Iowa State has reached the midpoint of its 2018 season and with the 2019 class nearly full, the staff will turn a lot of its attention in the coming weeks and months to the 2020 cycle.
That makes this a good time to update folks on where the Cyclones’ 2020 class currently stands and list off a few key names to know as the staff’s efforts on the cycle ramp up.
Commits
Aidan Bouman, Quarterback, Buffalo, MN
Bouman, who is considered the No. 33 pro-style quarterback in the class by 247Composite, was the first player to join Iowa State’s 2020 recruiting class when he announced his commitment to the Cyclones on July 21. Iowa State was the 6-foot-5, 200-pound three-star prospect’s first offer and it remains the only program to extend him a scholarship at this point.
The son of former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Todd Bouman has been electric as a junior, leading the entire state in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns while helping lead Buffalo to a 6-2 record.
Buffalo will take on Prior Lake next Friday in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Cole Pedersen, Linebacker, Leon, IA
Pedersen, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound three-star prospect, joined the class less than a week after Bouman. He is rated as the No. 42 outside linebacker in the class and No. 4 player in the state of Iowa by 247Composite.
The Central Decatur product has done double-duty at quarterback and linebacker while helping the Cardinals to a 3-5 record entering the season’s final week. Defensively, where Pedersen will be slated to play at the collegiate level, he is third on the team with 45.5 tackles, five tackles for loss and half a sack.
Others to Watch
Josh Volk, Offensive Guard, Cedar Rapids, IA
Volk has solidified himself as one of the state’s top prospects and most sought-after recruits while helping Des Moines Register Class 3A No. 1 Cedar Rapids, Xavier to an 8-0 record. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound three-star prospect is considered the No. 2 in-state player in the class and No. 23 offensive guard in the country by 247Composite.
He has visited Ames twice since picking up an Iowa State offer last December and the Cyclones stand with Iowa as the only schools to offer him at this point. He has taken trips to Iowa City, Northwestern, Michigan State and Notre Dame, along with Ames for the season’s opening week, this season.
Logan Jones, Defensive Tackle, Council Bluffs, IA
Rated as the No. 3 player in the state, Jones has held an Iowa State offer for more than a year at this point. The Lewis Central product has compiled 27 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks during the Des Moines Register Class 3A No. 2 Titans’ undefeated run through the season’s first eight weeks.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound three-star visited Ames for Iowa State’s canceled season-opener against South Dakota State on Sept. 1. He also holds offers from Iowa and Minnesota. Interestingly, Jones and Volk will have a chance to go head-to-head if the rankings hold true and each team reaches, most likely, the Class 3A state title game at the UNI-Dome.
Blaise Gunnerson, Defensive End, Carroll, IA
Continuing our run through the list of the top in-state prospects, Gunnerson is considered the No. 6 player in-state player in the class. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound three-star prospect has not played during his junior season due to a torn labrum, but that has not kept him from garnering plenty of college interest.
The No. 32 strong-side defensive end in the country currently holds Power 5 offers from the Cyclones, Iowa and Minnesota. He most recently visited Ames for Iowa State’s loss to Oklahoma and has since taken trips to Nebraska, Minnesota and Notre Dame.
Drake Heismeyer, Offensive Guard, St. Charles, MO
Rated as the No. 34 offensive guard in the country, Heismeyer holds Power 5 offers from Iowa State, Missouri and Indiana. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound three-star prospect is considered the No. 15 player in the state of Missouri.
Hayden Pauls, Offensive Tackle, Emporia, KS
Pauls, who is rated as the No. 53 offensive tackle in the country and No. 4 player in the state of Kansas by 247Composite, does not hold an Iowa State offer at this point, but he is squarely on the Cyclones’ radar. The 6-foot-4, 241-pound three-star currently holds offers from Kansas and Kansas State.
Aaron Witt, Defensive End, Winona, MN
Witt was among the list of visitors on hand for Iowa State’s upset win over No. 6 West Virginia last weekend. The No. 29 strong-side defensive end and No. 4 player in the state of Minnesota, according to 247Composite, currently holds offers from the Cyclones, Iowa and Minnesota.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound three-star is scheduled to unofficially visit Northwestern this weekend.
Xavier Watts, Wide Receiver, Omaha, NE
Watts has solidified himself as a Power 5 prospect along with the several others already on Burke’s 2018 roster. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound three-star is considered the No. 2 player in the state of Nebraska and holds offers from Iowa State, Minnesota, Northwestern and Purdue.
Per usual with Nebraska kids, the one to watch here will be the home-state Cornhuskers. Burke teammates Chris Hickman and Nick Heinrich are both already committed to Scott Frost’s 2019 class.
Jalen Logan-Redding, Defensive End, Columbia, MO
Logan-Redding, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound three-star prospect, is considered the No. 4 player in the state of Missouri by 247. He holds Power 5 offers from Iowa State, Missouri, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State.
Daniel Jackson, Wide Receiver, Shawnee Mission, KS
One of the big fish on Iowa State’s 2020 radar early in the cycle, Jackson is a four-star prospect considered the No. 50 wide receiver in the class, No. 2 player in Kansas and No. 254 player in the country overall by 247Composite.
Iowa State was the first school to offer the 5-foot-11, 178-pound prospect and he unofficially visited Ames in April. He also holds offers from Notre Dame, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Texas A&M.
Luke Lachey, Tight End, Columbus, OH
Lachey fits the mold of tight ends Iowa State has brought in during recent cycles at 6-foot-6, 205-pounds. The three-star prospect is rated as the No. 20 tight end in the country and No. 20 player in the state of Ohio by 247Composite. Iowa State and Kentucky are currently his only Power 5 offers, but he also holds scholarship tenders from Toledo, Cincinnati, Bowling Green and a few other FBS programs.
