Defensive Newcomers To Watch During Iowa State’s Spring Game

The wait is almost over.  The first look at the 2012 Iowa State Cyclones is less than a week away.  The annual Spring Game will be held on Saturday at 2:00 PM and admission is free.  If you head to the game on Saturday, watch out for these three new players for Iowa State.

1.  Clifford Stokes – Cornerback – Junior

Leonard Johnson, Iowa State’s main cornerback for the past couple of years, is off to the NFL.  Who can fill the spot he left besides Jeremy Reeves?  Cliff Stokes has the opportunity to.  Jeremy Reeves is out for the Spring, which will give Stokes more playing time on Saturday.  Stokes early enrolled at Iowa State this Winter after leading Trinity Valley Community College to a nice season.  What I like about Stokes is his size.  Stokes is listed at 6’1 and there won’t be many 6’1 corners playing in the Big 12 next year.

2.  T.J. Mutcherson – Safety – Freshman

Some recruits get me excited and to be honest, T.J. Mutcherson wasn’t one of them (not that I don’t want him at ISU).  Mutcherson struggled with academics and hasn’t played football in about two years.  However, I have a read a couple articles since Signing Day and it sounds like Mutcherson has learned from his mistakes and is ready to get on with the future.  Paul Rhoads has described Mutcherson as a “football player”, one of the best compliments you can get from Rhoads.  He still has kinks to work out (he hasn’t played football in awhile), but I’m looking forward to seeing him Saturday.

3.  Quinton Pompey – Defensive Tackle/Nose Guard – Redshirt Freshman

I don’t know much about Pompey.  He was a 3-star recruit out of Manatee High School in Florida, the hotbed for Iowa State recruiting.  Rivals ranked him as the 41st-best DT in his class and he chose ISU over the likes of Penn State, Missouri, and Miami.  That’s enough to get me excited.