Iowa dominating in state recruiting

[Clone83]

Looking forward to next years article talking about ISU dominating in state recruiting.

Just FYI, only one 2025 recruit is committed so far, but the DM Register also did an article today on the top 25 of 2025.

Like the one on 2024, it is also subscriber only.

Understandably, less detail is provided for 2025. But for those ranked from 11-25, only name, position(s), high school, and height/weight are provided.

Similarly, for 2024, the same info for 26-50 (but includes any prior ranking also).

 

[cyclonehomer]

Last year Iowa State got 4 of the top 7 recruits in the state of Iowa and 5 of the top 11. Iowa got 1 in the top 7 and 2 in the top 11. All 5 of Iowa State's recruits in the top 11 were from central Iowa.

This year, the rankings are dominated by kids in the eastern part of the state. According to 247, many of those kids didn't visit anywhere but Iowa.

This is exactly right. ISU has been more competitive of late prior to these couple classes currently, and it's not really a legit problem anyway. I do not care if Iowa gets more kids from the state, I care that ISU is able to recruit good players.

Picking unwinnable battles going after lifelong Hoks is just burning resources and time when you can go elsewhere and not fight those battles for similar kids.

 

[singsing]

Who cares..That's a register article and they'll jump on anything with an Iowa lean. 25 is a ways off, and winning instate recruiting isn't all that important anyway. Iowa's years with Fry dominating ISU weren't because of instate recruiting. He hit Texas. I want the best players available that want to play for Iowa State and could care less where they're from. Breece is one of my favorite players and he's from Kansas..don't care even though I can't stand that ******* state.

 

[Cyrocks]

Iowa State has had some good years and a few great seasons, but here is the turning point on when ISU could have really put things together to actually dominate.

Iowa State, in Earle Bruce's last three seasons of 1976, 77 and 78, went a combined 24-11 finishing second in the Big 8 in 77 and third in 78 when Nebraska and Oklahoma were the nation's elite teams.

Iowa State, and some of the blame goes to the Board of Regents as well, then p*ssed down their legs in hiring Donnie Duncan to replace Bruce as head coach instead of going after a big time coach.

That horrible hiring was followed by another horrible hire in Jim Criner. Jim Walden wasn't too bad, but the damage was done under Criner when scholarships were taken from Iowa State due to some NCAA violations.

The reason I bring all this up is that had Iowa State gone after a coach like Fry at that time, I think Iowa State would have been the dominate team in the state during the 20 years Fry lead Iowa, Speculation on my part? Sure. But Iowa was a horrible program in much worse shape than Iowa State ever was.

So since that time, high schoolers in this state have only known Iowa as the top college team in the state and thus that is why Iowa wins the recruiting battle. Iowa State had the chance to switch that around, but f*cked it up (and again, I blame the Board of Regents a little for that. No way were they ever going to let ISU hire a coach like Fry. They were upset that Bruce was doing so well.)

ISU had their chances of being "Iowa". They blew it.

 

[mitchforcy]

Don't forget Iowa's annual schedule of cupcakes definitely give false perception that they are a good team. When that goes away, the in state battles will likely shift.

The in state battles will shift when we beat them consistently which we haven't been able to do recently.

 

[Allikat]

To be fair the standard has been raised here.

It has - hence why I say if that is a bad year - I'll take it.

If we regress to 2015-16 levels, Houston, we have a problem.

 

[frackincygy]

Looking forward to next years article talking about ISU dominating in state recruiting.

I gave you optimistic, not for ISU dominating in recruiting, rather for media in Iowa to actually acknowledge it with an article.

 

[CyJam]

No. 4 on the list is a LB from Winfield-Mt. Union.

Kinda hard to compete with Iowa on this one. After all, isn't Jess Settles still playing ball there?

​

Worth noting, Klay Edwards son has signed with committed to Army out of WMU.

 

[exCYtable]

I don't know how many more opportunities we will have. With larger conferences, possibly more conference games, I don't expect the series to continue, at least not every year. Hope I'm wrong.

That series can rot

 

[CySmurf]

I don't know how many more opportunities we will have. With larger conferences, possibly more conference games, I don't expect the series to continue, at least not every year. Hope I'm wrong.

I hope this series ends...at least every year. I've grown somewhat angry at our inability to compete against them. We've had good teams. Just play like dog crap when we play them. Basketball is about as irritating. We've played with little fire or passion when coached by Prohm. I'm hoping Otz will light a fire under their ass for when they play the Hawkeyes from here on out.

 

[Klubber]

I think this will be the case going forward. We are going to be viewed more as G-5 rather than power 5 (or now p4) with recruits going forward. It's perception, so even though there are good football teams in the Big 12, there are no brand names. No games against programs like USC, Oregon, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, etc... Recruits that go to Iowa get to play in those games and atmospheres both home and away. It's kind of like Texas fans, they hated the Big 12 and felt they were at a recruiting disadvantage to the Aggies. Never mind that on the field the Big 12 more than held it's own over the last 10 years, they didn't care. For example, they would have gotten way more excited to bring a dog crap Tennessee (in the years they were down) program in for a home game than a top 10 TCU or Baylor.

I really don't think that recruits will be viewing the Big XII as a G-5 league anytime soon.

Our recent expansion and the teams added is one reason. And being the best hoops conference and the exposure from that alone carries a lot of weight IMO.

As long as our football teams stay at an elite level and earn playoff slots, then I don't see a perception problem there either. As you said, our football teams hold their own against the other P-4 teams.

Also of note is the Big XII now includes these media markets (and rankings): Dallas/FW #5; Houston #7; Phoenix #11; Denver #16; Orlando #17; SLC #29; KC #33; Cincy #36; among others. So, I'd argue we now have a really solid lineup of brand type teams too.

One other thing on the B1G: With their going to 18 teams, a lot of recruits probably won't even get a chance to play in some of those games vs. a Mich, TOSU, PSU etc. because of the new scheduling.

 

[madguy30]

This is exactly right. ISU has been more competitive of late prior to these couple classes currently, and it's not really a legit problem anyway. I do not care if Iowa gets more kids from the state, I care that ISU is able to recruit good players.

Picking unwinnable battles going after lifelong Hoks is just burning resources and time when you can go elsewhere and not fight those battles for similar kids.

Getting instate kids is a good story locally but even if ISU were getting more Iowa kids it's not like the decades' long perception from Iowa fans would change.

 

[Statefan10]

I hope this series ends...at least every year. I've grown somewhat angry at our inability to compete against them. We've had good teams. Just play like dog crap when we play them. Basketball is about as irritating. We've played with little fire or passion when coached by Prohm. I'm hoping Otz will light a fire under their ass for when they play the Hawkeyes from here on out.

Inability to compete against them? You can’t be serious. Win games, sure. But we’ve competed in every game against them under CMC.

 

[madguy30]

Inability to compete against them? You can’t be serious. Win games, sure. But we’ve competed in every game against them under CMC.

Ish. '16 was a mess but I honestly don't know if CMC knew what he was getting into his first two games taking over such a dire program.

'18 and '21 were close score wise but once ISU got down (and essentially melted down in '21) they couldn't do much.

'17 and '19 were competitive and fun on a general football fan perspective and ISU had the yips at awful times.

Last year was perhaps one of the ugliest football games I've ever watched haha.

 

[SCNCY]

Inability to compete against them? You can’t be serious. Win games, sure. But we’ve competed in every game against them under CMC.

Nobody cares how close you were. The only thing that matters is if you won or lost. If we win the Iowa game more often than not, I believe our instate recruiting fortunes would turn in our favor.

 

[CySmurf]

Inability to compete against them? You can’t be serious. Win games, sure. But we’ve competed in every game against them under CMC.

Yeah, I think I should have said winning. Our execution has been piss poor though. But that isn't just against Iowa. How many one score games have we lost the past few years?

 

[madguy30]

Yeah, I think I should have said winning. Our execution has been piss poor though. But that isn't just against Iowa. How many one score games have we lost the past few years?

No idea but ISU has won more games than lost in that time and 5 score losses aren't the norm at least.

 

[CycloneVet]

I would guess that Levar Woods is probably the front runner if the DC isn't HC material. But it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to pry KSU's coach away. Not that he's part of that coaching tree, but he is from Iowa.

I find it funny if you ask iowa fans about KF, they always say he's got another 5 years left in him. He had 5 years two years ago and he's got 5 years now. At some point, he's going to retire and it wouldn't hurt my feelings if things tailed off with a grandpa coach just like it did with Fry.

What about KSU coach, Iowa native that Iowa will be able to pay more than KSU

 

[Cyowa 14]

Hard to argue it hasn't worked for them. Look at their record over the past 20 years.

Idk what is it? 7.7-8.2 wins per season would be my rough guess? Definitely has a handful of 10+ win seasons but also has a 1,3,4 and plenty of 6 win seasons thrown in there too with the last 4 win season coming in year 14 of his Iowa tenure.

Really makes you realize how hard it is to win at a developmental program like Iowa and Iowa State when you go back and look at the ups and downs of Ferentz's tenure, should expect the same from Campbell over a 20+ year career as well

 

[besserheimerphat]

Folks talking about selling "playing against the big boys" - in the new Big 10, Iowa will only play OSU/UM/PSU once every 8 or so years. So most players will only get one shot at them. And half of those won't be in the 'Shoe, the Big House or Happy Valley.

Instead they'll play at midnight either in empty LA stadiums or in the rain in Seattle.

Autzen Stadium would be cool, but the Ducks aren't what they once were.