Iowa State football recruiting: Two JUCO transfers from Mississippi commit to Cyclones
By Brian Spaen
Mississippi has been a real hotbed for football success these days, and Iowa State will be getting two football players that are transferring from the state for the class of 2015.
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In the last two nights, Larry Jefferson and Xavier Pegues from Itawamba Community College have committed to Iowa State. Both players are listed as weak-side defensive ends, with Pegues also tagged as a tight end.
First up, Jefferson is a 3-star prospect that’s listed at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. He received other offers from California, Kansas State, Maryland, Miami (FL), South Alabama, South Florida, Utah State, and West Virginia. He actually committed to the Mountaineers on October 1st before switching gears to the Cyclones.
One night later, Pegues did the same thing. He passed up on offers from Arkansas State, California, Georgia State, South Alabama, Southern Miss, UTSA, UAB, and West Virginia. Pegues, another 3-star prospect, is a bit shorter at 6-foot-3, but is a huge 285 pounds.
Looking at the stats, Pegues has recorded 31 total tackles, 2 sacks, and has recovered a fumble this season with Itawamba. In comparison, Jefferson has 32 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, and has recovered 2 fumbles.
It’s a pretty big win on the recruiting front for Iowa State, especially beating out a different Big 12 foe. They were able to get Jefferson to flip just a few weeks after his commitment, and another teammate joined him in around 24 hours after making his final decision between California and ISU.
It’s the 12th and 13th commitment that Paul Rhoads has received for next season. It may not have a player like Allen Lazard dazzling the class and they’re still ranked second-to-last in the Big 12 according to 247Sports (Kansas State is now last after the two commits), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any exciting players.
Along with the two Mississippi JUCOs, running back Devine Ozigbo from Texas has been the biggest score and could have an immediate impact. There’s also potential breakout stars in Denver Johnson and Seth Nerness.