AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell has changed the culture of the Cyclone football program since his arrival in Ames in 2016. Campbell’s teams have made bowl games and appeared in the College Football Playoff rankings in each of the last three seasons, winning 23 games for the second-best three-year stretch in program history.
Success on the field has transferred over to success in recruiting, as Campbell announced his 2020 signees today.
This year’s class of 22 is on pace to be one of the best in school history according to the recruiting services. The 2020 Cyclone group is currently rated No. 40 by 247Sports, making it one of Iowa State’s highest-rated classes since the service began rating classes (2009).
“We are thrilled to welcome the entire 2020 recruiting class to Iowa State,” Campbell said. “The group embodies the culture that has allowed us to achieve success in our football program, but more importantly, the group fits the characteristics that make our University and Ames community so special. As we continue to pursue greatness at Iowa State, these young men will be vital to sustaining success on and off the football field.”
This year’s class is headlined by a pair of four-star quarterbacks in Hunter Dekkers (Hawarden, Iowa) and Aidan Bouman (Buffalo, Minn.). Dekkers, who is rated as the top player in the state of Iowa by ESPN, is a top-300 player nationally according to both ESPN (No. 188) and 247Sports (No. 227), and is the seventh-best dual threat quarterback in the class by 247Sports.
The West Sioux product is the most prolific passer in Iowa prep history with career records of 10,628 passing yards and 126 passing touchdowns, earning 2019 Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year honors.
Bouman is a two-time all-state performer who is rated as the No. 296 player in the nation and the second-best performer out of Minnesota according to ESPN. Bouman recorded 9,578 passing yards and 94 passing touchdowns in his career.
Wide receiver Daniel Jackson (Cibolo, Texas) and defensive lineman Latrell Bankston (Woodstock, Ga.) are two more highly-rated recruits in this year’s class. Jackson is rated as the No. 544 nationally by 247Sports and will follow current Cyclone star Breece Hall as participant in the prestigious All-America Bowl.
Bankston is one of the top junior college defensive lineman in 2020. He was a First-Team NJCAA All-American and the Jayhawk Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Hutchinson Community College, racking up 22.0 TFL and 11.5 sacks. Bankston is ranked as the No. 3 defensive tackle and the No. 12 junior college player overall by 247Sports.
Campbell signed four Iowans in Dekkers, OL Tyler Miller (Scranton), LB Cole Pedersen (Leon) and OL Brady Petersen (Ankeny). All four players are rated in the state’s top-10 according to 247Sports.
Pedersen is ranked as the fourth-best player in Iowa, the No. 347 player nationally and a four-star recruit by 247Sports as a two-time all-state selection at Central Decatur. Miller is the No. 2 player in Iowa and the No. 50 offensive tackle nationally by Rivals as a two-time first-team all-state selection.
Petersen, who is also a two-time all-state selection, is rated as the 61st-best offensive tackle in the nation by 247Sports.
“It’s always important to recruit successfully in your own state,” Campbell said about the Iowa signees. “I think it was really huge for us to keep young men from this state that really understand the values of this fanbase and what we are building here. It is great for us to get four of the best in the state of Iowa to stay home.”
Class of 2020
Signed National Letters of Intent
Michal Antoine 6-0 185 Fr. DB Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Cardinal Gibbons)
Three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN; tallied 49 tackles, 12 passes defended and two interceptions in 2019.
*Latrell Bankston 6-0 300 Jr. DL Woodstock, Ga. (Woodstock/Hutchinson CC)
No. 12 JC player nationally by 247Sports; First-Team NJCAA All-American; Defensive PoY in the Jayhawk Conference.
Aidan Bitter 6-2 180 Fr. WR Tampa, Fla. (Steinbrenner)
Top-150 WR by 247Sports; recorded 54 catches for 807 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019.
*Aidan Bouman 6-6 215 Fr. QB Buffalo, Minn. (Buffalo)
Four-star recruit & member of the ESPN300; two-time all-state pick & top-4 player in state; passed for 9,578 yards in career.
*Mason Chambers 6-0 200 Fr. DB Schertz, Texas (Clemens)
Two-time all-state selection who is ranked as the No. 49 safety nationally by ESPN; three-year starter and three-star recruit.
*Dae’Shawn Davis 6-0 225 Fr. LB Cleveland, Ohio (Shaw/Iowa Western CC)
Redshirted his only season at Iowa Western; a top-150 athlete by 247Sports in the Class of 2019.
Hunter Dekkers 6-3 225 Fr. QB Hawarden, Iowa (West Sioux)
Iowa Gatorade PoY; four-star recruit & top-200 player by ESPN; most passing yards (10,628) & TDs (126) in Iowa prep history.
Koby Hathcock 5-10 190 Fr. LS Mesa, Ariz. (Desert Ridge)
Rated as the 2nd-best long snapper in the nation by 247Sports, ESPN and Kohl’s Kicking.
*Xavier Hutchinson 6-3 200 Jr. WR Jacksonville, Fla. (Bartram Trail/Blinn JC)
Chose Iowa State over Oklahoma & Nebraska; No. 6 JC WR nationally by JCGridiron; had 47 receptions, 652 yards & 5 TDs in ‘19.
Daniel Jackson 6-3 210 Fr. WR Cibolo, Texas (Steele)
2020 All-American Bowl invitee; top-100 WR nationally; had 66 catches for 1,044 yards and eight TDs in 2018.
*D’Shayne James 6-2 220 Fr. WR Gilbert, Ariz. (Perry)
Sat out senior year with injury; HM all-state as a junior, catching 45 passes for 1,086 yards and 13 TDs from Brock Purdy.
*Craig McDonald 6-2 190 Fr. DB Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnehaha Academy)
Picked Iowa State over Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota; defensive MVP of Minnesota All-Star game; top-60 safety nationally.
*Tyler Miller 6-9 300 Fr. OL Scranton, Iowa (Greene County)
Ranked as the No. 2 player in Iowa and No. 50 tackle by Rivals; two-time all-state selection.
*Jordyn Morgan 6-0 180 Fr. DB Universal City, Texas (Cornerstone Christian)
Rated as the No. 1 safety among Texas private schools; ranked as the No. 48 safety nationally by Rivals.
*Hayden Pauls 6-5 280 Fr. OL Emporia, Kan. (Emporia)
First-team all-state selection as a senior; rated as the No. 55 OT nationally by 247Sports and No. 4 player in Kansas by Rivals.
Cole Pedersen 6-4 210 Fr. LB Leon, Iowa (Central Decatur)
Four-star recruit, the No. 347 player nationally and fourth-best player in Iowa by 247Sports; two-time all-state selection.
Brady Petersen 6-5 280 Fr. OL Ankeny, Iowa (Centennial)
A top-10 player in the state, including No. 4 by ESPN; IPSWA First-Team All-State pick in Class 4A in 2019.
Sam Rengert 6-7 300 Fr. OL Milford Center, Ohio (Fairbanks)
Two-time all-state lineman who is a three-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.
J.R. Singleton 6-2 300 Fr. DL Gurnee, Ill. (Warren Township)
First-team IHSFCA All-State in 2019; led team to state final with 43 tackles, 23.0 TFL and 14 sacks; No. 56 DT in nation.
Ar’Quel Smith 5-11 200 Fr. LB Naples, Fla. (Naples)
Naples Daily News Big 15 member as one of the top preps in Southwest Florida; two-time all-state selection.
*Johnny Wilson 6-3 260 Fr. DE Kansas City, Mo. (Park Hill)
Two-time first-team all-state; Buck Buchanan Award winner; compiled 250 tackles, 63.0 TFL and 23 sacks in career.
Hunter Zenzen 6-3 220 Fr. LB Hawley, Minn. (Barnesville)
Rated as a top-15 player in the state & participant in the Minnesota All-Star game; named to Minnesota Vikings All-State team.
*Mid-Year Enrollee
