When ISU nose guard Demond Tucker arrived in Ames over the summer, he had a lofty goal — he wanted to be the best.

Before the season even began, Tucker set his sights on the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He wanted to take his game from good to elite. 

While those feelings haven’t faded over the four months since, Tucker has now improved enough this season to where it’s a real possibility. Maybe not for 2015, but for 2016.

“I just want to be an outstanding player,” Tucker said. “I want to dominate every play. I want to be that person that can go every drive without coming off the field.”

As of recently, Tucker has reached that higher level. He earned his first recognition in the conference Monday, taking home Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors with eight tackles and two sacks against Oklahoma State.

It was something that the team saw coming, but also something that Tucker had to work hard for.

“When he turns it up, he can play,” said ISU defensive coordinator Wally Burnham. “He can really play.”

Tucker, a Hazelhurst, Miss., native, transferred to Iowa State from Copiah Lincoln Community College before this season. His speed and explosiveness were almost at elite levels.

His size, however, was not.

Tucker entered at a generous 6 feet, which led to him being passed over by some big schools around the nation. The Cyclones weren’t one of them. The coaching staff saw his raw talent, which is a hard find for any team. 

“The reasons we have Demond is because he is 6 foot, or whatever he would tell you,” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads. “The big boys — they didn’t want a guy that size — but we saw the explosiveness and we saw the ability. We’re lucky to have him.”

Tucker entered fall camp like many junior college transfers: Not in tip-top fitness but boasting raw strength. The problem was that Tucker had the tools to become great, but he wasn’t molded as a Division I football player — yet.

“He was a junior college kid that came in and had some natural strength, but he didn’t have football strength in his hands and things like that,” Burnham said. “He’s gotten better in a lot of areas.”

Over the season, Tucker has slowly improved his fitness while showing the raw talent that had been there since day one. On one occasion, safety Kamari Cotton-Moya was in awe over Tucker running across the field to break up a play.

“You see him sprinting — 100 mph — going and trying to take the ball,” Cotton-Moya said. “And I’m like, ‘How did he just get there? How did he beat everybody to the ball?’ He’s a nose guard. That dude’s athletic and probably one of the fastest D-linemen I’ve ever seen.”

But Tucker’s full impact wasn’t completely felt because he was limited to three or four consecutive plays before he had to run to the sideline for a breather. 

Tucker has now gotten closer to that player the coaches foresaw — one that had better fitness and improved strength. While fitness is still an aspect on which the coaching staff wants Tucker to improve, the final thing he needs to achieve is consistency.

“He believes in himself and his ability,” Burnham said. “He’s done it in junior college, and he’s had some plays here, so the more [plays] he makes, the more he’s going to get.”

Now that Tucker is gaining conference-wide recognition, he can become one of the best in the Big 12 — a goal from which he never wavered.

“I just feel like I can do more — I know I can do more,” Tucker said. “I just have to get myself in better condition and get stronger and faster. I feel like I can get to the point I want to be.”