AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State football program inked 18 players to letters of intent in the early December signing period, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell announced today.
For the first time in history, the NCAA is allowing an early signing period to go along with the standard February signing day. The Cyclones took advantage by locking up the bulk of their 2018 recruiting class in December.
“This is a unique class for us. We know what we have now and we know the needs we needed to meet, and we did a great job of doing that with this class,” Campbell said. “We built this program on great character kids, players that come from winning programs and players that know what it takes to be successful and to fit into this culture. I’m excited about this class continuing that trend.”
Two offensive future stars rank high nationally among ISU’s early signees in wide receiver Sean Shaw Jr. (Jones, Okla.) and quarterback Re-Al Mitchell (Eastvale, Calif.). Shaw is rated as the No. 89 wide receiver nationally (Rivals) and is one of the top preps in Oklahoma. The all-stater tallied 207 receptions, 3,320 receiving yards, 40 touchdowns and 10 100-yard receiving games in his career.
Mitchell is one of the best quarterbacks in the class of 2018, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and rushing for 1,000 in 2016. He was invited to the prestigious Elite 11 Quarterback Camp in the summer of 2017 and is rated as the 14th-best dual-threat quarterback nationally by ESPN.
Offensive lineman Joey Ramos (Phoenix, Ariz.), a three-time all-state selection, is considered the best offensive line prospect in Arizona. He chose Iowa State over offers from UCLA, Oregon, Arizona and Arizona State.
Defensively, the Cyclones picked up a gem in cornerback Jaeveyon Morton (Detroit, Mich.), who is listed as the 45th-best cornerback in the nation according to Rivals. Morton is a two-time all-state pick who is also a top-10 player in the state of Michigan.
Another outstanding pickup for the Cyclones was defensive end Will McDonald (Pewaukee, Wis.), who was a first-team all-state selection after posting 61 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in 2017. He was rated as the second-best player in Wisconsin according to ESPN and a top-50 weakside defensive end nationally.
Greg Eisworth, a defensive back from Trinity Valley C.C., is one of the top junior college players in the country. He made the ESPNJC50 (No. 47) and is the 45th-best JC players in the nation according to 247Sports. Eisworth was a four-star recruit out of high school and originally attended Ole Miss on a scholarship.
Iowa State also proved successful in luring some of the top players within its state borders. The Cyclones inked offensive linemen Trevor Downing (Creston, Iowa), Zach Ross (West Des Moines, Iowa) and Zach Petersen (Long Grove, Iowa).
Downing is the top offensive lineman in the state of Iowa, ranking No. 4 in 247Sports’ state rankings, and is a three-time all-state selection. Ross was a Des Moines Register Elite Team member in 2016 and Petersen made the Des Moines Register Elite Team in 2017.
“These are three kids that have had a lot of success in this state,” Campbell added. “They have a great passion for what we are doing here and it’s important for us (signing Iowa kids) this year and going forward for us.”
Campbell also announced that Re-Al Mitchell, Trevor Downing, Brayden Narveson, Corey Dunn and Greg Eisworth will begin school in January and will be eligible to compete in spring practice.
Iowa State 2018 Football Signees
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos. Hometown
Trevor Downing 6-4 295 Fr. OL Creston, Iowa (Creston)
Three-time first-team all-state selection; rated as the No. 4 player overall in Iowa and the No. 25 guard nationally by 247Sports.
Corey Dunn 6-1 200 So.# P Numurkah, Australia (Numurkah/CC of San Francisco)
Top junior college punter in the class of 2018 according to 247Sports; averaged 40.1 yards and had a long of 64 in 2016.
Greg Eisworth 6-0 195 So.# DB Grand Prairie, Texas (South/Ole Miss/Trinity Valley CC)
A member of the ESPNJC50 (#47) and ranked as the No. 45 JC player by 247Sports; was a four-star recruit out of high school.
Anthony Johnson 6-0 170 Fr. DB St. Petersburg, Fla. (St. Petersburg)
Three-year starter and two-time all-state selection; picked off 15 passes in his career; No. 94 corner nationally by 247Sports.
Isaiah Lee 6-1 295 Fr. DT Chicago, Ill. (Nazareth Academy)
First-team all-area pick in 2017 with 65 tackles and 11 sacks; ranked as the 55th-best defensive tackle nationally by 247Sports.
Will McDonald 6-4 220 Fr. DE Pewaukee, Wis. (Waukesha North)
First-team all-state; tallied 61 tackles, 20 TFL, 12 sacks in 2017; No. 2 player in Wisconsin (ESPN); No. 47 WDE by 247Sports.
Jaeveyon Morton 5-9 180 Fr. DB Detroit Mich. (Martin Luther King)
Two-time all-state; MLive Detroit Dream Team member; posted 48 tackles and three picks in 2017; No. 45 CB nationally by Rivals.
Re-Al Mitchell 6-0 190 Fr. QB Eastvale, Calif. (St. John Bosco)
Invited to the 2017 Elite 11 QB camp; led team to state title in 2016 with 2,932 passing yards and 1,058 rushing yards.
Brayden Narveson 6-1 190 Fr. PK Scottsdale, Ariz. (Desert Mountain)
Won the Luis Zendejas Award as the top kicker in Arizona; was 10-of-15 on FGs and led the state in touchbacks (49) as a senior.
Zach Petersen 6-4 225 Fr. DE Long Grove, Iowa (North Scott)
Des Moines Register Elite All-State selection in 2017, tallying 52 tackles, 16 TFL and 10 sacks; No. 4 player in Iowa by Rivals.
Chandler Pulvermacher 6-2 210 Fr. LB Hartland, Wis. (Arrowhead)
Rated as the ninth-best player in Wisconsin by 247Sports; all-state pick in 2017 after posting 57 tackles and three interceptions.
Joey Ramos 6-5 305 Fr. OL Phoenix, Ariz. (Deer Valley)
The top o-lineman in Arizona and the No. 28 offensive guard nationally by Rivals; three-time all-state selection.
Mike Rose 6-4 215 Fr. LB Brecksville, Ohio (Brecksville-Broadview)
Three-star recruit by Rivals and 247Sports; ranked as the No. 59 outside linebacker nationally by 247Sports.
Zach Ross 6-4 300 Fr. OL West Des Moines, Iowa (Dowling Catholic)
Des Moines Register Elite Team member in 2016; team won a pair of state titles as a starter; No. 7 player in Iowa by ESPN.
Carson Schleker 5-9 175 Fr. WR Allen, Texas (Allen)
Three-star recruit by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN; member of team that is 15-0 and reached the Class 6A state title game.
Sean Shaw Jr. 6-6 200 Fr. WR Jones, Okla. (Jones)
The No. 89 WR nationally and the No. 7 player in Oklahoma by Rivals; tallied 207 receptions, 3,320 yards and 40 TDs in career.
Dallas Taylor-Cortez 6-2 170 Fr. DB Woodland Hills, Calif. (Chaminade)
Rated as the 79th-best corner nationally by 247Sports; had 33 tackles, three interceptions and led team with eight PBU in 2017.
Gerry Vaughn 5-11 205 Fr. LB Atlanta, Ga. (Tucker)
Two-time all-region selection who led his team to state semifinal berths the last two seasons; three-year starter at linebacker.
