Xavier Nwankpa
- Thread starter Cykobabble
- Start date
I think it's interesting that we always figure a local connection is an advantage, but that's premised on the idea a kid wants to stick around Iowa. I can't blame a kid who basically has a passport to anywhere for wanting to see a different part of the country for 3-4 years.
Iowa has a fairly legit claim of putting defensive backs into the League, going back to Bob Sanders. The school on his list that doesn’t seem to fit on that front is ASU.
Alas, our tradition of “putting defensive backs into the League” is yet to begin—though I expect it to do so shortly, and quickly become a great selling point.
Alas, that does nothing for young Mr. Nwankpa’s recruitment. Though perhaps a Top 5 ranking by before the early Signing Day might help?
Except, we weren’t at our best, didn’t have a good coach, and really none of the etc, but other than that the 2 situations are identical
Secretly glad he left us off the list. He’s a great player but he’s not coming here or to Iowa. Harrison Barnes type recruit. Our coaches can move on and focus on kids that want to be Cyclones.
Iowa puts all kinds of d bags in the pr...oh you meant defensive backs. Never mind.
I would have guessed it was on the list because “no snow”, “gorgeous girls” and “an exciting offense”.
I’m always happy to visit Dad in Tempe.
Don’t be to upset we can do better! Did you see his tackling in the championship against Ankeny yeah nobody else did either!
He's a 17 year old kid. The older I get the less I get irritated with recruiting as these kids all have their own experience going through it and with the transfer portal now a lot of them wind up changing their minds a year or 2 into college now too. I said 20 years ago when I was attending Iowa State and the same holds true now, if a school like Notre Dame or Ohio State offered me a scholarship it would be really hard turning that down to go to Iowa State when those schools have a history of winning championships. They are machines for putting players in the NFL too.
I was surprised when Lazzard picked ISU over Notre Dame. Granted ISU FB is in a different place now than it was just 5, 10, or 20 years ago heck even just 2 years ago you can say too. The one thing I do know is that Campbell and his staff know how to identify players who will win despite not having that 4 or 5 star ranking. No one knew who Kene Nwangu was and his 3 start offer sheet included Iowa Indiana Kansas Nevada and Northwestern and he just got drafted in the 4th round. David Montgomery was a 3 star with offers from just us and Miami OH. Look at the guys on this current team, you can go through their offer sheets and find a lot of the same and I bet you we have multiple guys drafted in 2022. Heck I will even go way back to the McCarney days for a diamond in the rough he found in Jordan Carstens. He was a year behind me in HS and was probably on no one's recruiting radar and Mac offered him as a preferred walk on. He redshirted a year and put on over 50 lbs and was playing meaningful minutes as a backup DT his 1st season and wound up playing 3 seasons in the NFL until he had to retire due to a medical condition.
Good coaches know potential and talent when they see it and don't care if there are 4 or 5 stars behind the name on some recruiting site. Sometimes the locker room drama that may come with a high profile recruit may not be worth it either, I trust this staff and I want kids that want to wear the Cardinal and Gold and play their hearts out for this program so I don't get upset when some teenager takes us off his list because that just means his heart would not be in it if he played here and some other kid who might not be as sought after as him will eventually take that scholarship will work twice as hard to play hard for this program.
I was surprised when Lazzard picked ISU over Notre Dame. Granted ISU FB is in a different place now than it was just 5, 10, or 20 years ago heck even just 2 years ago you can say too. The one thing I do know is that Campbell and his staff know how to identify players who will win despite not having that 4 or 5 star ranking. No one knew who Kene Nwangu was and his 3 start offer sheet included Iowa Indiana Kansas Nevada and Northwestern and he just got drafted in the 4th round. David Montgomery was a 3 star with offers from just us and Miami OH. Look at the guys on this current team, you can go through their offer sheets and find a lot of the same and I bet you we have multiple guys drafted in 2022. Heck I will even go way back to the McCarney days for a diamond in the rough he found in Jordan Carstens. He was a year behind me in HS and was probably on no one's recruiting radar and Mac offered him as a preferred walk on. He redshirted a year and put on over 50 lbs and was playing meaningful minutes as a backup DT his 1st season and wound up playing 3 seasons in the NFL until he had to retire due to a medical condition.
Good coaches know potential and talent when they see it and don't care if there are 4 or 5 stars behind the name on some recruiting site. Sometimes the locker room drama that may come with a high profile recruit may not be worth it either, I trust this staff and I want kids that want to wear the Cardinal and Gold and play their hearts out for this program so I don't get upset when some teenager takes us off his list because that just means his heart would not be in it if he played here and some other kid who might not be as sought after as him will eventually take that scholarship will work twice as hard to play hard for this program.
I agree with you. Young Mr. Nwankpa is free to do what he wishes.
There’s a problem with your reasoning about “who this staff identifies”, though. Five years ago, your argument would have been sound. Shoot, your perspective even applies directly to most of the ‘21 signing class.
The problem is though, things have changed. That ‘20 season changed more than what’s happening on the field.
Once upon a time, it was annoying when K-State would occasionally poach one of our commits. Given our run last season though, establishing credibility in our scouting, now everyone is looking.
Nowadays, it’s like, “Oh, ISU just offered this kid? He must be good. I’d better take a look, to see what they like!” Bingo, the kid gets more offers.
And that’s happening all the time now.
That just means our staff (and team) have to step up their game.
It is still Spring, TJ can lock this kid down tomorrow. Phone a friend CMC.
I think it's Ohio State for him..
If you are going to leave the great state of Iowa go to the bluest of blue bloods I guess
But if your goal is to get to the League - you can do that at Iowa State, we are proving that
I could type something but you pretty much nailed it. Good post.
It all comed do
Lazard had one key character attribute unlike this "5 star" recruit ... loyalty. CMC has a 5 star culture where playing time must be earned. Let this one go...he fits at OSU.
So this 17 year old kid is supposed to be "loyal" to ISU? Why? That's Trumpish. He's lucky enough to have options. Hope he succeeds wherever he goes.
Jus sayin and not directed at you. This is for generational comparison only: 17 year olds stormed beaches at Normandy and Iwo Jima and were called "men." My 21 year old uncle was the command pilot on a B-17 with nine other men on board (late teens and early twenties) ...shot down over France. We throw too much slack calling post high school football players "kids"....they are young men.
