The 2011 season ended just a month

ago for the ISU football team, but the preparation for the 2012

season is in full swing. ISU coach Paul Rhoads announced on

Wednesday the signing of 21 players that will join the Cyclones

next season.

While the 21 signers are the fewest

to sign with Iowa State in Rhoads’ four recruiting classes, they

represent the most spread out class of Rhoads’ tenure hailing from

a combined nine states.

“We’re going to find the kids that

are the right fit for Iowa State University and who we believe are

going to help us win football games in the Big 12, and we’ve done

exactly that again,” Rhoads said.

Despite the recruits living in

different states, Rhoads has already seen the class of recruits

begin to bond as they communicate via social media.

“This class has really connected via

social media, Facebook and Twitter and things of this nature, and

they’ve developed quite the strong bond that I know will carry over

as they start classes this June,” Rhoads said.

A key for success at any college

football program is recruiting players within the school’s state.

Iowa State signed five Iowa preps, including kicker Cole Netten of

Ankeny who is expected to start as a true freshman.

“Kicker was one of those specific

needs with two of our kickers graduating. It was important to sign

Cole and get him in here as he will be ready to go for that first

game in all likelihood,” Rhoads said.

Another Iowa signer is Cory

Morrissey, who grew up in Ames and was actually a high school

teammate of Rhoads’ son Jake at Gilbert High School.

“It’s definitely a dream; it’s very

surreal that it’s actually happening. It’s something you dream

about since you were a little kid so that’s pretty great,” Morrisey

said.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive

end said he was committed to Iowa State “right away. I had six or

seven Division I offers sitting on the table that I could’ve taken,

but I was waiting it out for Iowa State.”

Among the class of 21 are five

defensive backs, four of which stand 6-feet or taller giving some

additional height to a group that started 5-foot-7 Jeremy Reeves

and 5-foot-10 Leonard Johnson at cornerback this season.

“The standard for defensive backs

certainly isn’t looking me in the eye but we’ve got to get more

length at that position, and we’ve addressed it with this class,”

Rhoads said. “A defensive back with long levers can affect a play

of an offense and their receivers, and we’ve got that in this group

of players.”

Cliff Stokes, a transfer from

Trinity Valley Community College (Texas), hopes he can challenge

for a spot on Iowa State’s depth chart as a junior in the

spring.

“I see myself on that island

guarding those 6’3, 6’4, 6’5 receivers and just making plays on

balls with my long arms,” Stokes said.

Luke Knott, younger brother of

All-Big 12 senior-to-be linebacker Jake Knott, is another one of

those defensive backs, standing 6-feet tall and weighing 195

pounds. Rhoads is confident that the quarterbacking experience of

Knott, the Missouri Class 5A offensive player of the year as a

senior, will help him transition to the ISU defense.

“When you’re the quarterback,

everything revolves around you, and you’ve got to be the one that

motivates. You’ve got to be the one that makes decisions out there

on the field, and the same is true with our safety position,”

Rhoads said. “I refer to [safeties] as generals out there on the

field, and we need generals back there to command our defense, and

we certainly believe that Luke fits that bill.”

Spring football begins in late

March. Specific dates of practices and the spring game have yet to

be announced.