ames for the first time since June.
Mitchell is slated to be an early-enrollee along with the next player on the list…
Brayden Narveson, Kicker, Scottsdale, Ariz.
The No. 6 kicker in the country, according to 247, announced his commitment to Iowa State back in April and is the second official visitor for this weekend. This will be his first time in Ames since attending an Iowa State camp back in June.
As mentioned above, Narveson is also set to be an early-enrollee.
Julius Welschof, Defensive End, Germany
This was a new name that came on the radar later in the morning on Thursday. Welschof picked up an Iowa State offer in July and will be taking an official visit to Ames this weekend, as first reported by CycloneAlert’s Alex Halsted.
The 6-foot-6, 248-pound defensive end holds offers from a dozen schools including UConn, Syracuse, Rutgers and some smaller FBS programs. It sounds as though he is a freak athlete (his 247 page lists him with a 4.55 40-yard dash time) with a huge frame.
This will be an interesting recruitment to watch develop.
Now for the unofficials…
John Waggoner, Defensive end, Des Moines, Iowa
It is somewhat hard to say where the Cyclones stand at this point with the state’s top prospect, but he will be on campus this weekend for an unofficial visit. As most people know, the No. 229 prospect in the country also holds offers from Iowa, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU, Florida and a handful of other major FBS programs.
Jayden Russell, Safety, Lenexa, Kan.
This 2019 prospect attends the same high school as 2017 Iowa State signee Angel Dominguez. The 6-foot-1, 178-pound prospect rated as the No. 49 safety in the class also holds offers from Kansas, Kansas State and Toledo.
This will be Russell’s second unofficial visit to Ames since picking up a Cyclone offer in May.
Khali Saunders, Athlete, Elmhurst, Ill.
Saunder is rated as the No. 118 wide receiver in the 2019 class. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound prospect rated as the No. 9 player in Illinois fits the mold of the big receivers the Iowa State staff loves to find on the recruiting trail.
Jirehl Brock, Running back, Quincy, Ill.
The biggest name of the three 2019 prospects expected on campus, Brock is the No. 14 running back in the class and No. 177 player overall. The 6-foot, 180-pound four-star also holds offers from Iowa, Missouri, Michigan State and Illinois.
