Bacon Bits: Iowa State Football Recruiting Notes - 2021 QB Prospects

Hey Cyclone fans, I hope you are hungry. Hungry for some bacon because who the hell isn’t always hungry for bacon? Ok, it isn’t real bacon, but this is my feature for Iowa State football recruiting tidbits I have during the week. Anything on my mind or anything that doesn’t go on my recruiting big boards will be posted here as “Bacon Bits”. Whether you like it crispy, chewy or somewhere in-between. There is always something for everyone.

With the 2020 class in the rear view, it is time to starter zeroing in on the class of 2021. So today, I would like to focus specifically on the 2021 Iowa State quarterback targets and see just how the Cyclones sit with them and what to expect moving forward.

*Rankings Provided by 247 Sports

5-Star QB J.J. McCarthy (La Grange Park, IL)

Nothing to see here. J.J. has been committed to Michigan since May of last year and has visited there too many times to count. I would be shocked to see him end up anywhere besides Ann Arbor.

4-Star QB Athan Kaliakmanis (Antioch, IL)

Much like the J.J. McCarthy situation, Athan has been committed to Minnesota since last March and hasn’t wavered since.

4-Star QB Ty Thompson (Gilbert, AZ)

I spoke with Ty recently and he said “Things are good with Iowa State they know how highly I think of them. I like what coach Campbell is doing over there and I think they have a great staff.” He is uncertain on if he will visit Ames, but he did mention that he would like to commit in the summertime. If he takes a visit, then we will know that he is serious about the Cyclones. If not, then I have a difficult time seeing Iowa State crack a top schools list for him.

3-Star QB Colten Gauthier (Dacula, GA)

Colten was offered by the Cyclones just a couple of weeks ago and you would be surprised to hear that he does have a small connection with Iowa State. His father’s uncle played at Iowa State and he even mentioned that he keeps up with the Cyclones. As far visits go, he mentioned possibly taking one in March or April. Much like Ty Thompson, getting him on campus would be huge since he has been to Ole Miss, Louisville and a few other SEC schools.

3-Star QB Charles Wright (Austin, TX)

With just Texas State and UTSA as his other big offers, Charles Wright loves Iowa State. Now granted, I haven’t spoke with him much and he tends to keep close to the vest about his recruitment. However, he has been on campus three times since last summer and he was just in Ames two weeks ago for another visit. I am not saying he is a lock to Iowa State just yet but unless offers start flying in for him or something drastic changes, Iowa State sits in the driver’s seat for him.

3-Star QB Kai Millner (Gilbert, AZ)

Kai was a little vague about Iowa State, but he told me that “I’ve had some great conversations with coach Gordon! I also hope to visit sometime soon!” My honest opinion is that he stays close to home and I would be surprised if he took a visit to Iowa State.

3-Star QB William Haskell (Glendale, AZ)

I just spoke with William on Sunday night about Iowa State and there is some good news in here as he said “I’ve actually been thinking about the different colleges that I’m coming to the finals and Iowa state is in my top five. And I will text the coaches there and there to see how they are doing.” That’s right, you read it here first that Iowa State will be in William Haskell’s top five whenever it comes out. He also mentioned that he wants to pick a school by the summer. The only thing is that he does not yet have a visit date to get to Ames, but I will be in frequent contact with him to see when he sets that date.

3-Star QB Tyler Macon (East Saint Louis, IL)

I have been in and out of contact with Tyler and at times, it has been difficult to reach him, but I did get some interesting stuff from him the other day. Tyler says, “They are (Iowa State) a contender for my future school.” And he also added that he wants to take a visit in March. As for other schools he is interested in at the moment, “Oregon, Mizzou, Arkansas and UCLA.”

Final Verdict

Iowa State has offered a total of eight quarterbacks for the 2021 cycle and six of them come from either Arizona or Illinois. Obviously, Illinois is not too far from Ames, but you can clearly see the impact that Brock Purdy has had on the recruiting trail for this staff. Not just with quarterbacks either but across the board. If I had to say at this very moment, I believe that Iowa State’s best shot at landing a quarterback is between Charles Wright, Tyler Macon and William Haskell in that order.