The last two months have been good to Iowa State football on the recruiting front as the Cyclones landed nine of their 14 commitments in the 2021 class since the start of April.
With the calendar turning to June in a few days, it seemed like a good time to reset and list out some of the names at the top of the program’s board.
Note before we get to the list — I had Texas defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim originally on this list and he committed to Iowa State on Thursday.
Trenten Howland, Joliet, Ill., Athlete
Howland, a 6-foot-2, 218-pound three-star prospect, is one of the most recent Iowa State offers. He could play either running back or linebacker at the next level and is considered the No. 33 athlete in the class by 247.
Rated as the No. 10 player in Illinois, Howland also holds offers from Nebraska, Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue, Western Michigan, Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan.
Jaylin Noel, Kansas City, Mo., Wide Receiver
Iowa State and Nebraska are the two finalists for this 5-foot-11, 170-pound pass catcher out of Park Hill High School. He is considered the No. 136 wide receiver in the country and No. 18 prospect in the state of Missouri.
Joe Alt, Minneapolis, Minn., Tight End/Offensive Tackle
This 6-foot-7, 257-pound three-star plays tight end at the high school level, but likely projects as an offensive tackle once he reaches college. Rated as the No. 75 offensive tackle in the country and No. 7 player in Minnesota, he holds offers from Iowa State, Iowa, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Kansas State, Missouri and Northwestern.
Erik Olsen, Littleton, Co., Tight End
Iowa State already holds one commitment at the tight end spot with in-state prospect Tyler Moore, but they’ll look to add another during the 2021 class. Olsen, 6-foot-5, 230-pounds, is considered the No. 19 tight end in the class and No. 5 player in the state of Colorado. He has a host of Power 5 offers, including Iowa State, Arizona State, Colorado, Stanford, UCLA, Utah, Arkansas, Auburn, Cal, Kansas State, Louisville, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia.
Mitch Evans, Wadsworth, Ohio, Tight End
The Cyclones already have landed the commitment of one 2021 prospect from Wadsworth in linebacker Carston Marshall and Evans is another of the program’s top targets at the tight end spot. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound three-star is considered the No. 21 tight end in the class and No. 16 player in the state of Ohio with offers from Iowa State, Indiana, Michigan State, UCF, Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Virginia, West Virginia and a handful of other FBS programs.
Tyler Maro, Davenport, Iowa, Offensive Tackle
This in-state prospect’s recruitment has picked up considerably since the Cyclones offered on April 24 with offers from Kansas State, UCLA, Duke, Oregon, Nebraska, Illinois, Arizona State, Indiana and TCU all following. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Assumption product is considered the No. 98 offensive tackle in the country and No. 15 player in the state of Iowa.
TJ Bollers, Tiffin, Iowa, Defensive End
This is a prospect who needs no introduction as he’s been one of the names at the top of Iowa State’s board for a long time. The Clear Creek Amana star is considered the No. 2 player in Iowa and is expected to choose between his top-six of Iowa State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Alabama, Northwestern and Cal in the not so distant future with the Cyclones being among the odds-on favorites to land him (along with Wisconsin and Nebraska).
If Iowa State does win the Bollers sweepstakes, it would most likely be the biggest recruiting victory of Matt Campbell’s time in Ames.
Brayden Dudley, Hoschton, Ga., Defensive End
Dudley picked up an Iowa State offer last month and has continued to see his recruiting profile rise ever since. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound prospect does not have a rating from 247, but he does hold offers from Michigan State, UCF, West Virginia, UConn, USF and about a dozen other FBS programs.
Matthew Alexander, Buford, Ga., Defensive Tackle
Another defensive line target from Georgia to close out the list. Alexander has received quite a bit of Power 5 interest and is considered the No. 77 defensive tackle prospect in the country. Iowa State was the second Power 5 school to offer the 6-foot-3, 260-pound three-star when they did so on March 27, behind only Kentucky, but he’s since added offers from Washington State, Missouri, Arkansas and a host of other FBS programs.
