Iowa State Football Recruiting Rewind: July

The month of July proved to be a slow one for Iowa State on the recruiting front. Iowa State received one commitment on the last day of the month. The dead period at the beginning of July and the time used for evaluations may have had an impact on recruiting news this past month.

Expect things to be slow in August as well. Iowa State is now in camp and high school football will pick up here soon as well. For now let's take a look at some of the recruiting happenings that were out there.

Commitment

Isaiah Lee- Defensive Tackle

As I mentioned when his commitment was announced, Isaiah Lee had no power five offers until Iowa State made one. He has offers from Ball State and Colorado State as well. Iowa State made the offer once he attended camp and showed improvement.

Lee is a 3-star recruit that has some upside, and grades out at an 84 composite ranking on 247sports. Iowa State was in serious need of a defensive lineman for the 2018 class. Now that they have one, I expect a one or two more to fall into place for Matt Campbell. Lee appears to be a bit of a development, but if his senior season goes well and he progresses and Iowa State’s defensive line remains thin, he could push for playing time.

Notable Offers

Noah Banks - Iowa Western CC

Noah Banks is an offensive tackle that currently attends Iowa Western Community College. He originally signed to play at Murray State, then made his way to the JUCO ranks. Sitting at 6’7” and 310 pounds, Banks is someone Matt Campbell would love to have.

Iowa State is his first offer and no other known schools at this time are looking at him. Expect Banks’ offers to pick up steam once the community college season begins to roll.

Tykee Ogle-Kellogg - Alcoa, Tennessee

Iowa State is still in search of wide receivers to join their 2018 class, as we have seen both Sterling Galban and CJ Bolar both back away from Iowa State for the time being. Matt Campbell recently extended out an offer out to Tennessee wideout Tykee Ogle-Kellogg. Currently he has offers from Tennessee, Memphis, Ole Miss and Louisville.

Iowa State has gotten in on Ogle-Kellogg late, and is expected to choose Tennessee. Campbell & Co. still have some time to make an impression, but they will need to put their best foot forward.

Gavin Lewis - Madison, Alabama

Did I mention Iowa State needs defensive lineman? Well, they have offered another one in Gavin Lewis, a 3-star defensive lineman out of Alabama. He is currently sporting offers from Colorado, Kentucky and Mississippi State.

Lewis typically has played defensive end during his time in high school, but he does possess the size to move inside. Iowa State needs depth all across the defensive line, so Lewis proving his versatility would greatly improve his chances of making in impact on the Cyclone defensive line.

Dominic Livingston - Houston, Texas

Continuing the theme of the day, Dominic Livingston is another defensive tackle out of Texas. Currently he is committed to Texas A&M, but Texas Tech, Colorado, Kansas State and Indiana are all currently still after Livingston.

It may be hard to pry him away from Texas A&M, but his talent would provide so much needed help at the position for Iowa State. He has big frame at 6’3’ and 340 pounds, which allows him to clog up the middle of the line and stop the run. Iowa State has not had a dominant nose guard in quite a while, so he could have have an opportunity at early playing time. Keep an eye on him if Texas A&M’s season doesn’t go as planned and they look at making changes on their coaching staff.

Three Names To Watch

Azur Kamara - Arizona Western College

Azur Kamara was a teammate of current Cyclone Matt Leo last season. He is a 3-star defensive end prospect and is the 5th overall defensive end prospect in the junior college class. Currently, Kamara has offers from Louisville, Arizona, Arizona State and Florida State. It appears, as of now, Louisville is the front runner with Iowa State in a close second.

Ta’Zhawn Henry - Houston, Texas

I have mentioned Ta’Zhawn Henry in the names to watch before as one of the top running backs in the 2018 class. Henry is set to make his decision on August 8th. His top three choices are Iowa State, TCU and Texas A&M. TCU appears to be the favorite, but Iowa State also looks to be the dark horse to tip his decision. Keep a lookout on August 8th for some potentially big news.

Jesse Hanson - Daleville, Virginia

Jesse Hanson is a bit of an interesting story. Matt Campbell met with with him earlier this month. Then, Hanson and his father took off in their car and made a 15 hour trip to colleges across the country. One of his stops was Ames.

Hanson is a 2019 offensive guard prospect that has interest from Virginia, Penn State and North Carolina State. Hanson was blown away by what he saw out of a Power 5 conference in the upper Midwest. His recruiting will soon take off, and is another case of Matt Campbell making an early impression.

Top Lists

Jamar Johnson - Sarasota, Florida

Jamar Johnson is a cornerback in the class of 2018. He is a 3-star prospect and has begun to get many more looks. Here is Johnson’s current top seven schools for now.

Joey Ramos - Glendale, Arizona

Joey Ramos is one of Iowa State’s top priorities. Matt Campbell has some stiff competition for his services. Ramos has attended camp in Ames and been on a few visits already, but has yet to take his official visit. Ramos is one of the top offensive lineman in the 2018 class.

Joe Wilkins Jr. - North Fort Myers, Florida

Iowa State needs wide receivers in their 2018 class and Wilkins Jr provides some well sought after talent. There is no word on who is the favorite, but with Notre Dame and Michigan State on the list things won’t be easy for Iowa State.

What Will August Bring?

I expect August to be another less than eventful month, other than a potential splash by a possible commitment from Ta’Zhawn Henry. Iowa State coaches are busy with fall camp and have little time to get away and make in home visits with targets. High school football will also pick up with practices very shortly. If we do see some movement with offers and recruits announcing their top lists, look for some receivers and defensive lineman to come into the picture as I expect these are the positions Iowa State is recruiting the hardest.

Stay tuned to WRNL as recruiting news happens.