RECRUITING: Iowa State lands Florida defensive back

Iowa State’s hot finish to June on the recruiting trail continued on the month’s final day.

The Cyclones have landed a commitment from three-star defensive back Noble Thomas. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Orange City, Fla. native announced his pledge in a guest column in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

“I am choosing Iowa State for a few different reasons, one being how comfortable I feel when I am there. It’s almost like I am at home,” Thomas wrote. “I love the staff, and I can also tell they love me. Probably the biggest reason I know they have genuine love for me was when they first offered me. Safeties coach Deon Broomfield was the one who offered me, and we had that immediate bond. He found my film and wanted the staff see it. They really, really wanted me to get up there for a visit. When I got up to Ames, the love was different. I was the first corner there, and it made me feel like I was a top priority for them.”

Thomas, who is considered the No. 93 cornerback in the 2022 recruiting class and No. 141 player in Florida by 247Composite, chose Iowa State over offers from Oregon State, Boston College, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, West Virginia and a host of other FBS programs.

He officially visited Iowa State during the first weekend in June.

Thomas was a first-team all-area selection by the Daytona Beach News-Journal in 2020 after compiling eight pass breakups, two interceptions and a kick return for a touchdown for University High School.

This is Iowa State’s ninth commitment in the 2021 cycle and the first defensive back. It is also the Cyclones’ fifth commitment in the month of June with the other four coming within the last two weeks.

Iowa State’s class was ranked as the No. 48 class in the country and No. 6 class in the Big 12 prior to Thomas’ commitment.