As the Iowa State football team was gearing up for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in late December, 18 athletes signed their letter of intents to play for Matt Campbell and the Cyclones.

“Our full-time staff has worked really, really hard again,” Campbell said. “I think they’ve done a great job in putting together in what I would see as a class that fits the culture of Iowa State football.”

And today, three more, plus walk-ons, pledged their commitments to the Cyclones. The group was highlighted by the commitments of four-star wide receiver Joseph Scates and three-star quarterback Brock Purdy. Iowa State also snagged a letter of intent from wide receiver Tayvonn Kyle.

Joseph Scates

Just how good is Scates? He is the highest-rated recruit Campbell has snagged in his time at Iowa State. At 6-foot-3, 247Sports Composite rates him as a four-star wide receiver and has him as the 44th-best receiver in the class of 2018 and the No. 8 prospect in all of Ohio.

“Joe fits the mold exactly to what we’re looking for in terms of big, long and strong,” said tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Alex Golesh. “As far as immediate, can help you immediately, I think all that stuff will get figured out when they get here.”

As a senior at Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio, Scates hauled in 37 passes for 966 yards and 20 touchdowns. Scates also made noise in the recruiting world, not just on the field. The future Cyclone fielded offers from schools such as Alabama, Michigan State, Arkansas, LSU and Oklahoma.

Scates will look to make an immediate impact with the departure of Allen Lazard, Marchie Murdock and Trever Ryen. 

Brock Purdy

The biggest snag of the day came from Gilbert, Arizona. Purdy, a 6-foot-1 pro-style quarterback chose Iowa State over Texas A&M. Purdy announced his decision in front of a packed gym at Perry High School.

As soon as Purdy pledge his allegiance to the Cyclones, both of his parents ripped their shirts off to reveal Iowa State apparel.

“We are who we are,” Campbell said. “We try not to be somebody we’re not.

“We didn’t sell him on flash, we didn’t promise him the world, we just were who we were… At the end of it I think that might have been the difference.”

Purdy, the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year, threw for 4,405 yards and 57 touchdowns. The quarterback added 1,017 yards on the ground for nine touchdowns.

Campbell’s all-out recruiting effort beat reported offers from Texas A&M, Alabama, UCF and Boise State.

“We look at [competing with Alabama and UCF] very honestly,” Golesh said. “When we’re recruiting a guy, if we have a real relationship and we’ve been thorough and have done it the right way, I feel like we can compete with anybody.”

Purdy joins Re-al Mitchell as the lone quarterbacks to commit to Iowa State in their respective class.

Tayvonn Kyle

Tayvonn Kyle was the first to sign his letter of intent today. Kyle is listed as a three-star wide receiver, according to 247Sports Composite. The Valdosta, Georgia, native stands at 6-foot and boasts a 40-yard dash time of 4.42 seconds.

“Tayvonn’s one of those guys that you look at the video tape and then you look at his track times and you look at what he’s done in terms of his jumping,” Campbell said. “His explosion, I think it jumps off the film… He does a little bit of everything.”

Rated as the 137th-best recruit in Georgia, per 247Sports Composite, Kyle is the 102nd-best wide receiver in the class of 2018. In his senior season at Lowndes High School, Kyle had 42 receptions for 766 yards and 10 scores.

Campbell added Kyle has the intangibles – he possess the “it” factor.

Kyle and Scates join four other receivers that will don the cardinal and gold in 2018 and beyond.