Iowa State Football Recruiting Rewind: June

Iowa State’s 2018 class continued to take shape in the month of June, as four high school prospects verbally committed to play ball for the Cyclones. However, the unfortunate side of recruiting reared its ugly head, as CJ Bolar (a 2018 recruit) and Dwan Mathis (2019 quarterback) decided to reopen their recruiting processes. Let’s take a look back at the month of June.

Commitments

Jaeveyon Morton - Cornerback

The first commitment of the June came from the Midwest. Jaeveyon Morton is a 3-star cornerback from Detroit, Michigan. He held offers from Syracuse, Iowa, Indiana and Pittsburgh. He also sports a 82 composite ranking on 247Sports.

Morton is a cornerback that has some serious potential. He received MVP honors at The Opening regional in Cleveland during the spring recruiting process. Morton does lack a bit of size at 5’9”, but that didn’t seem to scare away too many teams. He appears to be a bit of a development prospect that could turn out to be a good corner in the future.

Gerry Vaughn - Outside Linebacker

The 2018 class for Iowa State appeared to attack prospects that were true outside linebackers. Gerry Vaughn fits that mold 100%. His speed and athleticism will allow Iowa State to use him in many ways when he suits up. Since Matt Campbell will be losing two of his top linebackers after next season, Vaughn only made sense.

Vaughn is 3-star outside linebacker from Georgia. He holds offers from Maryland, East Carolina and Colorado State. He’d also began to pick up interest from Notre Dame.

Christian Young - Defensive Back

This is one commit that Iowa State fans need to get pumped up about. Christian Young is one of the best rated defensive players in the state for Texas and he will instantly give Iowa State’s defense a playmaker when he steps foot on campus.

Young is a 3-star prospect currently with an 85 composite ranking on 247Sports. He’s currently the highest rated recruit in Iowa State’s class. He held offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Army and Houston. His ability to play both safety and corner made him an attractive prospect for Matt Campbell, and we may not have to wait long to see him flying around Jack Trice on Saturdays.

Carson Schleker - Wide Receiver

Carson Schleker couldn’t have committed to Iowa State at a better time. Former verbal commit CJ Bolar decommitted on June 18th, and Iowa State was looking for another receiver to fill that void.

Schleker is a 3-star prospect out of Texas who had offers from Arizona, Illinois, Kansas and Houston. He has an 83 composite ranking on 247Sports. Schleker will give Iowa State’s receiving corps another boost of speed to go along Sterling Galban. ISU will now more than likely look for one more receiver that has a bit more height than Galban and Schleker.

Three Names To Watch

With the lost of CJ Bolar to the 2018 class and other Iowa State targets moving other directions, a few names have come into the fold that are worth keeping an eye in the near future. With recruiting in a bit of a dead period until July 9th, things will be a bit slow during the first part of July. Nevertheless, here are three names to keep an eye on during the month of July.

Bryce Oliver - Wide Receiver

Bryce Oliver is a 3-star wide receiver from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He currently has offers from Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville and UCF. Oliver is listed at 6’3” and is the type of receiver that the coaching staff is looking to pair with Sterling Galban and Carson Schleker. Right now, things are pointing towards Kentucky and Louisville, but Coach Campbell has made a strong impression as of late to get into the mix.

Oliver’s ability to get by defenders with his speed coupled with his strength make him an appealing prospect to grab. It doesn’t appear his decision is coming anytime soon, which will allow Iowa State to show their best side.

Dashaun Mallory - Defensive Tackle

Iowa State is still searching for its first true defensive tackle in the 2018 class and Dashaun Mallory would be a big addition. Right now, it appears Michigan State, Toledo and Iowa State are his top choices. Mallory recently attended Michigan State’s camp and many are believing that will be his choice.

Mallory could gain some more weight to play at the college level, but that will come in time once he gets on a college campus. No timetable is set for his decision and hopefully that will allow Iowa State a bit more time to recruit him.

Ta’Zhawn Henry - Running Back

Henry is one of the highest rated all-purpose running backs in the 2018 class. He’ll be making his college decision on August 8th, and before then, he’ll visit Iowa State and TCU. He hasn’t set a visit for Texas A&M yet, but the Aggies were the final school in his top 3.

Many believe the Texas native will ultimately end up at TCU, but Iowa State certainly has positioned themselves well. Henry holds offers from many power-5 schools and his skill set makes many scouts believe he will be a top running back in the college game. Keep your eyes out for news on Henry as his visit to Iowa State on July 13th unfolds.

Top Lists

Kam Scott - Wide Receiver

Scott made last month’s Recruiting Rewind article as well. He’s now trimmed his list down to six. Iowa State is still in the running and the Cyclones could definitely use his services. I’ve mentioned before that ISU will still seek a tall receiver, and Scott would fit that void. Baylor still appears to be his top choice.

Bryson Williams - Defensive Tackle

Iowa State was later than most to offer Bryson Williams, and now they have made his top five. All signs point to Williams committing to Iowa, but Coach Campbell has made a strong impression as of late that could potentially change his direction. He recently took a visit to Iowa City and he more than likely will make a trip to Ames. This is one player that could help Iowa State’s defensive line for years to come.

Charles Robinson - Tight End

Charles Robinson is a top-40 tight end in the 2018 class, and now Iowa State is in his top three schools. Minnesota was the latest to offer Robinson and PJ Fleck and the Gophers appear primed to land his services. He attended junior day at Iowa State in February and more than likely will take a visit to Ames in the future.

LaDarrius Bishop - Cornerback

Iowa State made the top five for cornerback LaDarrius Bishop. With the recent commitment from Jaeveyon Morton, the Cyclones may turn their efforts elsewhere. Bishop’s top choice as of right now appears to be Arkansas.

Notable Offers

JJ McCarthy - Quarterback

McCarthy isn’t your typical offer around this time of year for Iowa State. He just finished up his 8th grade year and has already made a visit to Iowa State. He’s one of two offers for the 2021 class as of right now. There’s still a long way to go in his recruiting process, but Coach Campbell must know something other college programs don’t. It will be interesting to see how this offer plays out.

Arvell Ferguson - Defensive End

Ferguson is a defensive end in the 2019 class. What makes him notable is that he’s from the St. Louis area. It’s been documented that the coaching staff is trying to make a push around St. Louis, and Ferguson is the first real offer from there. Iowa State is his only offer at this time.

Damon Payne - Defensive End

Payne is another offer that Iowa State extended out to an 8th grader. This recruitment appears to be much more competitive than McCarthy’s. Payne boasts offers from Georgia, Kentucky and Syracuse. If he turns out to be a high-level prospect, Iowa State certainly has put themselves in position to make a splash.

What can we look for in July?

With the first part of July being a recruiting dead period and most of the summer being used for evaluations, the month more than likely will start out slowly. Camps will be going on and many recruits may want to get their decisions out of the way before fall camps start for many high schools across the nation.

As I said earlier, the one I have my eye on the most is how the visit for Ta’Zhawn Henry goes. If Iowa State can continue to push him hard, it would be a heck of a steal for the 2018 class. The Cyclones will host a few more camps in July, which will be key to get some of their bigger targets to attend.

As for rounding out the 2018 class. Coach Campbell needs to score some defensive line help, another receiver, as well as a running back. Those three positions would be my “wants” in the 2018 class. As we all know, recruiting is very fluid and some bigger names may surface, so stay tuned to WRNL to keep yourself updated.