Iowa State Football in Great Spot With Class of 2027 TE

New Iowa State Cyclones head football coach Jimmy Rogers has been hard at work since taking over the job from Matt Campbell, who departed for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Extra attention has been put on the recruiting front in recent weeks, with Iowa State’s staff looking to make up for lost time. Because of how much work had to be done with the 2026 roster, they were behind when it came to high school recruiting.

That has certainly changed in recent weeks, with Rogers and his staff making the most of players who visited during spring practice. One player for whom significant progress has been made with is Joe Vinyard.

A tight end in the Class of 2027 from Waukee Northwest, he recently wrapped up his fourth visit to Ames in two months. And it should come as no surprise that he loves a lot of what the school has to offer.

Joe Vinyard views Iowa State in high regard

Iowa State Cyclones head football coach Jimmy Rogers speaks during his introductory press conference — Jimmy Rogers speaks during his introductory press conference as Iowa State’s new head football coach on Dec. 8, 2025, at Iowa State University in Ames, IA. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“I’ve been nothing but impressed with their entire coaching staff and every time I’ve been up there, it kind of speaks for itself,” Vinyard said, via Bill Seals of Cyclone Report (subscription required). “I’ve been up there four times in the past two months, and that kind of shows how much I’ve enjoyed going up to Iowa State. They are really high for me, and I really do like Iowa State. They’ll be up high on my board when I make a decision.”

Rogers, tight ends coach Seth Hestness and offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl have gone above and beyond when it comes to making a good impression on Vinyard. It has certainly worked to this point, with them seemingly being in the lead to land a commitment from him.

During one of the recent visits, the Cyclones extended an offer to him, and things have snowballed positively since.

Iowa State is certainly fortunate for that because interest in him has been high. He has received 16 other offers from programs around the country, and the Iowa Hawkeyes have also expressed some interest in him.

NEW: Iowa State in the driver's seat for in-state TE Joe Vinyard after his FOURTH visit in two months 👀

"They'll be up high on my board when I make a decision" — and that decision could come in the next couple weeks

Intel: https://t.co/UKgN4l48EB pic.twitter.com/DO2CYPKEzi
— Bill Seals (@williamseals) April 27, 2026

His official visit with the Cyclones is set for May 28-30, but there is a chance that he will decide on where he wants to play college football before then.

“I think probably sooner rather than later, just kind of relieve some of the pressure, I would say,” he said. “I would say probably in the next couple weeks, I’ll have to make that decision pretty soon.”

Rogers and company certainly have to feel good about their chances of Vinyard selecting the Cyclones.

This past season, he helped his high school team reach the Class 5A state semifinals with a 10-2 record. He caught 40 passes for 464 yards and three touchdowns, and will be looking to build off that during his senior year.

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