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Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State Football Atop List for Class of 2027 Quarterback

The Iowa State Cyclones are in a great position when it comes to recruiting a Class of 2027 quarterback.
Kenneth Teape|
Oct 30, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; An Iowa State Cyclones helmet on the bench during the third quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Oct 30, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; An Iowa State Cyclones helmet on the bench during the third quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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Iowa State Cyclones

The new regime leading the Iowa State Cyclones football team did an incredible job of restocking the roster for the 2026 season.

When Matt Campbell left for the Penn State Nittany Lions’ head coaching job, more than 50 players entered the transfer portal. 16 players from their Class of 2026 decommitted, creating a massive void for Jimmy Rogers to fill.

The roster is locked and loaded for the 2026 campaign, and now the focus is shifting to the future of the program. Behind the eight-ball when it comes to recruiting, the Cyclones are looking to make up for lost time.

At the most important position on the field, they are putting in a ton of work on the recruiting trail. One player they are making progress with is Michael Vander Luitgaren.

Iowa State atop list of schools for Michael Vander Luitgaren

Iowa State football head coach Jimmy Rogers speaking to media.
Iowa State football head coach Jimmy Rogers talks to media during NFL football pro-day at Bergstrom Football Complex on March 24, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He revealed, despite not yet receiving a scholarship offer from Iowa State, that they are atop his current list after making two unofficial visits to the school.

"They're up at the top because I really feel like I'm on the same page with the coaches," Vander Luitgaren said, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports network (subscription required). "But that's also unfair because I've been there twice already and I still have first-time visits coming up with other schools."

The Batavia High School product currently has three scholarship offers from the Miami (OH) RedHawks, Toledo Rockets, Penn Quakers and Dartmouth Big Green. The Iowa Hawkeyes, who will host him on April 7, and the Eastern Michigan Eagles are also showing interest in him.

They all seem to be playing catch-up currently, with the Cyclones holding an edge given how many times they have hosted him already. He is patiently awaiting the scholarship offer, which could really put Iowa State in the driver’s seat.

"The staff has been great with keeping in touch with me on a weekly basis," Vander Luitgaren told Cyclone Alert via text message. "I really feel like we're building a great relationship and it would be awesome to get to that next step and receive an offer.”

Vander Luitgaren knows that he still has some work to do so that he can earn that offer and be the No. 1 quarterback on their list.

He is competing against DJ Hunter, a quarterback from Georgia who has an official visit to Ames set for May. Ben Musser has also received a scholarship offer from the Cyclones and visited at the same time as Vander Luitgaren. Ben Peterson is another quarterback who visited Ames in March.

It will be interesting to see how things play out not only during the offseason, but once their high school seasons start up in the fall.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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