Gridiron 2017

THE IOWA STATE WAY IOWA STATE FOOTBALL

FALL 2017

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

EDITOR IN CHIEF

AUTHORS

Maggie Curry

Ben Visser Maggie Curry Luke Manderfeld

SPORTS EDITORS Luke Manderfeld Aaron Marner

VISUAL EDITOR Hannah Olson

PHOTOGRAPHY Hannah Olson Emily Blobaum

ART DIRECTOR Tony Thrush

07 BRIAN HONNOLD: THE MAN BEHIND GAME DAY How does Cyclone game day happen? With hard work and the lead of one man.

11 TURF WAR

How does Iowa State’s playing surface stack up against the Big 12?

13 THE CYCLONE STATE OF RECRUITING

DESIGN CHIEF Isaiah Johnson

A nationwide look at Iowa State’s scholarship players.

DESIGNERS Ethan Hipsher Alyssa Vuong Andrew Smith Jordan Rastall

21 PACKING THE JACK

A look at the rise in Iowa State’s attendence despite a negative national trend.

23 DIFFERENCE MAKERS

Who makes the difference for Iowa State on the field?

25 MY DAD’S DREAM

Every boy’s dream is to play college football. My dad made it.

17 MR. CLUTCH

A statistical breakdown of what makes Allen Lazard great.

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4 The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON

HANNAH OLSON /IOWA STATE DAILY

The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON 5

Brian Honnold does it all – from removing unruly fans, to guiding the teams and referees, to setting out bike racks. He’s the every-man behind the scenes for Iowa State football.

“I’ve always been a Cyclone fan. This is where I’ve always wanted to work.”

BY

MAGGIE CURRY

Drive past Jack Trice Stadium at 11 p.m. before an Iowa State football game day. The lots are completely empty and the field is lit and ready.

In 10 hours, both areas will be swamped with Cyclone fans.

When tailgating-ready fans arrive early the next morning, they follow the waving hands and batons of staff standing in front of barricades. Fourth Street, where cars zoomed by slightly over the speed limit the night before, is closed.

Tailgating packs engulf the area around the stadium and in the lots.

None of it was there the night before. So when did it all appear?

Most games, sometime between 3 and 5 a.m., and it comes from the direction of one man: Brian Honnold, Iowa State’s director of game operations.

STARTING OUT

THE MAN BEHIND GAMe DAY

Honnold’s first job with athletics was with the equipment manager of the football team as an undergrad at Iowa State.

But it wasn’t the job Honnold dreamed of having when he went to college. Honnold wanted to be a coach, just like his dad.

“Everybody wants to be a coach, so it’s like, let’s be a little more realistic,” Honnold said. “I’ve always liked working any event, just to see it all come together. I’ve always been a

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The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON 7

Cyclone fan. This is where I’ve always wanted to work.”

After returning from grad school, Honnold had a job managing wrestling, gymnastics and volleyball events. Then, on Aug. 11, 2010, Hilton Coliseum flooded, and it all changed for Honnold.

“You couldn’t even get to Hilton other than through the pedestrian bridges,” said Chris Jorgensen, senior associate athletics director for operations and Honnold’s supervisor. “I remember opening the doors, and it sounded like Niagara Falls with all the water below. You couldn’t see much, but you knew.”

Honnold’s supervisor at the time had to focus on getting Hilton back and ready for basketball season in less than 90 days, leaving football up in the air.

Honnold stepped in. He’s been the man behind game day ever since.

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MOVING ON Seven years later, Honnold, with keys to a golf cart, the shoulders of a former wrestler, a ballcap and glasses in place, does everything it takes to make game day happen, and he does it with a humble half-smile and no-nonsense eyes.

His game day starts early. Honnold arrives at the stadium two hours before parking lots open. At Iowa State, they open at 7 a.m. or six hours before kickoff, whichever is earlier.

“He wants to be there before everybody else gets there. In our positions, that’s standard,” said Seann DeMaris, a former classmate who works with Honnold. “You’ve got to like what you do.”

Those signs telling people which

items you can or can’t have in the stadium, and what they need to go in and out of the stadium?

Honnold.

Who do all those security personnel, ticket takers and traffic directors report to?

Honnold.

“There’s a lot of things that fall under that category of ‘all other duties as assigned,’ and Brian takes that to heart,” Jorgensen said. “He’s not going to ask somebody to do something he’s not willing to do himself.”

Six and a half hours before kickoff (30 minutes until lots open): Standing at the north end zone, Honnold is joined by Contemporary Services Corporation, a third-party security company. It bases its operations out of a game day room, hidden most days by a garage door.

Custodians put out trash cans under Honnold’s supervision. He and his team of three to four people stay busy, taking two golf carts from task to task.

For Honnold and Jorgensen, being unknown means they’re doing their job the right way.

“If it goes without incident, then we’ve done our job. Our job’s not to make news,” Jorgensen said.

DeMaris nominated Honnold for The Young Professionals of Ames 4 Under 40 award in 2016. DeMaris received the same award in 2013, and he knew he wanted to pay it forward.

“A lot of the work Brian does is behind the scenes,” DeMaris said.

“So many people are impacted by his work.”

Six hours before kickoff: Lots are

open. Bike racks are spread out.

Honnold checks in with CSC. If something happens, they know to contact him and he’ll go with them to the site of the incident.

Three hours before kickoff: The officials arrive in an express shuttle bus.

Honnold meets them in the parking lot, walks them to the locker room and preps them for the game.

“The toughest thing I deal with is not trusting others to do the job the way that I feel like it should be done,” Honnold said. “It doesn’t mean if someone were to do it it’s not done right, it’s just a different way. There’s always a different way. It’s tough for me, I come by that, honestly, from my parents.”

Honnold’s father was a wrestling coach, and the family unrolled wrestling mats and prepared the room before practice instead of asking janitors to do it. When the Honnolds see something that needs done, they just do it.

When asked if game day would even

EMILY BLOBAUM/IOWA STATE DAILY

“WE SET UP THE PLAYGROUND. THEY’RE THE ONES WHO GO OUT AND GET THE ATTENTION.”

8 The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON

HANNAH OLSON/IOWA STATE DAILY BRIAN HONNOLD, IOWA STATE’S DIRECTOR OF GAME OPERATIONS, WAS TABBED AS ONE OF THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS OF AMES 4 UNDER 40 IN 2016.

happen without him around, Honnold shrugged. “I don’t know about that; it would happen.”

Would it go differently?

“It sure would,” Honnold said.

Two and a half hours before kickoff: The Cyclones arrive at Jack Trice.

Honnold meets the lead bus; coach Matt Campbell’s security takes the front, Honnold takes the back.

Then he leaves them alone, unless something goes haywire.

Two hours before kickoff: The visiting team arrives. Honnold goes to meet the team with his intern and assistant, and all three accompany the team back to the locker room.

Honnold checks with their football operations person, making sure the team has what it needs — towels, Gatorade, chairs in the locker room, even missing equipment.

Most days, Honnold can stay away from the locker rooms. But that wasn’t the case during the Iowa/Iowa State game in 2013. Someone broke into the

visiting locker room by pretending to be on the Iowa coaching staff.

“All hell broke loose,” Honnold said.

The thief stole several players’ phones and wallets. At the time, no security cameras were in the locker rooms, just guards. There are now.

But there are more calm days than crazy ones. Honnold usually sees the stadium empty and at peace before the excitement of a game begins.

Ninety minutes before kickoff: The officials meet with each coach and gates open.

Forty minutes before kickoff: Time to test the ref’s microphone.

Twenty minutes before kickoff: The teams leave the field and return to their locker rooms.

Five minutes before kickoff: The pump-up video declares a Cyclone warning.

Kickoff: Honnold moves onto the field. It is eight hours after his arrival.

Honnold takes a spot in a north corner. Both teams know where to

find him. From there he’s the on-field connection for anyone, including police, stadium operators, paramedics and security.

“As much as people wanna say it doesn’t happen because of me, it doesn’t happen because of anybody,” Honnold said. “If we didn’t all come together, it wouldn’t happen.”

For those up in the press box, Honnold isn’t their boss— he is their lifeline.

“Football days are just constantly putting out fires,” Honnold said.

He meant it metaphorically, of course.

Honnold is responsible for the whole event, from 3 a.m. until the final car leaves the lot and the stadium is closed for the night.

“It all comes back to me,” Honnold said. “The more in the background I am, the better off everything’s going inside the stadium. We set up the playground. They’re the ones who go out and get the attention.”

TURF WAR

More than 11,000 athletic fields around the nation use artificial turf, and that number grows larger every year. College football is no exception, with at least 85 Division I stadiums using turf. Iowa State has stuck with natural grass since switching from turf in 1996. Here is a look at how Jack Trice Stadium’s playing surface stacks up against the rest of the Big 12 Conference.

NATURAL GRASS, Jack Trice Stadium: Capacity: 61,500

Recommended cleats: Detachable, screw-in.

Fun fact: Named the No. 1 natural grass field in college football by LawnStarter in 2015.

MATRIX TURF, McLane Stadium: Capacity: 45,140 Recommended cleats: Regular with studs or molded lugs.

Fun fact: Turf is made up of two different fibers to make it look more natural.

FIELDTURF REVOLUTION, Memorial Stadium:

ASTROTURF ROOTZONE 3DH, Snyder Family Stadium:

Capacity: 52,530

Capacity: 52,200

Recommended cleats: Regular with studs or molded lugs.

Recommended cleats: Artificial ground football boots with conical studs.

Fun fact: Claims to offer the safest artificial turf system available today.

Fun fact: Fibers reflect sun, keeping the grass 10 percent cooler.

The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON 11

TIFSPORT BERMUDA GRASS, Memorial Stadium:

ASTROTURF ROOTZONE 3D3, Boone Pickens:

Recommended cleats: Detachable, screw-in.

Recommended cleats: Artificial ground football boots with conical studs.

Capacity: 86,112

Fun fact: Due to photosynthesis, the grass evaporates water, cooling the air.

FIELDTURF REVOLUTION, Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium: Capacity: 100,119

Recommended cleats: Regular with studs or molded lugs.

Capacity: 60,000

Fun fact: Contains a RootZone that prevents moving of the infill, the layer underneath the turf.

FIELDTURF CLASSIC HD, Jones AT&T Stadium: Capacity: 60,454

Recommended cleats: Regular with studs or molded lugs.

Fun fact: Cost of maintaining artificial turf is less than natural grass.

Fun fact: Contains an infill — the layer underneath the turf — that absorbs water and evaporates to keep cool.

TIFWAY BERMUDA GRASS, Amon G. Carter Stadium:

FIELDTURF REVOLUTION, Mountaineer Field:

Recommended cleats: Detachable, screw-in.

Recommended cleats: Regular with studs or molded lugs.

Fun fact: Because it is a natural grass field, tree leaves, chewing gum, hard candy, peanut shells, etc., do not need to be picked up.

Fun fact: Almost half of the teams in the Big 12 use FieldTurf playing surfaces.

Capacity: 45,000

Capacity: 60,000

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASTROTURF, FIELDTURF, HELLAS CONSTRUCTION/MATRIX TURF

THE

CYCLONE STATE OF RECRUITING IOWA: HOMEGROWN

1

•M att Campbell brought in six Iowa high school recruits in 2017, the most in at least the last decade, according to 247sports. Campbell also reeled in Josh Knipfel from Iowa Western Community College.

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• T hree of the 15 players came from George Washington High School in Cedar Rapids.

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• I owa State only grabbed eight recruits from Iowa in the period from 2013 to 2016, with just one each in 2014 and 2016, according to 247sports.

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2 2

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TEXAS: FALLING BACK • Matt Campbell didn’t bring in any Texas recruits in the 2017 class. Campbell only signed two recruits from Texas in his first class (2016).

• Under former coach Paul Rhoads, Iowa State brought in 42 recruits from Texas in seven years, an average of six per year, according to 247sports.

• Half of the recruits from the Lone Star State are defensive backs, headlined by Brian Peavy (2014), who earned an honorable mention to the All-Big 12 team in 2016.

14 FLORIDA: ON THE RISE • Matt Campbell’s staff reeled in four recruits from the Sunshine State in 2017: Tarique Milton, Johnnie Lang, Joshua Bailey and O. J. Tucker.

• Three of the seven remaining players from the 2013 recruiting class are from Florida: Robby Garcia, Shawn Curtis and Vernell Trent.

• Four players come from Jacksonville: Reggan Northrup (2014), Josh Coleman (2015), JaQuan Bailey (2016) and his brother, Joshua Bailey (2017). The Bailey brothers attended Raines High School in north Jacksonville.

The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON 13

GEORGIA

Recruiting has become a bigger and bigger beast in Division I college football. Some of the biggest recruits in the nation are targeted as young as middle school. Iowa State coach Matt Campbell has jumped on

03 04 10 72

ILLINOIS

the trend, offering recruits early and often.

As for the current team, Campbell has only had a hand in two classes. Here’s a look at where all of Iowa State’s scholarship

16 39 44 75

01 D’Andre Payne, DB, Yuma AZ 89 Matt Leo, DE, Yuma AZ

ARKANSAS 56 Josh Johnson, DE, Little Rock AR 89 Dylan Soehner, TE, Prairie Grove AR

CALIFORNIA 05 Kamari Cotton-Moya, DB, Bakersfield CA 11 Lawrence White, DB, Bakersfield CA 23 Thadd Daniels, DB, Compton CA 25 Sheldon Croney Jr, RB, Bakersfield CA 70 Oge Odeogu, OL, San Francisco CA 76 Ray Lima, DL, Los Angeles CA 95 Tucker Robertson, DL, Simi Valley CA TBD Kamilo Tongamoa, DL, Merced CA

05 07 12 19 34 35 45 51 35 45 51 57 66 67 71 74 82 85

Willie Harvey, LB, Hastings FL Reggan Northrup, LB, Jacksonville FL Tarique Milton, WR, Bradenton FL Stephon Pickett-Brown, DB, Kissimmee FL JaQuan Bailey, DE, Jacksonville FL O.J. Tucker, DB, Ocala FL Johnnie Lang, RB, Bradenton FL Datrone Young, DB, Delray Beach FL Romelo Webster, DB, Miramar FL Josh Coleman, DE, Jacksonville FL Robby Garcia, OL, Tampa FL Shawn Curtis, OL, Orlando FL Joshua Bailey, DL, Jacksonville FL Vernell Trent, DL, Jacksonville FL

Allen Lazard, WR, Urbandale IA Joel Lanning, QB, Ankeny IA Devon Moore, QB, Waterloo IA Trever Ryen, WR, Ida Grove IA O’Rien Vance, LB, Cedar Rapids IA Jake Hummel, LB, Des Moines IA Carson Lensing, DE, Fort Atkinson IA Julian Good-Jones, OL, Cedar Rapids IA Jake Hummel, LB, Des Moines IA Carson Lensing, DE, Fort Atkinson IA Julian Good-Jones, OL, Cedar Rapids IA Colin Newell, OL, Ames IA Josh Knipfel, OL, Hampton IA Jake Campos, OL, West Des Moines IA Alex Kleinow, OL, North Liberty IA Bryce Meeker, OL, Cedar Rapids IA Landen Akers, WR, Cedar Rapids IA John Nagel, DE, Greeley IA

KANSAS

FLORIDA 07 09 14 15 19 22 24 25 27 56 63 79 90 99

Marchie Murdock, WR, Champaign County IL Steve Wirtel, DS, Orland Park IL Bobby McMillen III, LB, Naperville IL Sean Foster, OL, Mundelein IL

IOWA

players were recruited from.

ARIZONA

Reggie Wilkerson, DB, Ocala FL Zeb Noland, QB, Watkinsville GA Jacob Park, QB, Athens GA Jacob Bolton, OL, Roswell GA

42 Marcel Spears Jr, LB, Olathe KS 97 Angel Dominguez, DE, Kansas City KS

MARYLAND 18 Hakeem Butler, WR, Baltimore MD

MICHIGAN 17 50 77 83

Richard Bowens III, DB, Detroit MI Eyioma Uwaxurike, DE, Detroit MI Robert Hudson, OL, Walled Lake MI Jalen Martin, WR, Detroit MI

MINNESOTA 92 Jamahl Johnson, DL, Savage MN

MISSISSIPPI 18 Cordarrius Bailey, DE, Clarksdale MS 23 Matthew Eaton, WR, Poplarville MS

MISSOURI 11 Chase Allen, TE, Nixa MO

NORTH CAROLINA 04 Evrett Edwards, DB, Durham NC

OHIO 08 16 21 32 52 76

Deshaunte Jones, WR, Cincinnati OH Keontae Jones, DB, Cincinnati OH Jatairis Grant, DB, Akron OH David Montgomery, RB, Cincinnati OH Dan Sichterman, DE, Cincinnati OH Jeff Nogaj, OL, Johnstown OH

OKLAHOMA 02 80 81 88

Mike Warren, RB, Lawton OK Carson Epps, WR, Jenks OK Denver Johnson, WR, Oklahoma City OK Charlie Kolar, TE, Norman OK

PENNSYLVANIA 43 Tymar Sutton, LB, McKeesport PA

TEXAS 03 06 10 14 16 18 32 58 73 86

Kene Nwangwe, RB, Frisco TX De’Monte Ruth, DB, Dallas TX Brian Peavy, DB, Houston TX Darius Lee-Cambell, DB, Spring TX Vic Holmes, DB, La Porte TX Hakeem Butler, WR, Richmond TX Arnold Azunna, DB, Grand Prairie TX J.D. Waggoner, DE, Dallas TX Will Windham, OL, Schertz TX Cole Anderson, TE, League City TX

WISCONSIN 13 47 54 69

Colin Downing, P, Whitefish Bay WI Sam Seonbuchner, TE, Oconomowoc WI Josh Mueller, OL, Mequon WI Kory Kodanko, OL, Green Bay WI

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MR.CLUTCH

A L L E N

L A Z A R D

34.78% of catches came on third down.

47.83%

of catches resulted in 10 or more yards.

CORNER CURL

POST

49/69 catches made near sideline.

Iowa State struck gold when it successfully recruited Allen Lazard to come to Ames back in 2014.

A CLOSER LOOK AT LAZARD’S 2016 SEASON VS. TCU (9/17)

CATCHES 1

YARDS 8

YARDS PER CATCH 8.00

TDs 0

Least amount of yards in a game in Lazard’s career.

Since then, his 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame, paired with above-average speed, has made him a premier wide receiver in college football. And he’s only gotten better every season with the Cyclones. In his freshman season, in 2014, Lazard racked up 593 yards on 45 catches, ranking second on the team behind D’Vario Montgomery. In 2015, Lazard ascended into the national spotlight with a 808-yard season, earning him Second Team All-Big 12 honors.

In his junior season, Lazard took his game to new heights and into the NFL conversation by posting the fourth-ever 1,000-yard season by a Cyclone receiver. He finished the year with 1,018 yards and 69 receptions with six 100-yard games, a school record. He decided to stay at Iowa State for his senior season, opting to enter the NFL Draft after his collegiate career, only endearing him to Cyclone fans even more. While he’s in the midst of his senior season — and, if he continues on this pace, an even more historic one — let’s take a closer look at Lazard’s favorite routes in 2016.

9 176

Catches

18 174

Yards

Catches Yards

5 169

Catches Yards

TCU also held Lazard to his second-worst game (16 yards) as a freshman in 2014.

Only catch was a slant route that resulted in a first down.

VS. KANSAS (11/12)

10

120

12.00

1

19.57

1

Most receptions in a game in his career.

Eight of his 10 catches resulted in a first down.

Four receptions came in the fourth quarter.

VS. TEXAS TECH (11/19)

7

137

Second-best career game in terms of yardage.

Best game came against TCU in 2015 (147).

Sixth-best yards per catch average in a game.

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PACKING THE

JACK BY

LUKE MANDERFELD

KEY

Jack Trice Stadium has been a staple for Iowa State athletics since it was opened in 1975. The Cyclones have seen a steady rise in attendance over the past decade Since the implementation of the South End Zone expansion in 2015, the stadium has seen three of its largest crowds in the last two years, the biggest being 61,500 people — a sellout — in the 2015 season-opener against Northern Iowa and the 2015 Cy-Hawk matchup. Despite just one winning season in the last decade — 7-6 in 2009 — the Cyclones have been one of the few schools to buck a national trend in decreasing attendance.

Iowa State has seen an increasing trend in attendance since 2010.

Since that season, the Cyclones haven’t averaged below 50,000 in attendance. The national average attendance among Division I FBS schools has been decreasing every season since 2013.

“We’ve created a culture of pride amongst Iowa State fans,” Iowa State

A DECADE OF ATTENDANCE

D-1 FBS attendance Jack Trice Stadium attendance Games

60,000 60,000

50,000 50,000

40,000 40,000 0

2007 Season 2007

2009

2008 Season 2008

WIN IN THE INSIGHT BOWL In Paul Rhoads’ first season as head coach at Iowa State, the Cyclones went 6-6 overall. The impressive year culminated in a 14-13 victory over Minnesota in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona.

2009 Season 2009

2011

LOSS IN THE PINSTRIPE BOWL The Cyclones continued to see relative success under Rhoads. In his third season, Iowa State went 6-6 in the regular season and made it to its second bowl game in three years. The Cyclones fell to Rutgers 27-13 at Yankee Stadium.

2010 Season 2010

2011

2011

IOWA STATE UPSETS NO. 2 OKLAHOMA STATE The Cyclones picked up perhaps the biggest win in program history by beating No. 2 Oklahoma State at Jack Trice Stadium on Nov. 18, 2011. Iowa State won 37-31 in front of 52,027 people.

The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON 21

Athletic Director Jamie Pollard said. “Maybe 10 years ago, it was a little bit about expecting the worst to happen. Now we’ve made the events fun and exciting. It’s about the overall atmosphere that we’ve created.”

Pollard praised Iowa State’s “liberal” tailgating policy and past coaches who embraced the Iowa State’s culture as a couple of reasons why the Cyclones have bucked the trend.

But the big difference could stem from the recent Jack Trice Stadium renovations. When the downtrend started to hit schools across the nation, Iowa State added the South End Zone and completed other smaller changes to concourses and bathrooms.

“While that was going on [with other programs], we were in the process of adding and expanding our stadium,” Pollard said. “We were opening restrooms and widening concourses, putting in video boards. Adding club sections. We were doing things that were physically adding people at a time where if we had been doing nothing, we would’ve lost people.”

2012 Season 2012

2012

2013 Season 2013

LOSS IN THE LIBERTY BOWL Again, Iowa State went 6-6 in 2012, making yet another bowl game — its third in four years. But it couldn’t overcome Tulsa in Memphis, Tennessee, falling 31-17. The Cyclones haven’t made it to a bowl game since.

The Cyclones felt a bit of a hit last season. In Matt Campbell’s first season at the helm, Iowa State’s attendance fell almost 10 percent, to 52,557. That number was similar to 2014’s total — 52,197.

In both of those seasons, the annual Cy-Hawk game was in Iowa City, which has an impact on the overall numbers. But Pollard also pointed out a few other factors, like the two games over Thanksgiving Break in 2016, which affects how many students attend games.

The home schedule looks up this season. The Cyclones have seven home games, including against Northern Iowa last Saturday. The Cy-Hawk game is at home, which always provides a boost.

“So far, we have just dodged this trend,” Pollard said. “I would argue that we are further from the fringe, and that we’re more in the middle.

And some of that is based on the culture in the Midwest and in central Iowa. We’re not always the trendiest, we’re more of the purists.”

2014 Season 2014

2015

2015 Season 2015

SOUTH END ZONE OPENS Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard oversaw a $60 million expansion to the south side of Jack Trice Stadium. The expansion pushed Jack Trice Stadium’s capacity over 60,000 with a new lower bowl of seats.

2016 Season 2016

2016

MATT CAMPBELL TAKES OVER AS HEAD COACH The Cyclones saw the ushering in of a new era in 2016, with Matt Campbell taking the head coaching reins. His first season wasn’t a success record-wise, but the program has been revitalized.

DIFFERENCE MAKERS ALLEN LAZARD, WR, SENIOR “I think Allen has a chance to be one of the best players in college football.

My job is to get him there, and Allen wants that. I appreciate that from him because he is really dialed in.”

-Matt Campbell, head coach “Allen has found himself in a position where he’s had a lot of success...

Everybody knew who he was. Certainly a lot of pressure going into his senior year where now there’s even higher expectations for a guy like him. I think he’s handled it really well.”

-Bryan Gasser, wide receivers coach

JACOB PARK, QB, REDSHIRT JUNIOR

JAKE CAMPOS, OL, REDSHIRT SENIOR

“I think Jacob, who didn’t have the benefit of spring ball a year ago, didn’t even have the benefit in the beginning of a training camp, is showing so many signs of carryover from the fall. And understanding of any new concepts if there are any… he’s been doing a really good job.”

-Jim Hofher, quarterbacks coach

“Jake is a really hard-working kid. If you let him, he would’ve loved to rock and roll as much as anybody, but I think we have to be really smart with his progression coming back, and you certainly don’t want to lose a really good asset to your football program in practice.”

-Tom Manning, offensive coordinator

“I think his ability level is as high as any quarterback that I’ve had the ability to coach. He’s got elite arm strength, he’s got the ability to make all the throws, he’s elusive. He can create and move in the pocket.”

-Matt Campbell, head coach

“[On] Sunday morning, [I felt] sympathy and Monday morning, before he got out the hospital, I said, ‘Get back to practice and start coaching everybody. You’re the guy that has really good experience and you’re the guy that has provided really good leadership for our team.’”

-Matt Campbell, head coach: after Campos was injured and missed 2016 season

In every competitive football team, there are a select few players that separate themselves from the rest. Whether it be because of their ability to execute a clutch tackle, a key pass or run, or force a turnover, these players are crucial to any team.

They still have to put in the work during the offseason to maintain their level of greatness, and throughout Iowa State’s fall and spring camps, these players continued to make plays. It hasn’t gone unnoticed.

These are Iowa State’s difference makers, as told by teammates and coaches.

The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON 23

DARK HORSES ARNOLD AZUNNA, CB, REDSHIRT FRESHMAN D’Andre Payne, cornerback: “He’s come along this summer. He’s been working very hard, getting in that playbook, as well as working on his technique every day. He’s a real physical player and that can really help us out too.”

D.K. McDonald, defensive backs coach: “He’s really good at what he does. In this conference you can’t have enough corners to cover people. He has extreme confidence in himself and our defense. Those are things we really like. His mentality needs to be: he needs to come here and challenge for a starting spot. He’s going out there and in these first couple practices and that’s been his mentality.”

CHARLIE KOLAR, TE, FRESHMAN Chase Allen, tight end: “Charlie’s a great player. We’re excited to have him around.

He has a lot of similarities to me. He’s a very smart guy, 35 ACT.”

KAMARI COTTON-MOYA, DB, REDSHIRT SENIOR “[Cotton-Moya’s] a sharp player and I’ve been pleased with his learning.

He’s a leader in the locker room and I appreciate his work habits and I know he’ll get better as we go along.”

-Jon Heacock, defensive coordinator “Kamari takes me back to my years at Toledo and trying to run or throw the ball opposite to where he was.

He has a high ceiling of skill set and ability, but I’d like to see that ability every day.”

-Matt Campbell, head coach

JOEL LANNING, LB, REDSHIRT SENIOR “He’s a good football player and great leader.”

-Jon Heacoack, defensive coordinator “I think Joel’s a guy that got better every day. I told one of my trusted friends a couple months ago that this guy had the chance to be pretty special. The reality of it is the guy is a great athlete. I wouldn’t have ever put Joel in a position to fail.”

-Matt Campbell, head coach

Alex Golesh, tight ends coach: “He’s 247 pounds. Came in at about 240. He’s probably physically more ready than the guys we had come in last year. Really, really sharp kid. So he’s got the mental side of it.

It will just be a matter of can he get used to the physical side of playing that position.”

MARCHIE MURDOCK, WR, REDSHIRT SENIOR Bryan Gasser, wide receivers coach: “He spent the entire offseason prior to arriving in Ames finishing up his undergraduate degree. If you talk about guys that have had great offseasons, his has been incredible.

Even spring ball, he was hot in March.

We were calling it March Madness, not because of the tournament but because of what you were seeing him do in practice.

He was probably offensively the MVP of what we did in the spring and then has really developed that leadership role. He’s not only a great teammate, he’s a guy that works really hard. Every day you see a little bit more and a little bit more.”

24 The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON

COURTESY OF BOB VISSER

The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON 25

MY DAD’s

DREAM Many boys dream of playing college football.

This is the story of my dad’s dream and the adversity he fought to get there.

BY

BEN VISSER

Every football player’s path to getting a Division I playbook in his hands is different.

Most get scholarships. Preferred walk-ons are invited to play.

Others just show up.

That’s what my Dad, Bob Visser, did during the era of Iowa State’s legendary coach Earle Bruce.

And he gave me the playbook to prove it.

DEALING WITH DEATH Neither one of my grandparents on my Dad’s side of the family had a high school diploma. My Dad’s family never had a lot of money.

Grandma Edith worked at Sterenberg’s, the local hardware store in Sheldon, Iowa. My Grandpa Ben — yes, I’m named after him — worked on his uncle’s farm and at the Big-4 Co-op Processing Plant.

Before Grandpa Ben started work, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was deployed in the Pacific Theater. While his fleet was on its way to the Philippines, it was hit hard by Japanese kamikaze pilots. Many of the crew members died from the bombings.

His ship — the DuPage — made it to shore, where the crew could regroup and make what repairs they could. My Grandpa learned to leave no man behind in the Navy.

COURTESY OF BOB VISSER MY DAD (LEFT) SHAVES WHILE

That’s why, when the Big-4 Co-op sprung a gas leak, a problem turned into a tragedy.

My Grandpa saved one of his co-workers who was passed out. He carried him outside, and by then, everyone was accounted for — except one guy.

My Grandpa rushed back in to save him. It was just him and his training to leave no person behind.

He searched and searched, but he was never going to find him. The person was already outside. He had gone out the back door.

My Grandpa died trying to save a life that didn’t need saving.

Ben John Visser died on March 10, 1960, from asphyxiation due to hexane fumes. He was 37.

After my Grandpa’s death, the Big-4 Co-op put procedures in place.

TRAINING IN THE ARMY DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. FORTUNATELY, HE WASN’T SHIPPED OVERSEAS.

HE HAD ALWAYS FOLLOWED HIS DAD AROUND LIKE A SHADOW. NOW HE WAS THE MAN OF THE HOUSE, A TASK HE WASN’T SURE HIS 10-YEAR-OLD SHOULDERS COULD BEAR.

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WE CLONE!

The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON 27

But those new procedures didn’t give my Dad his Dad back. He was 10 years old and devastated. He had always followed his dad around like a shadow. Now he was the man of the house, a task he wasn’t sure his 10-year-old shoulders could bear.

But he could only mourn for so long; he had to persevere.

The community wanted to rally around my Dad’s family. The church came forward and wanted to help with some of the bills.

My Grandma was too proud, too stubborn and too driven to take any handouts.

She and her children would work.

They didn’t need any help.

My Dad started working when he was 15 at Swanson’s, the local grocery store. His sister Lorene started working the same year at Broadles Dress Shop. She was 16.

When my Dad’s chance to play high school football came, he couldn’t. He was busy bagging groceries while his friends were playing under the Friday night lights.

DRAFT DAY After graduating from high school, my Dad elected to forgo college and work construction. He did that for a year — a year in which he saw all his friends go off to college.

He enrolled at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, the next year.

The year was 1970. It was the year that President Richard Nixon appeared on TV with a fishbowl full of dates. He’d start at No. 1 and work his way through No. 365. The first

date he’d pull out would be No. 1, the second date No. 2 and so forth.

Essentially, anyone under No. 200 was getting drafted.

My Dad and his friends gathered around the TV. They were cracking jokes, attempting to make a serious situation lighter. They knew most of them would be drafted.

Nixon pulled the first date out of the bowl.

They were all safe.

Nixon reached in for the second date, stared into the camera and read, “April 24, 1950.”

The room fell silent.

The jokes stopped.

Everyone looked at my Dad. His draft number was No. 2.

His plans to finish college were put on hold.

On Jan. 19, 1971, he joined the Army.

Basic training was at Fort Leonardwood, Mo. Anyone who was fit and could keep up with the group was infantry. My Dad was fit. He moved on to advanced training at Fort Polk, La. “All your drill sergeants in basic training are trying to shape you up,” my Dad said. “But the drill sergeants in advanced training are trying to keep you alive. They don’t want to see you come home in a body bag.”

Because U.S. soldiers were dying, the nation was protesting, and Nixon was being pressured to get out of Vietnam, my Dad was never deployed overseas.

Instead, he went to Fort Riley, Kan. “I thought, ‘Thank you Lord,’” my Dad said. “Now maybe I can relax and sort this out.”

He asked to sign up with the Army

Corps of Engineers to learn drafting.

Architecture and design had always interested him. This was his opportunity to see if he liked it.

He did.

And when he was discharged on Jan. 19, 1973, he was accepted to Iowa State, where he studied architecture.

‘YOU’RE NUTS’ Iowa State was on the quarter system when my Dad enrolled in Fall 1973. He attended every football game.

He started thinking. He missed football in high school. He wasn’t going to miss football in college.

My 5-foot-9, 170-pound Dad thought he was going to walk on to a Division I football team.

It made sense — sort of.

He was always a good athlete, even though he never played organized sports. He had just gotten out of the Army, so he was in peak physical shape.

A better time couldn’t present itself.

He told his roommate about his plan, to which his roommate responded, “You’re nuts.”

My Dad was not discouraged. He walked over to the football offices located at the west end of the old Clyde-Williams Stadium. He talked with the secretary about the process of walking onto the football team.

She told my Dad that he was in luck because head football coach Earle Bruce, who had just finished his first season coaching the Cyclones, was in his office. He followed her to Bruce’s office, and my Dad told the coach his story and expressed his desire to become a walk-on.

Bruce welcomed him with open arms.

COURTESY OF BOB VISSER

28 The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON

HANNAH OLSON/IOWA STATE DAILY A PAGE FROM MY DAD’S PLAYBOOK EXPLAINING DIFFERENT ASSIGNMENTS ON DEFENSE. MY DAD EARNED THIS BOOK IN 1974 UNDER LEGENDARY COACH EARLE BRUCE.

“If you’re fit to serve our nation, you’re fit to play for us,” said Bruce, who went 36-32 in his six seasons coaching Iowa State before leaving to become a legend at Ohio State.

“Come by tomorrow and we’ll get you suited up.”

The next day my Dad ran over to Clyde-Williams.

The equipment manager hooked him up with all the latest swag, which consisted of a white t-shirt, white shorts and white Keds tennis shoes.

My Dad put the gear on, walked over to the weight room with the rest of the team and got to work with the defensive backs.

As my Dad got to know his teammates and position coaches during winter workouts, he realized how lucky he was. For the first time, he felt what it was like to be a part of a football team, only now, it was at the Division I level with some of the best athletes in the United States.

My Dad got through the winter

workouts and made it to the spring practices.

He got his playbook.

He also got his jersey. No. 2.

Same as his draft number.

Iowa State had freshman and varsity teams in 1974. Any newcomer was automatically placed on the freshman team until he proved that he had the ability to play on varsity.

The way the coaches told players about a promotion to varsity is by moving their nameplate from the freshman locker room to the varsity locker room.

In spring 1974, my Dad walked into the freshman locker room, and his name was no longer there. He wasn’t sure if he had been kicked off the team. He was shocked and momentarily confused.

Then reality set in. His nameplate was among the first to be moved to the varsity locker room.

When the first two-deep depth chart came out in the spring, his

name was on it, listed as the No. 2 weak-side cornerback behind returning starter Tony Hawkins.

He couldn’t believe it.

My Dad walked onto a Division I football team and got a Division I playbook, and he had a good chance of seeing the field. He was an injury or a broken chinstrap away.

But he knew he had to take it one step at a time. The spring game came first.

During the game, Hawkins left the field, and my Dad put on his helmet, rushed on the field and into the defensive huddle.

He was about to play football in Clyde-Williams Stadium in front of fans.

He couldn’t believe it.

His stomach was in his throat.

He couldn’t feel his limbs.

When they lined up, he recognized the offensive formation. His hours of studying the playbook paid off. It was a swing pass to his side.

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The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON 31

My Dad read the play, reacted and dropped the running back for a one-yard loss.

Hawkins returned for the next play. That was the only snap my Dad played that day.

Afterward, my Dad and his friends gathered around the TV in their Richardson Court dorm rooms watching a replay of the spring game from the local television station.

My Dad’s play was coming up. All his friends shouted, “There’s you. There’s you! Quiet. Quiet!”

They watched him blow up the play in the backfield.

Then they heard the TV sportscaster say, “Dave Visser with the tackle in the backfield.”

Not quite my Dad’s name. He didn’t care.

He went home for the summer feeling good about his standing on the team. There were no organized team workouts over the summer — NCAA rules prohibited

them — so a lot of players did their workouts at home. My Dad was going to school on the GI bill, so everything but the cost of living was accounted for.

He worked construction during the day to help offset the cost. In the evening, he worked out using Bruce’s regimen.

The work ethic my Grandma instilled in my Dad propelled him through the summer, and he returned to Iowa State in peak condition. Near the end of a fall practice, Bruce singled out my Dad and yelled to the team, “If y’all would’ve taken your workouts as seriously as Visser, we wouldn’t still be running!”

Everything was going well on the practice field — until my Dad registered for fall classes.

One of his professors only offered his class in the afternoon. My Dad, an architecture major, needed the class. It

COURTESY OF BOB VISSER MY MOM, ROMA, (LEFT) MY SISTER, WHITNEY, (MIDDLE) AND I POSE FOR A PHOTO DURING AN IOWA STATE GAME AT JACK TRICE STADIUM.

32 The Iowa State Way: GRIDIRON

MY DAD WAS DONE WITH FOOTBALL. HE GOT TO EXPERIENCE WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE ON A TEAM FOR EIGHT MONTHS. overlapped practice by an hour. My Dad tried to reason with the professor, but the professor wasn’t having it. My Dad told his position coach, Charlie Lyle, about the problem. Lyle told my Dad to tell Bruce, and he would take care of it.

Only my Dad wouldn’t do that.

My Dad needed to focus on school.

His future was as an architect, not as a football player. The most he could ever achieve on the field would be a couple of snaps here and there and a special teams spot.

He didn’t want to get on that professor’s bad side and have it impact his grades.

He never told Bruce about the class conflict; he just turned his gear in and explained to Bruce his decision. The coach understood and wished him the best of luck.

When class was over each day, my Dad went back over to the field to watch his friends and former teammates practice. On Saturdays, he was in the stands cheering them on.

My Dad was done with football.

He got to experience what it was like to be on a team for eight months.

And he got his playbook.

FAMILY LEGACY My Dad let my sister, Whitney, and me play any sport we wanted to growing up, and he’d even pay for lessons and camps to ensure we would be the best we could be. I never realized how lucky we were or why he did that until recently.

He did it for us, because he wasn’t able to.

And not only did he allow us and pay for us to do all of these sports, he also coached us.

My sister fell in love with tennis.

That was her sport. She played for Central College, a Division III school in Pella, Iowa. My Dad used to take her to the tennis courts at the local park just down the street from our house. He hit with her for hours day in and day out so she could perfect her ground strokes.

He coached my baseball teams from second grade through middle school.

We were always one of the top teams in the city.

I also played baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis, soccer.

It wasn’t just playing sports, though; it was going to football games.

Iowa State football games.

He would take my mom, my sister and me to every game he could. It was more than a four-hour drive from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but for my Dad, it might as well have been four minutes.

Once we got there, he made sure to take us to every stop on campus.

After the campus tour we always went the bookstore. He would buy me a mini Iowa State football. I have about 10 more than I need. Then we

headed to the tailgating lots. Being from Sioux Falls, we never had a spot of our own, but I loved the atmosphere and the smell of the grills.

Eventually we made it into the game and enjoyed every second.

I cheered on Sage Rosenfels in my No. 18 jersey; I cheered on Lane Danielson in my No. 82 jersey; I cheered on Todd Blythe in my No. 1 jersey.

We were there for the Nebraska upset in 2004, when we rushed the field. We were also there for the tornado game against Colorado in 2005.

I have too many vivid memories to get to, but it was my Dad who made them memorable.

When it came time for me to choose a college, there was only one choice: Iowa State.

Of course, I bought the all-sports pass as a freshman, and I remember going to the first game of the season in 2012 against Tulsa.

I was walking to the stadium with people from the dorms. We were making game and season predictions — the normal pregame banter.

Something was off, though, and while we were making our way through the tailgate lots, I remember tweeting, “It’s weird walkin [sic] to isu [sic] football games without my Dad.” I just felt like a part of me wasn’t there to enjoy the experience.

From that game on, I wore my Dad’s No. 2 Iowa State jersey with “VISSER” across the back.

After nearly 40 years, the jersey finally made its long-awaited return to an Iowa State stadium. And it didn’t miss a game.