Class of 2024 Breakdown

[cyclone4L]

Cooper Alexander has won his state championship

 

[cyclone4L]

Keaton Roskop Added.

 

[tomar1]

Name: Connor Moberly
Position: QB
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195lb
Other Measurables:
NCAA Football 14 Freshman: 70
NCAA Football 14 Potential: 92
Player Comparison: Marcus Mariota. Has a similar touch on the ball as well as very good straight-line speed. May not be as agile as Vick, Murray, or Lamar Jackson, but he can turn broken plays into 30-yard runs.
Significant Impact: RS SO. Rocco and JJ will make it difficult for other quarterbacks to see the field early
Areas of Improvement:
He has a tendency to throw into double and triple coverage, especially when he's taking deep shots. I'm not sure if they are scripted reads because he doesn't take much time to read the coverage in these situations. Also, he tends to freeze when the pocket is collapsing; however, I'd rather take a sack than a pick.
Thoughts:
When I first started to follow recruiting closely back in 2010, the big difference I realized was the talent of quarterback that Iowa State was bringing in compared to other power five teams. Specifically, I remember watching Grant Rohach's high school tape and thinking "Yeah, he's ok I guess, but he is nothing compared to Jameis Winston or Gunner Kiel." No, I was not delusional to think that Rhoads could pull a 5-star caliber QB, but I felt like there was a lot to be desired with recruits such as Joel Lanning, Darius Lee Campbell, and.... dare I say..... Dom Delira *hides*.

Enter Campbell.

The first few classes of Campbell were rough. Even in high school, I never felt Zeb Noland could grab the reigns and lead a team to victory. Guys like Devon Moore and Real Mitchell could definitely run, but I never saw evidence that they could complete a pass when they needed to. Then Brock Purdy showed up.... Hunter Dekkers was a no-brainer prospect coming out. We've seen Rocco flourish and JJ looks to be the next man up after he gets some time to stew. We have reached one of the top 5 most important qualities of a college football program: the ability to identify great college quarterbacks.

Why does this matter? Well, the obvious; it is important to bring in the best talent that you can and you have to identify it early to do so. But it also matters when it pertains to Moberly. I can hear the average fan already: "Was the 3-star Des Moines kid really the best kid available? Could we have gotten better?" Truth is... I worried about that too. Did Abu Sama, Kadyn Proctor, and the rest of the SEP team elevate him or is he really that good?

Yes, Connor Moberly really is that good. Before, we would take fliers on guys like Joel Lanning to try to stop the bleeding that was the Iowa State Quarterback position. But in Moberly's case, it's actually the opposite. He is CLONE TO THE BONE and he was pretty much a lock to come to Iowa State if offered. The staff wanted to evaluate the rest of the prospects first to make sure they went after the right guy. We all know how that turned out.

Connor Moberly, while we may not see him very soon due to Rocco and JJ, is a spectacular get for the Cyclones. He's a great dual-threat QB who only runs when he has to. He is probably the best running Quarterback since Re-al Mitchell. Although he can run, I am much more impressed with his ability to throw. He may not be as polished as Rocco Becht, but he has a good release and is able to work through his progression to find the open receiver. He throws a very accurate deep ball with a tight spiral. I think Moberly has a tendency to take a shot and he has the ability to do so. He has very good mechanics and throws the ball with ease.

I really like Moberly as a prospect. He should be a low four-star recruit; he has all the tools and abilities to be one. I think he will be Iowa State's starting QB in a few years and he will have learned from Scheelhaase and guys like Rocco and JJ.

I’ll put my 2 cents in. I think Moberly will be back up QB as soon as he arrives because I don’t think Kohl will stick around and n

Name: Connor Moberly
Position: QB
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195lb
Other Measurables:
NCAA Football 14 Freshman: 70
NCAA Football 14 Potential: 92
Player Comparison: Marcus Mariota. Has a similar touch on the ball as well as very good straight-line speed. May not be as agile as Vick, Murray, or Lamar Jackson, but he can turn broken plays into 30-yard runs.
Significant Impact: RS SO. Rocco and JJ will make it difficult for other quarterbacks to see the field early
Areas of Improvement:
He has a tendency to throw into double and triple coverage, especially when he's taking deep shots. I'm not sure if they are scripted reads because he doesn't take much time to read the coverage in these situations. Also, he tends to freeze when the pocket is collapsing; however, I'd rather take a sack than a pick.
Thoughts:
When I first started to follow recruiting closely back in 2010, the big difference I realized was the talent of quarterback that Iowa State was bringing in compared to other power five teams. Specifically, I remember watching Grant Rohach's high school tape and thinking "Yeah, he's ok I guess, but he is nothing compared to Jameis Winston or Gunner Kiel." No, I was not delusional to think that Rhoads could pull a 5-star caliber QB, but I felt like there was a lot to be desired with recruits such as Joel Lanning, Darius Lee Campbell, and.... dare I say..... Dom Delira *hides*.

Enter Campbell.

The first few classes of Campbell were rough. Even in high school, I never felt Zeb Noland could grab the reigns and lead a team to victory. Guys like Devon Moore and Real Mitchell could definitely run, but I never saw evidence that they could complete a pass when they needed to. Then Brock Purdy showed up.... Hunter Dekkers was a no-brainer prospect coming out. We've seen Rocco flourish and JJ looks to be the next man up after he gets some time to stew. We have reached one of the top 5 most important qualities of a college football program: the ability to identify great college quarterbacks.

Why does this matter? Well, the obvious; it is important to bring in the best talent that you can and you have to identify it early to do so. But it also matters when it pertains to Moberly. I can hear the average fan already: "Was the 3-star Des Moines kid really the best kid available? Could we have gotten better?" Truth is... I worried about that too. Did Abu Sama, Kadyn Proctor, and the rest of the SEP team elevate him or is he really that good?

Yes, Connor Moberly really is that good. Before, we would take fliers on guys like Joel Lanning to try to stop the bleeding that was the Iowa State Quarterback position. But in Moberly's case, it's actually the opposite. He is CLONE TO THE BONE and he was pretty much a lock to come to Iowa State if offered. The staff wanted to evaluate the rest of the prospects first to make sure they went after the right guy. We all know how that turned out.

Connor Moberly, while we may not see him very soon due to Rocco and JJ, is a spectacular get for the Cyclones. He's a great dual-threat QB who only runs when he has to. He is probably the best running Quarterback since Re-al Mitchell. Although he can run, I am much more impressed with his ability to throw. He may not be as polished as Rocco Becht, but he has a good release and is able to work through his progression to find the open receiver. He throws a very accurate deep ball with a tight spiral. I think Moberly has a tendency to take a shot and he has the ability to do so. He has very good mechanics and throws the ball with ease.

I really like Moberly as a prospect. He should be a low four-star recruit; he has all the tools and abilities to be one. I think he will be Iowa State's starting QB in a few years and he will have learned from Scheelhaase and guys like Rocco and JJ.

 

[tomar1]

I’ll put my 2 cents in. I think Moberly will be back up QB as soon as he arrives because I don’t think Kohl will stick around if it doesn’t look like he’s going to play anytime soon! Maybe Kohl should think about becoming a tight end like Dean did!

 

[cyclone1209]

Name: Cooper Alexander
Position: TE
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 225lb
Other Measurables:
NCAA Football 14 Freshman: 70
NCAA Football 14 Potential: 95
Player Comparison: Dawson Knox. This is the comp that a lot are giving and I agree. Quick, reliable Receiving threat.
Significant Impact: RS SO. Gosh, He's going to be good, but he'll have to be better than Brahmer, Moore, Burkle and Keller to get snaps. He also needs to put on significant weight. Depends on when they will want to use him for him to play early.
Areas of Improvement:
Blocking. That's about it.
Thoughts:
I feel like I lose credibility every time I write up one of these player evals. I haven't even thought about what I'm going to write about for Cooper, but know that I am going to gush all over him and that I'll need to hold myself back from anointing him as the next great tight end. It's one of the reasons why I didn't do these evals last year; I could tell people were getting tired of me gushing over are athlete, because "they all can't be All-Americans, dude." However, it seems that high praise may have been warranted (I LOVED Abu, Carson, Same, Brahmer and a couple other guys), the 2023 class is the best class ISU has ever signed and it's not close.

Ok. Let the Gushing begin.

I remember back in 2012 or 2013, I was standing in the student section watching Paul Rhoads try to figure out how to move the ball with and anemic offense. I can't remember who we were playing, but it was a dud of a game. Rhoads tries to spark something and on 3rd down, he runs a bubble screen to Ernst Brun for a loss of a yard. It goes nowhere. I'm sure Ernst is a great guy, but he is not THAT guy; he should be blocking for screens, not catching them. The next drive.... Rhoads tries it again. Same result. Everyone in the crowd knew that we didn't have a tight end on the roster that would be successful at a bubble screen. They couldn't move well; their agility was incredibly limited. Shoot, even EJ Bibbs was not agile like that (some of you forgot about that guy, didn't you?).

You wanna know who could be successful at it? Cooper Alexander. I have attached his Junior highlights to the bottom of this post (he hasn't uploaded his senior highlights yet). Take a look at the first few plays. Charlie couldn't move like that. Chase couldn't move like that. Soehner, Dean, Brun, Hammerschmidt.... forget about it.

I loved Cooper's abilities from the moment I heard we were recruiting him. Once we offered him, he quickly became one of my favorite prospects of the class. His potential to be a total mismatch mixed with my trust in Mouser's development and our offense had me thinking it was a no-brainer for him to come to ISU. Then, a nice kick in the pants; Oklahoma offered. He lives in Oklahoma. His father played for Oklahoma and then for several years in the NFL. An instate legacy for a blueblood? Yea, little old Iowa State has no chance. Things were looking bleak. And one day in August, he decided to announce. I had all but written him off; he was a lock for Oklahoma. And then the unthinkable happened: He chose ISU.

If Iowa State did not have Brahmer and Keller, I would say that Alexander would have a big shot to start next year. He has very good hips and is in the top tier of movement fluidity and route running for a tight end. He has a stellar catch radius and catches EVERYTHING even while getting rocked by an opponent. No, he's not the 6'6" like a lot of people in this fanbase want, but I'm telling you that it doesn't matter.

Cooper Alexander is a future pro and will have a special career at Iowa State.

His frame and skill set seem Dallas Clark like frankly. Could have had some big time offers had he not committed early. I’m excited about this one. This is one position our evaluators have nailed.

 

[cyclone4L]

I’ll put my 2 cents in. I think Moberly will be back up QB as soon as he arrives because I don’t think Kohl will stick around and n

JJ Kohl won’t transfer and will be the next starter.

 

[cyclone4L]

His frame and skill set seem Dallas Clark like frankly. Could have had some big time offers had he not committed early. I’m excited about this one. This is one position our evaluators have nailed.

Those offers started to roll in a month or two before he committed. Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Miami. He’s a freak.

 

[cyclone4L]

DOM OVERBY!
IM PUMPED

 

[RagingCloner]

DOM OVERBY!
IM PUMPED

For those that haven’t seen these yet!

 

[cyclone4L]

For those that haven’t seen these yet!

Dog!!! I'm captain of the hype train.

 

[VeloClone]

For those that haven’t seen these yet!

I'm no expert but it looks like he relies a lot on just superior athleticism. Maybe his HS coach saw no need to have him run routes, but there isn't a single highlight in there where he puts his foot in the ground changing direction to create separation. He isn't going to be able to just outrun CBs in the Big 12 so he is going to have to learn to be a skilled route runner if he is going to get the best of Big 12 CB1s.

 

[cyclone4L]

I'm no expert but it looks like he relies a lot on just superior athleticism. Maybe his HS coach saw no need to have him run routes, but there isn't a single highlight in there where he puts his foot in the ground changing direction to create separation. He isn't going to be able to just outrun CBs in the Big 12 so he is going to have to learn to be a skilled route runner if he is going to get the best of Big 12 CB1s.

Do you know who Randy Moss is?

 

[VeloClone]

Do you know who Randy Moss is?

Randy Moss was a freak, plain and simple. 99.5% of receivers are going to have a hole in their game if they don't learn how to run routes. I hope you aren't contending that this guy is in the top 0.5% of all receivers all time.

 

[RagingCloner]

I'm no expert but it looks like he relies a lot on just superior athleticism. Maybe his HS coach saw no need to have him run routes, but there isn't a single highlight in there where he puts his foot in the ground changing direction to create separation. He isn't going to be able to just outrun CBs in the Big 12 so he is going to have to learn to be a skilled route runner if he is going to get the best of Big 12 CB1s.

I agree completely. Very different from just being able to run past a HS corner that will grow up to be a math teacher versus a P5 guy. Kid has the size and the speed, and I trust in Pauley to develop him into a decent route runner. I showed the video because there are reasons to be excited as an ISU fan

 

[cyclone4L]

I agree completely. Very different from just being able to run past a HS corner that will grow up to be a math teacher versus a P5 guy. Kid has the size and the speed, and I trust in Pauley to develop him into a decent route runner. I showed the video because there are reasons to be excited as an ISU fan

There has only been one HS receiver that I have seen come to college with superior route running abilities to most current collegiate players: Jerry Jeudy.
Nobody comes into college remotely polished.