Bacon Bits: Iowa State Football Recruiting Notes

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.

Offers were flying out last week so of course, I have the latest there, but perhaps the biggest takeaway from this past weekend (Outside of the Super Bowl) was the list of visitors Iowa State hosted for junior day. I couldn’t get ahold of all the visitors, but I did catch up with most of them and not to mention, the two newest 2021 commits. Enjoy!

*Ranking Provided by 247 Sports

New Offers

2021 3-Star CB Tyreek Chappell (Philadelphia, PA) “The coaching staff really jumped out to me. I am still waiting to take a visit on campus.”

2021 3-Star WR Will Lee (Saint Louis, MO): “Thankful for the offer and it’s a great school from what I know. I plan on taking a visit soon.”

2021 TE Erik Olsen (Littleton, CO): “I was surprised. Especially since I received it from a coach that I had a previous relationship with when he was at a different college. And Iowa State has produced some very high-level tight ends to say the least.”

2022 OLB Gabe Powers (Marysville, OH): “I love the program and their coaches. I am very humbled and blessed to receive an offer from such a great program.”

2022 OT Spruceton Buddenhagen (Osceola, IA): “Really exciting to have ISU come to my school and I was kind of shocked to receive the offer. Coach Myers and I were just chatting and out of the blue he told me well we really like what we see from you a lot and Coach Campbell loves what he sees on film and we are offering you. Just wasn’t expecting it. We sat and chatted for about an hour.”

2021 OT Albert Reese (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada): “I know they are solid, and I still have a lot to learn about them.”

2021 3-Star OT Bruno Zandamela (Clearwater, FL): “I’m so excited I got the offer. It really means a lot because I really love Iowa State’s football program and I think it’s a good school.”

2022 CB Isaac Thompson (Saint Louis, MO): “I’m obviously very excited about the offer. They seem to recruit St. Louis hard and I can’t wait to visit in the spring.”

Two new 2021 commits

During Iowa State’s junior day on Saturday, the Cyclones landed a pair of their first commits for the 2021 class in offensive tackle Dodge Sauser out of Grinnell, Iowa and wide receiver Tristan Michaud out of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. I wrote a commitment piece on Tristan Michaud so feel free to check that out on the website, however I couldn’t get much on Dodge. After being offered on Friday and talking with him a bit, Dodge took a trip to Ames on Saturday and within the first two hours of being on campus, he called Iowa State his home.

Key 2021 Visitors

Like I mentioned earlier, Iowa State had a big junior day this past weekend with plenty of big-time names. Now, I couldn’t reach everyone at this point and time, and I am still gathering info about some of these guys.

2021 3-Star QB Charles Wright (Austin, TX): I couldn’t chat with Charles and to be honest with you, I am not sure if anyone has because he keeps things very tight lipped and to the vest. However, this was Wright’s third time on campus since June and with UTSA and Texas State as his only other two FBS offers, I think it’s safe to say that the Cyclones are sitting pretty. The good news is that I am close to Austin and will be able to see him play and chat with him in person during the fall.

2021 4-Star WDE TJ Bollers (Tiffin, IA): If you have been following along with me throughout my time here, you will know that I have spoken with TJ several times in the last few months. However, this time I couldn’t get ahold of him. I will reach out again and I am confident that I will have something on him soon.

2021 3-Star WR Brody Brecht (Ankeny, IA): “My visit was good. I really enjoyed sitting down with the coaches one on one. I hope to make a decision before summer.” Brody also mentioned that his recruitment is still open now.

2021 3-Star ATH Seth Malcolm (Tabor, IA): Seth is another one of those guys I haven’t had contact with during his recruitment. What I do know is that he attended a camp back in the spring of last year and that Iowa State appears to be in a good spot for him. His other offers are Nebraska, Kansas State and Minnesota.

2021 3-Star WR Jaylin Noel (Kansas City, MO): “My visit was good. My family enjoyed or time there. I like the culture and the family feel they give off at Iowa State.” Jaylin also mentioned that he would like to decide right before his senior year or right after the season.

2021 ATH Arland Bruce IV (Olathe, KS): “My visit was awesome. I loved watching film with the coaches especially with new running back coach Mick McCall. What stuck out to me was how genuine the whole staff was and coach Campbell speaking with my family for a good amount of time.”

2021 DT Jeremiah Pittman (Arlington Heights, IL): “It was great! Loved meeting with the coaches. I was grateful to hear that engineering is very possible to get a degree in while doing football even though it is one of the heavier majors.” Jeremiah also added that his recruitment is still open at this time and there is no timetable for a decision.

I also want to add that 2021 OT Beau Stephens (Blue Springs, MO) couldn’t make it due to a wrestling tournament.