For the next look at the 2020 Cyclone football recruiting class, we find ourselves looking at yet another quarterback, Aidan Bouman. He is the second quarterback commit of this year’s class, joining Hunter Dekkers (his breakdown can be found here). Bouman stands at 6’ 6”, 215 pounds, and is a 3 star recruit according to 247Sports. He is ranked as the 23rd best pro style quarterback in the nation and is a consensus top-five overall recruit in the state of Minnesota.

In his high school career, he racked up over 9,500 yards along with 94 touchdowns in his 3+ year playing career. The Buffalo, Minnesota native threw for 3,185 and 27 touchdowns in his senior campaign, in which he led his team to the state playoffs. His junior season, however, is one that will be remembered by the fans of Minnesota prep football for many many years.

In the 2018 season, Bouman tossed 41 touchdowns and nearly 3,500 passing yards, ranking in the top 5 all-time in Minnesota high school football history. Aidan tallied three career games where he dished out 7 scores, including an 8 touchdown performance while tying the single-game state record of 555 yards. Matt Campbell and Co. were Bouman’s only offer, but he drew interests from the likes of Minnesota and North Dakota State.

Style

Bouman is strictly a pocket passer, but is great at sensing pressure in the pocket and is a very confident passer.

His ability to stand tall and throw the deep ball is incredible. He brings a different look to the table than what Brock Purdy does, but he is reminiscent of another former Cyclone quarterback that we’ll mention later. The southpaw remains calm throughout any given play and can make any throw he needs to make. While he may not be the playmaking quarterback Iowa State fans are used to, he definitely has the ability to throw the ball downfield.

Film

All highlights courtesy of Hudl.com

The first highlight we’ll take a look at is a play that Bouman has made 50 times in his career. He has a great ability to stay on his toes at all time, making him ready to make any throw he needs to make.

A common theme on Aidan’s highlight reel is his consistency to get the ball to the spot where only his receiver can get it. On this play, specifically, he gets the ball over the safety’s head, but is able to keep the throw in-bounds for the touchdown.

This was one of the simplest plays he made in his career, but the pitch and catch is ultra smooth, and shows the kind of touch he has. The receiver on this place has great footwork and blows by the defensive back, but this throw is straight cash.

Bouman puts the ball perfectly in the receiver’s stride, allowing him to simply stride out the long touchdown reception. Imagine that receiver being Tarique Milton, and that will be six points every time.

One thing Bouman rarely shows, is his throw power when he needs to fit it in tight spaces. He shows that off here, fitting the football in between several defenders. Every quarterback in the history of the world needs that to be successful, and Aidan can do that.

The accuracy is already there, it is just a matter of being able to throw that line drive. His tendency is to stand straight up when he throws, when maybe he could work on really driving his hips to put a little mustard on that ball.

Speaking briefly before on his presence in the pocket, this play is a great example. He remains calm at all times, even when the defense loads the box and sends the kitchen sink at him. Bouman is not phased at all by the pressure, which could be a huge upside when he has Big 12 linebackers in his face.

The final highlight is another example of him being cool as a cucumber in the pocket. It is basically a carbon copy of the previous play, getting linebackers in his face and firing a bullet down the field for the score. He really can put the ball where he wants to and it does not matter how much pressure is in his face.

Player Comparison

The easiest comparison to Aidan Bouman, is former Cyclone quarterback, Kyle Kempt. Similar heights, similar skill set, and (albeit Bouman being left handed) a pretty similar throwing style. Another thing that makes him very similar is his knowledge of the game. It is no secret that Kyle Kempt had a great football mind, allegedly becoming an unofficial offensive coordinator during his final season in Ames. Bouman’s dad was a pro quarterback, making NFL rosters with several teams. His upbringing is all football, and his own on-field IQ shows.

Scheme

Mentioning Kyle Kempt previously, Bouman would need a similar offensive scheme to be successful. This would entail a lot of slow, developing plays that require both a talented and disciplined offensive line.

Kempt had the likes of Allen Lazard and Hakeem Butler to throw up a football to and those receivers could go get the football. Bouman will have a lot of very good targets and has a lot more control on his throws than Kempt had. The coaching staff will definitely have a gameplan for when Bouman gets to Ames. Whether we will see a repeat of Kyle Kempt’s first senior season is a great question.

Final Verdict

Aidan Bouman has a ton of upside, and should battle with Hunter Dekkers for the #2 spot behind Brock Purdy, though it would not be a shock if he was to redshirt this upcoming season. Bouman is a great young quarterback, but needs just a little bit more time to fully develop. If he does, however, get that backup spot, he could be a great player to go beneath Brock Purdy’s wing in hopes of one day running a similar offense to fit the team’s needs.