Jimmy Rogers and the Iowa State Cyclones are battling Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes on the in-state recruiting trail, and one key four-star wideout is at the center of the scramble.
The Cyclones offered Sioux City East wide receiver Isaiah Grant earlier this spring, and the Class of 2028 target just wrapped up a trip to campus this week in Ames, Iowa, according to Bill Seals of CycloneAlert. Grant has offers from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Kansas in the Big 12.
“I got to build my relationship even stronger,” Grant told CycloneAlert. “I walked away feeling really good about it.”
Grant, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound wideout from Sioux City, Iowa, is currently the No. 3 recruit in the Iowa Class of 2028 and the No. 36 wide receiver nationally in his class.
Rogers has already proved himself a capable recruiter in the Class of 2026 and 2027.
Three-star freshman signees Jeffery Roberts (WR), Malcom Watkins (ATH), Jamal Polite Jr. (WR), Drake DeBaun (TE), Drew Byrd (TE), Luke Galer (TE), and Landon Kalsbeck (ATH) are all reporting to campus. The Cyclones currently have five commitments at receiver in the Class of 2027, including three-star Epworth, Iowa, tight end Drew Bergfeld.
In 2026, Iowa State is looking to projected starters Omari Hayes, Cody Jackson, Dominic Overby and Arkansas State tight end transfer Tyler Fortenberry to lead the cause. That lot returns 131 combined receptions from last year, and should be deep enough that the Cyclones won’t need to burn any redshirts.
Success at receiver is a nice building block for Rogers, who is depending heavily on projected starting quarterback Jaylen Raynor to deliver results with an offense largely decimated by the transfer portal. Fortenberry was Raynor’s leading tight end target at Arkansas State for a nice instant connection.
Raynor was a 66.5% passer with 3,361 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 11 picks last year in the Sun Belt.
