AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell has placed the Cyclone football program on the national radar with yearly appearances in the national rankings and five-straight bowl berths.
The fruits of his labor have paid off on the recruiting trail, as the Cyclones announced their early signees of the 2022 class today.
This year’s class is the highest-rated in school history, and it’s not even close. Campbell and his staff have completed a December signing period class ranked in the top-30 in all three major recruiting services. The 2022 Cyclone class is rated No. 22 nationally and third-best in the Big 12 by Rivals, and 247Sports rates it as the third-best class in the Big 12 and 24th overall.
Campbell is excited to bring this talented group to Ames.
“We could not be more thrilled to welcome this 2022 class into our football program,” Campbell said. “This group has believed in our program and the vision we have. We are grateful to continue to build with them leading the way. It is a well-balanced, talented class that we believe can make an impact on our program immediately and over the next five years. We have always believed in recruiting high-character young men who have a passion for academics, and a genuine love for the game of football. This group embodies those values and we are thrilled to build our future around them.”
This class features five players who earned four-star status through the various recruiting services. Eight players are ranked in the top-600 by 247Sports, including four-star pickups DT Hunter Deyo (Council Bluffs, Iowa) and WR Greg Gaines III (Tampa, Fla.), who are both top-325 players nationally.
Gaines III led his Tampa Bay Tech team to an undefeated record and a state championship game appearance on Friday. A top-40 wide receiver nationally, Gaines III has 32 touchdown catches in his career.
Deyo, a four-star recruit by Rivals, 247Sports and On3, headlines a group of four Iowans in this class in TE Gabe Burkle (Cedar Rapids), LB Jacob Imming (Sergeant Bluff) and Will McLaughlin (Defiance). Deyo was a Des Moines Register Elite Team All-State member and Imming and McLaughlin were both first-team all-state selections and ranked as the No. 5 and No. 6 players in Iowa, respectively, according to 247Sports.
Campbell has always placed a priority on recruiting players out of winning programs, and this year’s class features 10 players who have won or are currently competing for a state championship. McLaughlin (Harlan) and Deyo (Lewis Central) led their programs to state titles in Iowa, while Andrew Keller (Waunakee, Wis.) played a huge role in leading Waunakee H.S. to an undefeated (14-0) championship season.
Quaron Adams (Chandler H.S., Chandler, Ariz.) won state titles in 2019 and 2020. Trevon Howard won the 2020 national championship for IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and James Neal won a state title in 2020 (Grayson H.S., Loganville, Ga.) and Tommy Hamann (Wayzata H.S., Minneapolis, Minn.) was a 2019 state champion. The two four-year college transfers in this class, MJ Anderson (Christian Brothers H.S., St. Louis, Mo.) and Colby Reeder (Salesianum H.S., Hockessin, Del.), were also state champions as preps.
Class of 2022- December Signing Period
Signed National Letters of Intent
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos. Hometown
Quaron Adams 5-7 165 Fr. WR Chandler, Ariz. (Chandler)
Rated as the 10th-best player in Arizona by 247Sports; led team to 11-2 record with 59 catches for 783 yards and six TDs.
*Rocco Becht 6-1 195 Fr. QB Zephyrhills, Fla. (Wiregrass Ranch)
Four-star recruit by Rivals; MVP of the 2021 Rivals Camp Five-Star Challenge; threw for 23 touchdowns as a senior.
Gabe Burkle 6-5 245 Fr. TE Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Prairie)
The No. 9 player in Iowa by 247Sports; first-team all-state selection by the IPSWA; recorded 324 receiving yards as a senior.
Jeremiah Cooper 6-0 175 Fr. DB El Paso, Texas (Andress)
Top-50 safety nationally; recorded 55 tackles and nine picks, ranking second in all divisions in interceptions.
Terrell Crosby 5-11 175 Fr. DB St. Petersburg, Fla. (Lakewood)
Ranked as a top-65 athlete nationally by 247Sports; had 818 receiving yards and five TDs on offense and 10 picks on defense.
Hunter Deyo 6-2 265 Fr. DT Council Bluffs, Iowa (Lewis Central)
Four-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and On3; Des Moines Register Elite Team member; a top-30 defensive tackle nationally.
Jason Essex 6-2 215 Fr. WR Kansas City, Mo. (Winnetonka)
Two-time all-state & all-conference pick; Otis Taylor Award finalist; top-100 WR & 13th-best player in Missouri by 247Sports.
Ikenna Ezeogu 6-5 225 Fr. DE Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs)
Four-star recruit by On3; second-team all-state pick & three-time all-conference selection; had 24 tackles and six sacks in 2021.
*Greg Gaines III 6-2 185 Fr. WR Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Bay Tech)
Four-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and On3; top-40 WR nationally by Rivals; had 10 TD catches on team in state title game.
Tommy Hamann 6-4 230 Fr. DL Minneapolis, Minn. (Wayzata)
All-metro selection by the Star Tribune; tallied 41 tackles, 10.0 TFL and six sacks in seven games as a senior.
Deylin Hasert 6-4 300 Fr. OL Marshall, Minn. (Marshall)
Rated as a top-10 player in Minnesota; district lineman of the year in 2021; three-time all-conference performer.
*Trevon Howard 6-1 210 Fr. DB St. Paul, Minn. (IMG Academy {Bradenton, Fla.})
Consensus top-40 safety nationally and a top-60 player from Florida; team went 17-1 in his last two seasons.
*Jacob Imming 6-2 215 Fr. LB Sergeant Bluff, Iowa (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)
Two-time first-team all-state selection; ranked as the fifth-best player in Iowa by 247Sports; had 53 tackles & 12.5 TFL in 2021.
Andrew Keller 6-6 215 Fr. TE Waunakee, Wis. (Waunakee)
Top-35 tight end nationally by 247Sports; two-time all-state selection; 51 catches, 863 receiving yards & 7 TDs in 2021.
*Will McLaughlin 6-4 230 Fr. LB Defiance, Iowa (Harlan)
Three-time all-state selection; sixth-best player in Iowa by Rivals; led team to 12-0 record and state championship as a senior.
*James Neal 6-5 290 So. OL Loganville, Ga. (Grayson/Independence CC)
Rated as the 57th-best player and the seventh-best offensive tackle in junior college by 247Sports.
*Cartevious Norton 5-11 210 Fr. RB Waycross, Ga. (Ware County)
Led team to state playoffs with 1,266 rushing yards and 16 TDs; top-75 RB nationally by 247Sports and On3.
*Domonique Orange 6-4 320 Fr. DT Kansas City, Mo. (North)
Four-star recruit, fourth-best player in Missouri, top-100 defensive lineman by Rivals; two-time all-state selection.
Tyler Perkins 5-11 185 Fr. P Norwalk, Ohio (St. Paul)
Rated as the fourth-best punter by 247Sports; first-team all-state selection; averaged 44.0 yards per punt last two seasons.
*Carson Willich 6-1 210 Fr. LB Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs)
Top-100 linebacker nationally by 247Sports and On3; missed senior season with an injury; had 48 tackles and 12 TFL in 2020.
Signed Financial Aid Agreement To Attend ISU As A Transfer
Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos. Hometown
*MJ Anderson 6-3 275 RsJr. DE St. Louis, Mo. (Christian Brothers/Minnesota)
Saw action in 10 games in 2021 for Minnesota, recording seven tackles and a sack; had 62 tackles and 21 TFL as a senior in HS.
*Colby Reeder 6-3 235 RsSr. LB Hockessin, Del. (Salesianum/Delaware)
Four-year contributor at Delaware, competing in 35 games; All-CAA in 2021 and CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017.
*Mid-Year Enrollee
