RECRUITING: Cyclones land Minnesota transfer defensive lineman

Oct 30, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive lineman MJ Anderson (3) sacks Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Andrew Marty (7) in the second half at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa State has landed a commitment from Minnesota transfer defensive lineman MJ Anderson. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound former three-star recruit announced his pledge on Sunday via his Twitter account.

Anderson, a member of the 2019 recruiting class out of St. Louis, was considered the No. 835 player in the country, No. 55 strongside defensive end and No. 18 player in Missouri by the 247Composite as a prep. Iowa State was one of more than 25 schools to offer Anderson out of high school along with Arkansas, Duke, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Purdue, TCU, Virginia and numerous others.

At Minnesota, Anderson appeared in 16 games across three seasons, recording eight tackles and two passes defended. His most productive season came in 2021 when he tallied seven of those tackles.

It comes as no surprise that Iowa State would attack the transfer portal hard along the defensive line with the impending departures of seniors Enyi Uwazurike, Tucker Robertson, Zach Petersen and potential NFL early-entree by Will McDonald.

Stay tuned to Cyclone Fanatic for more on this story.

Jared Stansbury

View articles by Jared Stansbury subscriber

Jared a native of Clarinda, Iowa, started as the Cyclone Fanatic intern in August 2013, primarily working as a videographer until starting on the women’s basketball beat prior to the 2014-15 season. Upon earning his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State in May 2016, Jared was hired as the site’s full-time staff writer, taking over as the primary day-to-day reporter on football and men’s basketball. He was elevated to the position of managing editor in January 2020. He is a regular contributor on 1460 KXNO in Des Moines and makes regular guest appearances on radio stations across the Midwest. Jared resides in Ankeny with his four-year-old puggle, Lolo.

Follow @@JaredStansbury