AMES – Back in February 2021, Iowa State offered Xavier Townsend, a wide receiver out of Tampa, a scholarship. In June of that year, he made a visit to Ames before he committed in July.
But, Townsend flipped his commitment to UCF in December 2021 and spent three seasons in Orlando, one of which he redshirted.
When Townsend decommitted to Iowa State, he made sure not to ruffle any feathers or burn any bridges. That decision turned out to be a good one.
“You don’t ever want to burn a bridge with a coach or really anybody,” Townsend said. “When I did decide to flip to UCF, none of the coaches had ill will towards me. They all wished me success and wanted the best for me.”
Townsend played his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Knights, but played in just four games last season and ultimately decided to redshirt and hit the portal.
As a freshman, Townsend played in nine games and caught 23 passes for 127 yards. His breakout performances first came against Florida Atlantic, when he caught six passes for 53 yards, and against Duke in the Military Bowl, where he caught seven passes for 25 yards.
His sophomore season saw an increase in production. In 11 games, Townsend caught 33 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns. A five-catch, 81-yard performance against Kent State was his best performance of the season, where he also caught his first career touchdown.
After only playing in the first four games of the 2024-25 season, Townsend decided to redshirt the rest of it to save his eligibility since he made the decision to hit the transfer portal.
The first team that came calling? Iowa State.
“Iowa State was the first call,” Townsend said. “I was watching Iowa State the whole season, so I felt like it would be a great fit. I was happy when they called.”
It took three years to make it finally happen, but Townsend was set to become a Cyclone.
It came at a crucial time for Iowa State’s receiver room, considering its star senior receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins would soon graduate. Townsend and East Carolina transfer Chase Sowell were the two that will be looked on to fill those roles.
“It’s going to be hard to replace those two guys,” Iowa State wide receivers coach Noah Pauley said.
Townsend and Sowell met and worked out together on day one. Their bond and willingness to get better together is exactly what the coaching staff wanted to see.
“He’s electric,” Pauley said about Townsend. “He’s a guy that came in and hit the ground running as far as learning the playbook and learning multiple positions. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“[Sowell] is a great player,” Townsend said. “He’s a hard worker. He wants to continue to better his craft, as do I.”
There were a few things Townsend noticed when he first got to Ames. Sowell shared his work ethic and Townsend liked that the players held each other accountable, along with being reunited with quarterback Rocco Becht.
“I met [Becht] when we were young, probably like eight, so I’ve known him for a while,” Townsend said. “[Now] I get to see him in action. One word to describe him is a leader. He’s been leading this team and I’ve been seeing it from afar, but now I can see it up close and personal and be a part of that.”
Becht and Townsend played high school football together in Tampa and were originally expected to become Cyclones together. It took a while, but it happened eventually.
That bond and familiarity with one another is something Pauley believes will help a lot.
The leadership role Becht took on last season propelled Iowa State to a spot in the Big 12 Championship game and a win in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. With Noel and Higgins gone, the receiver room will have the new faces of Townsend and Sowell at the helm, but there are plenty of returning faces.
“We’ll see what they’re able to do during spring ball,” Becht said.
Last season, the quest to find the third receiver–or simply just a pass catcher–took all season. Pauley is confident in this group and knows one will emerge this season.
“You’re always trying to find that third guy, whether that’s in our room, whether that’s in the tight end room,” Pauley said. “We’ve got a lot of bodies this spring that can play that role.”
It’s the work behind the scenes that raised Pauley’s confidence on the matter.
“I’ve seen all these guys really hungry, which has been fun,” Pauley said. “A guy like Brett Eskildsen has done a really good job so far in camp. [Dominic] Overby, Isaiah Alston, those guys have continued to grow in this offense and [are] finding their role.”
Eli Green, Alston and Carson Brown are all set to return as well.
“[Alston] has done a great job of understanding our offense through the season and into the offseason,” Pauley said. “He’s one of the best contested catch guys we have, and it’s gonna continue to show up this spring.”
With Townsend finally at the place he originally committed to, added with Sowell and all of the other receivers that complement the depth of the room, there is a lot of buzz as to what Iowa State’s passing game will look like come August.
