The inaugural early signing period for high school football prospects will get underway on Wednesday and run through Friday. Iowa State expects to sign 16 of its 17 current commits during the early period while a few others could jump on board to sign with the Cyclones this week.
Here’s a breakdown of Iowa State’s expected early-signees:
Offense
Five of Iowa State’s expected early-signees come on the offensive side of the ball. That group includes two early-enrollees: Quarterback Re-al Mitchell and offensive lineman Trevor Downing.
Mitchell, a Bellflower, Calif. native, is rated as the No. 25 dual-threat quarterback in the country and was an Elite 11 finalist before his senior season at St. John Bosco. The 5-foot-11.5, 190-pound three-star threw for more than 4,000 yards and ran for more than 1,300 in his high school career to go along with 58 total touchdowns.
Downing is regarded as the No. 4 player in Iowa by 247Composite and the No. 32 offensive guard nationally. The Creston-native chose the Cyclones over offers from Iowa, Kansas State, Minnesota, and Missouri.
The Cyclones’ other three offensive commits are headlined by Jones, Okla. wide receiver Sean Shaw, Jr. Shaw is Iowa State’s highest-rated commit as the No. 105 pass catcher in the country and No. 636 prospect overall nationally.
Shaw is joined by Allen, Texas speedster Carson Schleker to form a talented duo of young receivers. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound three-star caught 90 passes for 1,729 yards and 18 touchdowns during his prep career. He chose Iowa State over offers from Wisconsin, Washington State, West Virginia, Utah, Arizona and a host of other FBS programs.
Iowa State’s last currently committed offensive player expected to sign during the early period is Dowling, West Des Moines offensive lineman Zach Ross. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound is rated as the No. 10 player in Iowa and No. 3 in-state offensive lineman.
One player who is not currently committed to the Cyclones to keep an eye on this week is Arizona offensive lineman Joey Ramos. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound three-star officially visited Iowa State the weekend of Dec. 8 then canceled a scheduled visit to Arizona State this past weekend.
Defense
Iowa State’s nine early-signees on the defensive side of the ball are headlined by a solid group of five defensive backs. That includes former Ole Miss safety, and current Trinity Valley CC product, Greg Eisworth, who will enroll in Ames for the spring semester.
Eisworth is considered the No. 3 junior college safety and the No. 60 junior college player in the country. He is joined by high school prospects Dallas Taylor-Cortez, Jaeveyon Morton, and Anthony Johnson, Jr. as defensive backfield newcomers for the Cyclones’ 2018 class.
Three linebackers are expected to sign with Iowa State this week in Michael Rose, Chandler Pulvermacher, and Gerry Vaughn. Rose, a former Ball State commit, is considered the No. 52 outside linebacker nationally.
Pulvermacher flipped his pledge from North Dakota State to Iowa State on Dec. 1. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound three-star primarily played safety as a high schooler in Hartland, Wis., but projects as a linebacker at the next level.
Vaughn committed to the Cyclones in June over offers from Maryland, Rutgers, Toledo and a handful of other FBS programs.
The group of defensive signees is closed out by a pair of defensive lineman, including the Cyclones’ highest-rated defensive commit in Wisconsin defensive end Will McDonald. McDonald, Iowa State’s first commit in the 2018 class, is ranked as the No. 46 weak-side defensive end nationally despite playing only two seasons of high school football.
Illinois defensive tackle Isaiah Lee committed to Iowa State just more than a week after picking up an offer following his performance at a camp in Ames. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound three-star also held offers from North Dakota State, Colorado State, New Mexico and a few other programs.
Special Teams
As of this writing, Iowa State’s class is ranked as the No. 58 class in the country by 247Composite, but those numbers are skewed by the two specialists signing and enrolling early.
Scottsdale, Ariz. kicker Brayden Narveson is considered the No. 7 placekicker in the class by 247. He went 10-of-15 on field goals with a long of 58 during his senior season at Desert Mountain High School and was 40-of-43 on extra points.
Australia-native Corey Dunn averaged 40.1 yards per punt during his JUCO career at City College of San Francisco.
Of course, stay tuned to Cyclone Fanatic throughout the week for any news regarding Iowa State’s early signing class.
NOTE: This post was updated at 5:55 p.m. on Monday with the news of Florida defensive back V’Lique Carter’s decommitment from Iowa State.
