Five names to know for the 2019 recruiting cycle

After signing 18 players during the 2018 early signing period last month, Iowa State will be able to get a major jump-start on the 2019 recruiting class during the month of January.

The Cyclones already hold four commitments for the 2019 cycle, including three well-regarded wide receivers and one of the state’s top offensive linemen. That is already a major head-start compared to previous cycles when Iowa State might not have landed even their first commitment in the next class until National Signing Day.

Here are five names you will need to know as the 2019 recruiting cycle really ramps up in the coming weeks.

Max Duggan, Quarterback, Council Bluffs, Iowa

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Lewis Central product may be the most heavily recruited player Matt Campbell and his staff has set their eyes on since arriving in Ames.

Rated as a four-star prospect, Duggan holds approximately 17 scholarship offers including the likes of Penn State, Ohio State, Georgia, Nebraska, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Iowa, Minnesota and a host of other Power 5 programs. Duggan is considered to be the top skill position player in Iowa and the No. 266 prospect nationally by 247Composite.

If there is a clear target No. 1 in the 2019 class, it is Max Duggan.

Jack Campbell, Outside Linebacker, Cedar Falls, Iowa

Campbell has been near the top of Iowa State’s 2019 list since landing a scholarship offer more than a year ago. The three-star prospect is rated as the No. 4 player in Iowa by 247 and became an even bigger priority after attending a camp in Ames last June.

As of this writing, Campbell has taken four unofficial visits to Ames and recently landed his third Power 5 scholarship offer from Minnesota, joining the Cyclones and Iowa. Expect the No. 469 player in the country to continue seeing his recruiting interest grow as the 2019 cycle picks up this month.

Chester Graves, Defensive End, Iowa Western C.C.

The former Ole Miss signee is coming off an absolutely monster season as a freshman for the Reivers. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Kansas City native recorded 67 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and six sacks in his first season in Council Bluffs.

He was regarded as a four-star prospect, the top player in Missouri and No. 243 player overall in the 2017 class after a prep career at Park Hill High School.

Bryce Benhart, Offensive Tackle, Lakeville, Minnesota

The 6-foot-7, 285-pound Lakeville (North) product enters the month of January as one of the most highly-regarded offensive linemen in the Midwest. Benhart already holds offers from Iowa State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, UCLA, Duke, and Oklahoma State.

Rated as the No. 2 player in Minnesota, No. 41 offensive tackle in the class and No. 380 player in the class by 247Composite, Sean Foster is the only Iowa State offensive line signee in the Campbell-era rated higher than Benhart.

Jirehl Brock, Running Back, Quincy, Illinois

After not signing a running back in the 2018 recruiting class, the spot will be a top priority for the Cyclones in 2019. Enter Brock, who is rated as the No. 134 player in the class and No. 12 running back nationally by 247Composite.

Brock currently holds offers from Iowa State, Iowa, Michigan State, Missouri, Cincinnati, and Illinois. He took an unofficial visit to Ames for the Cyclones’ loss to Iowa on Sept. 9.