As part of a loaded week on the recruiting trail for Iowa State football, the program was in Ohio to see 2026 prospect Brayden Thomas.
The Cyclones were the second to offer Thomas, after Toledo, and are still the only power conference program to offer the standout defensive back.
“(The recruiting process) has been pretty good,” Thomas said. “I’ve talked to a lot of schools, and there’s just a lot of waiting to see coaches that come around and see me and my family in person.”
Safeties coach Deon Broomfield, who’s entering his fifth season at the position, was at St. Thomas High School this week to see the 6-foot-1, 175-pound prospect.
Iowa State has frequented the area ever since coach Matt Campbell arrived in Ames.
“I’ve had a lot (of conversations) with Iowa State,” “Coach Broom – me and him talk about everything, from football to playing the game. There’s really a true bond there.”
Thomas currently holds other offers to Toledo, UMass, Eastern Michigan and Kent State.
In the Campbell era, Iowa State has often been one of, if not the first, power conference programs to offer prospects.
That stuck out to Thomas.
“The fact that they took a shot on me early (stuck out),” Thomas said. “Like, when a lot of coaches weren’t looking at me – they were my second offer. (Coach Broomfield) liked how I played and my attributes and all that. And I’m really big on a school believing in me before everyone else did. That’s one thing that really stood out to me about them, the fact that they were bold enough to take a shot on me before a lot of schools were ready to pull the trigger on me.”
Thomas will be part of the Junior day visits on February 1 in Ames, which will be his first time on campus.
“They run a unique defense that you don’t see too much in college,” Thomas said. “But, I really like how they play with the three-high safety stuff. And I’ve seen that they send people to the NFL, and had a great bowl game this year.”
Thomas’ brother, Loghan, has appeared regularly on the field for Notre Dame as both a defensive lineman and a special teams player.
“When I got the first power five offer, it was definitely big,” Thomas said. “Just knowing that my brother went to Notre Dame and I’m kind of following in his footsteps being able to play at the next level. When Iowa State offered me, it was probably one of the best days of my life, truly.”
The Cyclones already boast four commits to the 2026 recruiting class, and hope Thomas can join that group down the road.
