With the disappointing finish to the 1999 Cyclone football season fully behind them, Dan McCarney and his staff have gone out and infused a great deal of optimism back into the program.

This was accomplished by getting 11 oral commitments so far this winter, and with several more highly touted recruits still considering Iowa State, the news could get even better.

McCarney is not allowed to talk about specific recruits yet, but he certainly must be pleased with what he has been able to accomplish so far.

Recently, Tom Lemming, ESPN’s recruiting guru, named him one of the top 15 recruiters in the country. McCarney is doing his best to try and and prove that Lemming may have indeed been right in going out on the proverbial limb.

The football staff suffered a big blow when St. Louis native Mark Kornfeld, who had previously given his commitment, recently changed his intentions and now says he will go to Illinois. The 6-1, 190-pound quarterback has been favorably compared to Steve Schnurr, the diminutive signal-caller that led Northwestern to a surprise Rose Bowl appearance following the 1995 season.

Following is a brief profile on each of the 11 recruits that have not backed out, starting with the offense.

JaMaine Billups, RB, 6-0, 200, 4.49, Omaha Central, Neb. Probably the most highly touted of all the recruits, he rushed for 516 yards in two playoff games to boost his stock.

The Cyclones beat out schools like Nebraska and Michigan for his services, and he is expected to contribute immediately in the backfield.

Todd Miller, RB, 5-9, 160, 4.48, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Envisioned as a reincarnation of J.J. Moses, Miller will probably redshirt next year due to all of the talent in the backfield.

He also could endure a position switch, as Moses did. He rushed for nearly 1,900 yards while scoring 31 touchdowns.

Steve Pfaller, WR, 6-3, 185, 4.55, Iowa City, IA. Compared to Chris Anthony, Pfaller was contacted by a number of big-time schools, including Iowa and Nebraska. Most likely, he will redshirt next year.

Tim Tebrink, TE, 6-3, 230, 4.8, Orange City MOC, Floyd Valley, IA. His ability to play other positions attracted the coaching staff to him, and he’s another guy who probably will not see action next year, as Andy Stensrud and Mike Banks will both be back.

Kerry Carlson, OL, 6-3, 309, 5.3, Rochester C&T J.C., Minn. Not highly recruited out of high school, Carlson went the junior college route and it paid off as he now has a free ride at a Big 12 school.

With his good size and the injuries to offensive lineman Ben Beaudet, Marcel Howard and Josh Rank, he will see time next year.

T.J. Woods, OL, 6-5, 305, 5.0, Citrus C.C., Calif. See Kerry Carlson. Was also recruited by Kansas and Louisville.

Ryan Terpening, OL, 6-7, 269, 5.3, Farmington, Minn. Has a great frame, but obviously needs to put on quite a bit of weight to contribute. Unless a few others on the offensive line start to get headaches, look for him to be on the scout team next year.

Tony Yelk, K, 6-1, 190, 4.8, Arlington, Wisc. Was asked to walk on by a number of schools including Nebraska and Wisconsin, but the Cyclones, seeing another year with Mike McKnight at the helm, pulled the trigger and he accepted.

Tyson Smith, LB, 6-3, 210, 4.5, West Des Moines Dowling, Iowa. Behind Billups, the best recruit yet. Recruited by all the Midwestern heavy hitters, he chose ISU and could very well contribute a year from now.

Luke Vander Sanden, DL, 6-2, 275, 4.9, Inwood West Lyon, Iowa. Another solid player, committed early on to the Cyclones. Also played on the offensive line, but looks to be headed for the defensive side, where the Cyclones might need him in 2001.

Brett Kellogg, LB/P, 6-3, 230, 4.7, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Iowa. Iowa, Kansas, and Kansas State also wanted him, and Kellogg could help stabilize the position in the future.

Coming off two straight seasons when modest improvement was shown, this year will be nothing short of critical to the future success of the program.

With several redshirt freshman ready to contribute, and perhaps a few from the above group set to step up, McCarney has the best chance yet to bring the ‘Clones to postseason play.